If you’re the sort of meal prepper who likes to grill or cook a bunch of chicken breasts on the weekend, just because you know how easy it is to incorporate them into meals during the week, you are in luck! This Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Salad is for you.
A typical Mediterranean salad usually has some manner of greens (often romaine, but not always), along with olives, feta, tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onion. It often has a red wine vinaigrette, too, but just as often, it’s great tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette.
This Mediterranean salad iteration, however, is different, and it’s not just because it’s topped with chicken. Yes, it takes its inspiration from the classic salad, but it goes a little somewhere different with it. Instead, we’ve loaded it with drained and halved artichoke hearts, avocado slices, and pistachios for a change of pace with texture and taste.
Mediterranean Chicken Salad Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
For the Salad
- 4 cups mixed greens
- 1 cup artichoke hearts, drained and halved
- 1 cup sliced cucumber
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1 medium avocado, sliced
- 2 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
- 1/4 cup roasted shelled pistachios
- 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette
How to Make Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Salad
It all starts with the chicken. You can either cook this on a grill pan indoors or on a grill outdoors. And if that’s not something you own, no sweat. A simple skillet will do.
Start the prep process by cooking the chicken and setting it aside, which you can do a day ahead of time. It’s so flavorful, seasoned with lemon, garlic, oregano, and olive oil. Then, just assemble the salad, which consists of greens of your choice, along with the artichoke hearts, cucumber, red onion, avocado, feta cheese, and pistachios. Slice the chicken and add it to the salad. Either serve it right away with the dressing (tossed with it, ideally), or portioned out into four meal prep containers, along with individual containers for the dressing. (Keep the dressing separate until it’s time to toss; otherwise, your greens will get super soggy.)
How to Customize This Mediterranean Salad
- Try kalamata or black olives; a handful will do.
- Use roasted red peppers (jarred ones work great, just drain and chop roughly first)
- Up the red onion
- Add some cherry tomatoes or other types of tomato
- Toss in some drained chickpeas or white beans for more protein and a change in texture
- Make this with grilled flank steak or grilled shrimp instead of chicken.
Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Salad
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
For the salad
- 4 cups mixed greens
- 1 cup artichoke hearts drained and halved
- 1 cup sliced cucumber
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1 medium avocado sliced or cut into chunks
- 2 ounces feta cheese crumbled
- 1/4 cup roasted shelled pistachios
- 1/2 cup balsamic viniagrette
Instructions
- Place chicken in a shallow dish with ingredients for marinade. Use hands to mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Heat a large grill pan over medium-high heat and grease with cooking oil. Once the pan is very hot, add the chicken, using tongs.
- Grill for 7 to 8 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan to a cutting board and let the chicken rest for a few minutes before slicing it
- Divide mixed greens among 4 meal prep containers. Top it with sliced chicken, artichoke hearts, cucumber, red onion, avocado, feta cheese, and pistachios. Divide the vinaigrette among 4 dressing cups. Store in the fridge.
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