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Greek souvlaki flavors come alive in this Greek Lemon Garlic Chicken Salad, with juicy grilled chicken, crisp veggies, and a zesty lemon-garlic dressing that doubles as a marinade. It’s bold, fresh, and bursting with Mediterranean flavor.
If you loved my Grilled Chilli Lime Chicken Fajita Salad or Cilantro Lime Chicken Salad, you’re going to fall head over heels for this one. Think perfectly seasoned lemon garlic chicken piled high on a generous bed of greens, drizzled with tzatziki, and served with warm homemade garlic flatbreads. This Greek chicken salad is what summer dreams (and weekday lunches) are made of! For a fun side, you can also pair it with Mexican Wedges. The spicy, crispy potatoes add a hearty kick that complements the bright lemon garlic flavors beautifully.
What Makes This Recipe Work
This Greek Lemon Garlic Chicken Salad takes everything you love about classic souvlaki and turns it into a light but satisfying meal. The lemon garlic marinade infuses the chicken with bright, savory flavor, then doubles as the dressing for an effortless touch of Mediterranean magic. Every bite is balanced, tangy, herby, juicy, and fresh.
It’s more than just a Greek chicken salad recipe; it’s a full meal on one plate. The tender lemon garlic chicken, cool tzatziki, crisp veggies, and warm garlic flatbreads create the perfect combination of textures and flavors you’ll crave again and again.
What Goes Into Greek Lemon Garlic Chicken Salad
Simple ingredients come together to create this bright and flavorful Greek Lemon Garlic Chicken Salad. Every component adds freshness, texture, and that signature Mediterranean taste.
- Chicken Breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts make the perfect base for soaking up that lemon garlic marinade and grilling to golden perfection.
- Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice brightens the dressing and marinade, giving the chicken that signature Greek tang.
- Olive Oil: A quality extra virgin olive oil ties everything together, adding depth and richness to both the salad and the tzatziki.
- Feta Cheese: Marinaded feta adds creamy, salty contrast to the crisp veggies and balances the fresh acidity of the dressing.
Note: Please see recipe card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients with measurements.
How To Make Greek Lemon Garlic Chicken Salad
- Make the Marinade: In a shallow dish, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Pour out about one third of a cup to use later as the dressing and refrigerate it until needed.
- Marinate the Chicken: Add the chicken fillets to the remaining marinade and turn to coat evenly on all sides. Cover the dish and let the chicken marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator for more flavor.
- Prepare the Tzatziki: Combine Greek yogurt, olive oil, grated cucumber, garlic, lemon juice, and salt in a bowl. Mix well until smooth and creamy, then cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.
- Toss the Salad: In a large bowl, mix together cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, green pepper, red onion, feta, and olives. Gently toss until everything is evenly coated and the vegetables look fresh and glossy.
- Warm the Flatbreads: Heat a dry skillet over low heat and place the flatbreads one at a time. Cook until soft and slightly toasted, then transfer them to a plate and cover to keep warm.
- Cook the Chicken: Heat a large grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the marinated chicken and sear for about 5 to 6 minutes per side, or until golden and cooked through.
- Rest and Slice the Chicken: Remove the chicken from the pan and let it rest for 5 minutes to keep it juicy. Slice each piece into thick strips, making sure to retain the flavorful crust.
- Assemble and Serve: Divide the salad among plates and top with the chicken and warm flatbreads. Drizzle with the reserved dressing and add a generous spoonful of tzatziki before serving.
This Greek Lemon Garlic Chicken Salad is satisfying on its own, but pairing it with a few simple sides makes the meal feel complete. I love serving it with Crispy Greek Lemon Smashed Potatoes for a golden, garlicky crunch that echoes the salad’s bright lemon notes. One Pot Orzo Primavera adds a cozy, veggie-filled touch that blends beautifully with the Mediterranean flavors, while Garlic Green Beans with Parmesan bring just the right balance of freshness and texture alongside the creamy tzatziki and feta.
Tips For Making Greek Lemon Garlic Chicken
- For the juiciest chicken, don’t skip the marinating time. Even 30 minutes makes a difference, but overnight is best for deeper flavor.
- If you’re short on time, use store-bought tzatziki and flatbreads. Just warm them before serving so everything feels fresh and homemade.
- Grill the chicken right before serving for that perfect smoky flavor. Let it rest before slicing to keep it tender and juicy.
- For meal prep, store the components separately and assemble the salad just before eating. It keeps everything crisp and full of flavor.
Recipe FAQ’s
You can prep the components a day ahead, but keep the dressing and tzatziki separate until serving. This keeps the veggies crisp and the lemon garlic chicken salad fresh.
A regular skillet works just as well. Cook the chicken over medium-high heat until golden and fully cooked through, then slice and serve as usual.
Absolutely. If you’re short on time, a quality store-bought version works fine. Just give it a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to brighten up the flavor.
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Greek Lemon Garlic Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts large, halved to make four fillets
- 4 flatbreads store bought or use this recipe for homemade
Marinade / Dressing:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced, or 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch cracked pepper
For The Tazatziki (or use store bought):
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lebanese cucumber peeled, deseeded and grated
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 pinch salt
For The Salad:
- 3 lebanese cucumbers halved lengthways and sliced thick
- 8 oz cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes
- 1 green pepper deseeded and sliced
- 1/2 red onion sliced thinly
- 7 oz marinaded feta cheese cubed
- 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
Instructions
- Whisk together all the marinade / dressing ingredients in large, shallow dish. Pour out 1/3 cup to use as the dressing; reserve in the refrigerator for later.
- Add the chicken to the marinade and evenly coat; cover and allow to marinade for 30 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator.
- While chicken is marinading, prepare tzatziki: combine tzatziki ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Toss salad ingredients together and divide between four plates. Prepare the easy garlic flatbreads, or warm store bought flatbreads on a pan over low heat until soft and warmed through. Transfer to warmed plates.
- Heat a large grill pan / skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and add to the pan. Sear until the chicken is cooked through, about 5-6 minutes each side (total cook time of 10 to 12 minutes).
- Remove chicken from the pan; allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice thickly and arrange on salad. Slice each flatbread into four pieces and arrange on salad plates. Drizzle with the reserved dressing and serve with the tzatziki.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Fabulous dressing/marinade. Super easy with great flavor.
So yummy! My husband wants to put this on dinner rotation! Thank you for the amazing recipe.
It was delicious. I didn´t use garlic.
Thank you for such a great recipe! I use the marinade/dressing often, it’s a family favorite. The only change I made was to use a homemade Greek seasoning in place of the oregano. Love your site!
I use this site all the time for cooking and can’t wait to try this recipe. For Tzatziki I like to peel the cucumber before grating and remove the excess water with paper towels/coffee filter. Adding some fresh dill and/or mint really helps the flavour!
I have made this many times and love it! Do you know how well it freezes? The chicken of course! Thanks for sharing!
This is honestly my favorite dish, of all time! I cook is as often as my family can handle, cause it’s just so easy, and tasty. And with the bread and the tzatziki, it is just the perfect meal. So happy i found this recipe!
Nikoline!
I am so glad to hear this. This is such a good salad. Thanks for commenting and for following along with me!
First time making this and you would think it came from a restaurant… Amazing! After cooking the chicken, I put the leftover marinade the chicken was in into a sauce pan until cooked enough then sliced the chicken and just tossed it once more in the leftover marinade, didn’t want to just throw it out. Also couldn’t find Lebanese cucumbers at my local store but got regular ones and tasted just fine in the tazatziki.
This was so incredibly delicious! I’ve never really been a salad person but I’m now converted, thank you!!