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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!
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.
Pure Goodness! I made this last night, and it is the best meal I have had in ages. The dressing/marinade is now my new go-to, and the tzazicki was as close to ‘the real’ thing as I have had it in a long time. Delicious, and a meal fit for kings!
***** Five stars. Not sure why, when I try to select your rating system, I can’t see that it’s done anything. I think it still shows in the posted review.
Karina, This was fabulous! I followed your directions completely. I used skinless chicken legs, bone-in. I made long slits along the bone on both sides and a few other places before putting into the marrinade. I used all of the marrinade on two large chicken legs. I let them marrinate for a few hours in the frig and brought them to room temperature. THEN, I put them on my ROTISSERIE. 300 degrees and 30 minutes later, I can’t keep my hands from shoving it in my mouth!! I thought it was going to have too much oregano but it didn’t. Delicious! I’ll make more of the marrinade/dressing to serve with the salad.
I had extra chicken legs so I used your Grilled Lemon Herb Mediterranean Chicken marrinade (for the second time) for those and used this same method with the Rotisserie. Had everything set up so why not! Their cooking now! Oh wait! I hear the ding!
This recipe is a winner. So easy to make, unbelievably tasty and most importantly the whole family loved it. Can’t ask for much more than that!
Stumbled on this without realising it was Karina’s website…wow well done to you..it was fab with pasta..
Thx Kim anzlovar
This is terrific! Delicious, healthy, and easy for weeknights too. Thanks so much!
I made this the other night.. It was delicious! I cut the chicken up and mixed it all together. Did buy my Flatbread. Yummy!
Oh yum, this sounds delicious! And love your photos, by the way ?
You have served a superb & fantastic recipe… Its really mouth-watering, delicious, & enjoyable… use roll up banners or pull up banners to promote your creative recipes… thanks for sharing & for your kind attention to detail!!!
Yum! I love Greek food so much I think I should have been born Greek ?.
It takes a skilled person to photograph raw chicken and make it look yummy. Good Work! I can’t wait to try this!