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Keeping Thursday fun and colorful with this Roasted Greek Chicken and Farro Salad with Oven Fries.
Here’s the thing, I love salad, but salad with iceberg lettuce and weird dressing? No, I do not love that kind of salad. Whenever I make salads, I make them big, colorful, full of different veggies, and I always finish them off with cheese. Always.
Today’s salad is just that. It’s packed with whole grains, roasted chicken, veggies, homemade tzatziki, feta cheese, and topped with a simple red wine vinaigrette. There is nothing boring about it.
I feel like people tend to forget about salads during the winter months, but with a few adjustments, you can make them great. The inspiration for this salad actually came from my sheet pan Greek chicken. In less than a year, that chicken recipe has been loved by so many. It’s easy, healthy, and delicious. Since I too love that recipe, I wanted to give it a new spin. I brainstormed a few different ideas, but in the end this salad was top on my list to create. It just sounded so good…bright and cozy, the perfect winter salad. It can lead into us into warmer spring days…which I will most likely be very ready for once I return from cold South Korea.
Unlike most salad recipes, this salad starts out by roasting chicken and making the fries. Because this is more of a winter salad, I wanted some elements of the salad to be warm. I roasted the chicken, fries, and bell peppers all on the same sheet pan to make this simple and easy.
Now I know fries in a salad might sound odd, but this is something my dad used to do with his salads, and I’ve loved doing the same ever since. I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before, but when I was growing up my dad would make salad for himself every single night. Well, I am not sure it was really a salad, but it always had lettuce, so I called it a salad. He would throw whatever was in the fridge or pantry into a bowl, add lettuce, and dressing and call it dinner. I guess he did this because he didn’t want the usual chicken and rice that he fed my brothers and I. Which is pretty understandable, it was kind of boring.
Long story short, dad used to throw the leftover oven fries that he would make for us into his salads. For the longest time I thought that adding fries to salad was just the normal thing to do, but as I got more into cooking, I realized it was actually a rather unique salad topping.
If you’re new to this whole fries in a salad thing, you should know it’s the best topping, and you really should give them a try. They’re perfect when making a big hearty dinner salad. Preferably this salad because it’s truly one of the best.
Once you have the chicken and fries roasted, the salad comes together pretty quickly. I used farro as my grain, but you could really use any leftover grains you have on hand. Quinoa and brown rice would also be great. Add some feta and a light drizzle of vinaigrette and your salad is done.
Simple and so yummy.
Additionally, this is a great salad to prepare on Sunday, for quick lunches or easy dinners throughout the week. Everything keeps really well once tossed together and the flavors get even better over time. The only thing that I would add just before serving would be the lettuce. You could even throw in an avocado as well, avocados are always a good idea.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
The prettiest, brightest winter salad.
I made this roasted greek chicken and farro salad with oven fries, but didn’t have any feta. I had Paneer cheese and a few slabs of bacon so I fried up the bacon and sliced it into small chunks and threw that on top of the salad. Then fried the paneer cheese in the bacon fat and threw that on top. The paneer doesn’t melt so it maintains its shape. Sooo good.
Thank you so much Dean! xTieghan
YUM! I actually texted my boyfriend this recipe to make while I worked a late night (he is not a cook so this is usually a risk) but it seemed easy enough and I came home to a delicious meal! He was so proud of his handy work and I was so appreciative that the recipe was easy to follow and didn’t have a ton of steps.
Thanks for all the inspiration, healthy foods, and yummy flavors. I can’t wait to watch for your brother at the Olympics!
Thank you Libby! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Such a gorgeous meal and just what I’m craving for Friday night dinner!
Thank you Laura!
How is it that people forget about winter salads? I really love them. This one looks so flavorful and delicious!
Thank you Lindsay!
What a perfect meal for any night of the week!
Thank you Leigh Ann!
This looks fantastic–I think I’ll make it for dinner tonight!
I know you’re originally from the Cleveland area (I’m originally from Youngstown!), but did you know that putting fries on salad is totally a Pittsburgh thing?
haha! NO WAY! I had no idea. How cool! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
That could seriously be the greatest salad I’ve ever seen!
Thank you Matt!
I made this for supper tonight and my whole family loved it. Yum yum yum. Fries in salad…genius!
Thanks Leah!
Sounds absolutely delish! Love Greek-inspired recipes.
Thank you Natasha!
This is loaded with so many delicious things! Looks incredible!
Thank you Gina!
Farro dishes are my favorite Tieghan. So nice and hearty. And add those fries and it’s even heartier. Great list of ingredients!
Thank you so much Mary Ann!
I often have roasted potatoes (“fries”) in my salads – It’s the best! I’m sure this salad is delicious, especially with the feta. 🙂
Thank you Caroline!
Fries and roast chicken in salad. It’s like we’re salad soul sisters!
Haha so glad you like this! Thank you Debs!
Looks like a great salad. Love salad for dinner.
Thank you Oyce!
I’m a sucker for oven fries, addicted to them more like.
Aren’t they just the best?! Thanks Ruth!!