Name: Chicken Souvlaki Salad
Yield: 5
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice; 3 cloves of garlic, grated or minced; 2 teaspoons dried oregano; 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika; Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste; 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces; 6 cups chopped lettuce; 1 cup diced cucumber; 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved; 1/3 cup kalamata olives, halved; 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese; 1/4 cup diced red onion; 1/4 cup pepperoncini; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice; 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped; 1 tablespoon dijon mustard; 1 teaspoon honey; Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

This Chicken Souvlaki Salad is loaded with all of your favorite Greek toppings! A quick and easy marinade makes the chicken extra flavorful and juicy. You’ll love this healthy main dish salad!

It’s Monday and if you’re like me, you may or may not have done a little over indulging this past weekend. I wouldn’t say that it was a full blown food disaster, but there were a few cocktails, cookies and an assortment of cheese involved. I’m a firm believer in eating healthy most of the time, but loosening the strings and letting myself enjoy that glass or two of wine, a slice of pizza and an ice cream cone.

Usually I find that after loosening the strings, I tend to want to get back to my normal eating routine, which almost always involves a big ass salad for dinner a couple nights a week. I’m pretty sure I say this about all the salad recipes I share with you, but this Chicken Souvlaki Salad is definitely my new favorite.

If you’ve been a follower of Recipe Runner for a while you know how much I love Greek and Mediterranean food! I love the freshness, the flavors and how I never feel stuffed and in need of a nap after eating it. It’s satisfying and filling without that gross feeling after eating it. It’s not to often you can say a salad is filling or satisfying, that is unless you’ve made one of my main dish salads…hint, hint.

This Chicken Souvlaki Salad is absolutely what I would call a filling and satisfying salad. It’s hard for me to pick one part of this salad that’s my favorite because all of the toppings work so well together. The chicken souvlaki however, can’t be ignored. The marinade for it is so simple, yet has tons of flavor. I bet you probably already have all the ingredients. You can grill the chicken or if that’s not an option, baking it on a sheet pan or in a cast iron skill will work too.

Where there’s Greek food there must also be feta, olives and for this salad, pepperoncinis too. They give the salad the salty and briny flavors that go well with the freshness of the cucumber and tomatoes. The vinaigrette for the salad is a lemon dill vinaigrette. It’s tangy, fresh and has just a hint of sweetness from the honey. Get your week started off on the right foot and make this Chicken Souvlaki Salad!

Chicken Souvlaki Salad

Yield: 5 servings

Ingredients

CHICKEN

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 cloves of garlic, grated or minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

SALAD

6 cups chopped lettuce
1 cup diced cucumber
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup kalamata olives, halved
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup pepperoncini

VINAIGRETTE

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

In a bowl or freezer bag combine the marinade ingredients. Add in the chicken and massage the marinade into it. Let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes or in the refrigerator overnight.
While the chicken marinates, whisk together all of the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a small bowl and set aside.
Once the chicken has marinated preheat the grill to medium high heat or to 400° F. if you are using the oven. If grilling, skewer the chicken and grill for 6-10 minutes or until cooked through, flipping them halfway through the cooking time. If baking place the sheet pan in the oven while it preheats. When ready, remove the pan, drizzle with olive oil and spread the chicken into an even layer. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until cooked through.
On a large serving platter or bowl arrange the romaine lettuce and top with the cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, olives, feta, pepperoncini and chicken. Serve with the vinaigrette on the side.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 380Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 124mgSodium: 298mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 45g