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This Grilled Lemon Herb Mediterranean Chicken Salad packs a punch with a dressing that doubles as a marinade!
This simple salad recipe is as close to perfect as you can get! Full of Mediterranean flavours- olives, tomatoes, cucumber, avocados, and chicken- it really is a complete meal in a salad bowl!
Why This Recipe Works
With all of the salads I post on here, like my delicious Chicken Shawarma Salad, and Honey Mustard Chicken Salad, I thought some readers might be getting sick of these ‘whole meal salad’ recipes. BUT. It turns out, you guys are wanting MORE of these GIANT salads.
So of course, I got cracking in the kitchen, trying out new salad recipes, and what’s better than a fresh, Mediterranean salad with so much flavour, you won’t be able to put your forks down?
Ingredients
- Chicken: I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs. If you’re using chicken breasts, you may want to pound them a bit to tenderize them if you want to.
- Veggies: You’ll need fresh garlic for the chicken marinade and some lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and avocados for the salad.
- Olives: Kalamata olives are best, but if you don’t have them, just use any regular pitted olives you have.
- Lemon juice: For the marinade and for the salad dressing.
- Red wine vinegar: For a bit of tanginess.You can use white wine vinegar or even regular vinegar if you want to.
- Seasonings: To season, I just used some salt and cracked pepper.
- Herbs: I used a mix of fresh and dried herbs for that aroma and freshness. Dried basil and dried oregano, and a bit of fresh parsley.
- Olive oil: Ideally extra virgin.
Note: please see recipe card at the bottom for list of full ingredients and measurements
How To Make
- Prepare the marinade: In a large jug, add the ingredients for the marinade- the minced garlic, herbs, olive oil, lemon juice, seasonings and vinegar. Whisk together and pour half of the marinade in a bowl.
- Marinate chicken: Using the bowl, add the chicken and let it rest for about 15-30 minutes, or up to 2 hours in the refrigerator. (the longer the better, it’ll help soak in)
- Grill chicken: Heat oil on a grill pan and grill the chicken on medium heat for a few minutes on each side until completely cooked through and slightly charred.
- Assemble and serve: Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes, slice and then add to the salad bowl with the veggies. Top with the marinade aka dressing, toss and serve!
Enjoy this hearty chicken salad on its own, or pair it with a simple veggie side dish of your choice. I love sticking to the classics- my Buttery Sauteed Green Beans and Honey Roasted Carrots. Sometimes, I also like to team it up with my Crispy Garlic Baked Potato Wedges, which are seriously addictive! For a more authentic Mediterranean flavor, try my Crispy Greek Lemon Smashed Potatoes.
Recipe FAQ’s
Veggies like kale, arugula, grilled zucchini and baby spinach can be excellent additions to the salad.
Check the internal temperature of the chicken using a meat thermometer if you want to be sure. Otherwise, you can just slice the chicken, and if it doesn’t have any pink in the center and the juices run clear, the chicken is cooked and ready to be used.
Watch Me Make It
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Lemon Herb Mediterranean Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Marinade/Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- cracked pepper to taste
- 1 pound skinless boneless chicken thigh fillets or chicken breasts
Salad:
- 4 cups Romaine lettuce or Cos lettuce leaves, washed and dried
- 1 cucumber large, diced
- 2 Roma tomatoes diced
- 1 red onion sliced
- 1 avocado sliced
- 1/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives or black olives, sliced – optional
- 2 lemon wedges to serve
Instructions
- Whisk together all of the marinade/dressing ingredients in a large jug. Pour out half of the marinade into a large, shallow dish. Refrigerate the remaining marinade to use as the dressing later.
- Add the chicken to the marinade in the bowl; marinade chicken for 15-30 minutes (or up to two hours in the refrigerator if time allows). While waiting for the chicken, prepare all of the salad ingredients and mix in a large salad bowl.
- Once chicken is ready, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a grill pan or a grill plate over medium-high heat. Grill chicken on both sides until browned and completely cooked through.
- Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes; slice and arrange over salad. Drizzle salad with the remaining UNTOUCHED dressing. Serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Very delicious
How many servings is this salad?
Hi Darryl, It should serve about 4 people. In the future, you can find this information just in the box above the ingredients, hope you enjoy it!
Hi, I was just wondering how well these salads keep? Can you batch-cook it and keep eating it for 2-3 days?
Absolutely Saloni! You can batch-cook the Grilled Lemon Herb Mediterranean Chicken Salad and enjoy it over 2-3 days. Just store the grilled chicken, salad greens, and dressing in separate containers. When you’re ready to eat, combine them to keep the salad crisp and fresh. Enjoy your meal prep!
I absolutely love this salad! I now have made it 3 times in as many weeks. It’s so light, and healthy too. To save the avocado going brown, I just use half, and add the other half the next night.
Thank you Marilyn, you just made my day. Keep enjoying this recipe-it’s all yours now!
I’ve never really eaten vegetables- it was forced down my throat, with vicious beatings, as a child, I’ve only started eating salads again, from time to time, since last year. But, not only is this salad visually appealing but delicious. I ate it twice this week and it’s going to become a staple in my life now. I ❤️ it! Thanks!!
Thank you for sharing your experience and embracing a new chapter with salads Patt. Your feedback truly warms my heart.
Fantastic! I used the dressing to marinade chicken breasts which I cooked up and diced to add on top. Delish!! Saving this one!
THESE RECIPIES LOOK REALLY DELICIOUS! IVE ORDERED SOME FROZEN CHICKEN BREASTS FROM OMAHA STEAKS IN THE USA. THEY SHOULD BE HERE IN A WEEK OR SO. I WAS THINKING ABOUT MAKING CHICKEN SALADS WITH THEM. IVE GOT ONE RECIPIE WITH POPPY SEEDS AND PECANS I FOUND ON-LINE.THANK YOU FOR THE SEARCH, ILL LET YOU KNOW IF ANY OF THEM TURN OUT VERY GOOD!!
I never thought I’d comment on a recipe but I am in love with this salad! The dressing is outrageously delicious, I cannot wait to make it again. I added some cooked farro to bulk it out a bit (I need more carbs for endurance training) and it was a perfect, healthy and filling meal.
Followed the recipe, tossed the salad and it was delicious.
The salad dressing is now my number 1 go to salad dressing. I was wondering if I made the dressing in bulk how long it would keep in the fridge, or even if i bottled it the lemon juice and vinegar should make it acid enough to keep well?
I was looking for chicken salad recipes and came across your page. I have made this for me and my boyfriend and we loved it!!! Thank god I made too much so we kept eating it for the next coupe of days. Thank you for this cool summer recipe :))