Greek Chicken Salad




Greek Chicken Salad

Hi! My name is Mary. I'm wife to the love of my life and mom to an amazing grown daughter... living, loving, cooking and blogging about it all, in the beautiful foothills of the Adirondack mountains of upstate New York. Food is my passion and sharing that passion (and the food) with the people I love, truly brings me joy and contentment.

One of the most frequently prepared dishes in my kitchen, especially during the summer months is... well, salad. Not just any salad, mind you. Salad with a kick! ...Salad that eats and satisfies like a meal.



Greek Chicken Salad

One of our favorites, is a Greek inspired salad. We love the creamy, tangy flavor of feta cheese and the salty, slightly sharp flavor of plump kalamata olives. Add in some pan sauteed or grilled chicken and a little homemade Greek vinaigrette and you've got an easy, delicious and healthy summer supper.

Greek Chicken Salad
(serves 4)

• 4 Cups Fresh Salad Greens, cut or torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1 Large Cucumber, sliced
• 1/2 Medium Red Onion, thinly sliced
• 4-6 Artichoke Hearts (canned or freshly steamed), quartered
• 1 Medium Tomato or 4-5 "Cocktail" Tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 3/4 Cup Kalamata Olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
• 1 Cup Feta Cheese, crumbled
• 4 Boneless Chicken Breasts, trimmed
• Grill Seasoning ("montreal" style works well)
• 1-2 Tbls Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1 Recipe Greek Vinaigrette (below)

For The Salad:


In a large mixing bowl, add the salad greens, cucumber, onion, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives and feta cheese. Toss gently to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you cook the chicken and prepare the vinaigrette.


For The Chicken:


Lightly brush the chicken breasts with olive oil. Mix a couple of tablespoons of the grill seasoning with about 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. (most grill seasonings have little to no salt in them, but because it adds significantly to the flavor of meat, I add it myself - if yours has salt, skip this step) Liberally sprinkle the grill seasoning/salt and pepper mixture onto both sides of the chicken. 


Pan saute or grill the chicken until it's golden brown and cooked all the way through. Chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don't have an "instant read" meat thermometer, please do go out and purchase one. The health and well-being of your family and friends, is well worth the small investment.


Allow the chicken to rest and cool slightly (about 5 minutes, covered loosely with foil) before you slice it. Now, you can assemble the salad. You can either 1) toss the salad mix with the vinaigrette and fan sliced pieces of chicken out on top of individual portions or 2) slice the chicken and add it to the salad, before adding the dressing. Either way you choose, make sure to pass any extra dressing at the table.

Greek Vinaigrette

• 1 Cup olive oil
• 1/3 Cup white balsamic or white wine vinegar
• the juice of 1/2 lemon
• the zest from that lemon
• 2-3 small cloves garlic
• 1 Tbls fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 Tbls fresh (or dried) oregano, chopped
• 1 Tsp (granulated) sugar
• a healthy pinch of kosher salt
• a good grinding of black pepper

Place all of the ingredients, except the oil and vinegar, into a food processor and give it several pulses until it resembles a thick paste. Then add the vinegar and slowly drizzle in the oil, as the processor is running. Tightly cover and refrigerate any unused portion. It keeps quite well for up to a week.

I usually make a double or triple recipe of this dressing. It's delicious on all kinds of salads and makes a great marinade for grilled meats and vegetables.

For more recipes and cooking tips, I hope you'll come and visit me at my blog, Go Ahead... Take A Bite!  http://goaheadtakeabite.blogspot.com/   Enjoy!


~Mary



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