Greek Salad with Chicken (Print Version)

Mediterranean salad with grilled chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, feta, and a tangy olive oil dressing.

# Components:

→ Grilled Chicken

01 - 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
02 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
03 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice
04 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
05 - 1 garlic clove, minced
06 - ½ teaspoon salt
07 - ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

→ Salad

08 - 3 medium ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
09 - 1 large cucumber, sliced into half-moons
10 - 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
11 - ¾ cup Kalamata olives, pitted
12 - ¾ cup feta cheese, cubed or crumbled
13 - ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

→ Dressing

14 - 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
15 - 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
16 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
17 - ½ teaspoon salt
18 - ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

# Preparation Steps:

01 - In a bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, minced garlic, salt, and black pepper. Add chicken breasts and marinate for at least 15 minutes.
02 - Preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Grill chicken breasts 6–7 minutes per side until fully cooked and juices run clear. Let rest 5 minutes, then slice into strips.
03 - In a large bowl, mix tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, Kalamata olives, and feta cheese.
04 - Whisk extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl until combined.
05 - Pour dressing over salad and toss gently to combine.
06 - Top salad with grilled chicken strips and garnish with fresh parsley if desired. Serve immediately, with extra dressing on the side if preferred.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in under 40 minutes, which means weeknight dinners suddenly feel impressive without the stress.
  • The warm chicken against cool, crisp vegetables creates this perfect temperature play that makes every bite interesting.
  • Feta and olives do the heavy lifting on flavor, so the dressing stays simple and the chicken stays the star.
02 -
  • Don't skip the resting period for the chicken—I made that mistake once and ended up with slices that looked cooked but fell apart the moment I cut them.
  • The feta goes in before the dressing, not after; dressing-soaked feta is a texture disaster, but feta that gets kissed by the vinaigrette as it settles? That's when the magic happens.
  • Temperature matters: warm chicken on cool salad is the whole point, so don't let either sit around getting room temperature.
03 -
  • If your tomatoes aren't as ripe as you'd like, let them sit in the sun on the counter for a day—ripeness makes a real difference in how this salad tastes.
  • Toast your oregano gently in the pan before mixing the dressing; it wakes up the herb and makes the whole thing taste more intentional.
  • Buy whole olives with pits if you can find them; pitted olives have a slightly mushy texture that pitted-yourself olives never have.
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