Monday salad…but the good kind…the loaded kind. I mean, there’s a lot happening with this salad. It’s definitely not your average boring Monday salad. You guys know I don’t do those. I’ve been holding onto this salad for a couple weeks, but it finely feels like the right time to share. For a while, I was really in full-on comfort food mode, as “quarantined life” is very different, and left most of us craving the comfort foods we’d typically enjoy during the fall and winter months. Thing is…quarantined life is lasting waaay longer than any of us ever expected. Now that the weather is really starting to turn warm and Memorial Day is (shockingly) just one week from today, I’m moving on into summer food mode. And I am so excited about it. Enter this salad. It’s summertime food, perfect for Monday, perfect for Memorial Day. It’s all-around pretty darn delicious. Plus, there’s feta cheese, homemade croutons, and the best marinated Greek chicken. All the very delicious spring/summer ingredients.
Jumping into details…the chicken.
I marinated this chicken in quite possibly one of my favorite marinades. It’s a combination of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, smoked paprika (which is not really Greek…but it’s good), fresh oregano, shallots (the secret!), garlic, and lots of lemon (always so much lemon). Now, when I say marinate, I really just mean toss the chicken in this mix and let it sit while you get everything else for the bowls together. I’m not sure about you guys, but I can never plan ahead enough to cook a recipe requiring a long marinating time. It almost never happens… So, I do a quick marinate. It works.
While the chicken is marinating, toss the salad.
For the salad, you can really use a mix of whatever salad-like ingredients you love most. But you should start with a base of chopped romaine. You could add some Tuscan kale or arugula if you’d like. But I think you need at least a little romaine for a nice refreshing crunch. And for my toss-ins, I, of course, used my favorite Greek or Greek(lish) ingredients… chickpeas, kalamata olives, cucumbers, lots of fresh cherry tomatoes, and plenty of fresh basil and dill. Oh, and then avocado too. And feta cheese. So Much Feta Cheese.
Onto the vinaigrette, I went with something a little different. I made a creamy lemon tahini vinaigrette using tahini, honey, mustard, and vinegar. This makes for an extra creamy, and tangy vinaigrette. It’s become one of my go-to vinaigrettes for weeknight salads. Once the salad is tossed and the vinaigrette is put together, make the chicken. You can pan-sear it or grill it, but I just did a quick pan sear. Either option is great! Now, toss everything together in a big salad bowl, and dinner (or lunch) is done. Love a big dinner style salad, especially this time of year.
Now, do a little meal prepping…
The added bonus about this recipe is that it’s so great for weekday meal prep. I recommend making this on a Sunday or Monday night and doubling the recipe. Then simply use the leftovers to make lunch or dinner bowls to enjoy throughout the week! Cook everything at once…get multiple meals…love that! Here is what I will note, this recipe has ingredients…many of them. Don’t let this scare you away. I know we all love a less than ten ingredient recipe, but salads are different. Start with this flavorful marinated Greek chicken and pile on. Everything comes together relatively quickly and nothing is the least bit difficult. And most importantly? This is truly one of those salads you will be excited to eat. It’s full of color, flavor, texture, the best chicken, croutons, and plenty of feta cheese. So excited to be sharing this recipe with you guys. It’s one of those dishes I hope you’ll enjoy making all spring and summer long.
Looking for other spring/summer salads? Here are my favorites from year’s past. Summer Niçoise Salad Grilled Balsamic Chicken Cobb Salad Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Chickpea Salad Greek Watermelon Feta Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
watch the how to video:
Lastly, if you make this Greek chicken chopped Salad with lemon tahini vinaigrette, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
