# Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken

Greek Salad with Grilled Chicken — a medium recipe with 7 main ingredients, ready in about 25 min and serving 2. Check which of its ingredients are on sale at grocery stores near you.

- **Time:** 25 min
- **Serves:** 2
- **Difficulty:** medium
- **Tags:** lunch, dinner, chicken, healthy, quick, greek, gluten-free
- **Source:** https://savingrecipes.com/recipes/greek-salad-chicken

## Ingredients

- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 cucumber
- 2 tomatoes
- 1/2 red onion
- 1/2 cup feta cheese
- Kalamata olives
- 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp olive oil _(pantry staple)_
- Salt & pepper _(pantry staple)_

## Instructions

1. Season chicken and grill or pan-sear 5–6 min per side; rest and slice.
2. Chop cucumber, tomatoes, and red onion; toss with olives, oil, lemon juice, salt.
3. Top with sliced chicken and crumbled feta.

## Tips

- Salt the tomatoes and cucumber and let them sit 10 minutes, then drain. They release a lot of water that would otherwise dilute the dressing.
- Soak the sliced red onion in cold water for 10 minutes if raw onion tastes harsh to you. It takes the edge off without cooking it.
- Rest the chicken 5 minutes before slicing. Cutting straight away pushes the juices onto the board instead of keeping them in the meat.

## Substitutions

- **Chicken breasts:** Thighs are juicier and more forgiving. Prawns work, or chickpeas for a vegetarian version — a traditional Greek salad has no chicken at all.
- **Feta:** Block feta in brine, not pre-crumbled, which is drier and often has anti-caking agents. Ricotta salata is a milder substitute.
- **Kalamata olives:** Any brined black olive. Rinse them if they're very salty.
- **Lemon:** Red wine vinegar is the more traditional acid here — use about half as much as lemon juice.

## Storage & reheating

Dressed salad goes limp within a few hours. The components keep separately for 3 days and the chicken is good cold. Keep feta in its brine.

## Common questions

### Is this an authentic Greek salad?

A traditional horiatiki has tomato, cucumber, onion, pepper, olives and a slab of feta — no lettuce and no chicken. This is a fair adaptation, but worth knowing the difference.

### Can I make it ahead for lunches?

Yes, if the dressing stays separate. Chop everything into one container and dress just before eating.

### What's the best way to cook the chicken?

A grill or grill pan gives the best flavour, but a hot skillet works. The key is not moving it for the first 5 minutes so it develops a crust.


_Photo: cyclonebill — CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flickr_-_cyclonebill_-_Gr%C3%A6sk_salat.jpg)_