Combining juicy marinated grilled chicken, loads of fresh vegetables and bright Mediterranean flavours this Grilled Chicken Souvlaki Salad makes a delicious, healthy and complete dinner.
Pretty enough to serve to company, but simple enough for a weeknight, this Greek inspired recipe is part of my collection of DIY Dinners that make everyone happy.
DIY DINNERS
What’s a DIY Dinner? Over my many years of entertaining crowds, and feeding kids, I have learned that there’s no way to make everyone perfectly happy. Inevitably, someone doesn’t like tomatoes, prefers no sauce or only wants “just a few” onions. Instead of driving myself crazy making custom plates of food, or engaging in dinnertime battles with a strong willed preschooler, I started making DIY Dinners, which essentially are a choose-your-own-adventure type of meal that makes everyone happy. This Grilled Chicken Greek Souvlaki Salad is another favourite DIY dinner at my house. Instead of tossing all the salad ingredients together, I mound them into separate piles, and bring the whole beautiful platter to the table, letting everyone make up their own plate. Don’t care for tomatoes? No problem, they’re easily avoided. Only want a little dressing? Sure, go ahead and dress your own salad, just the way you like it. If a kid declares they are only eating select items from the plate, I happily cede this control to them, knowing it’s all healthy and we’ve avoided a power struggle. Happy guests, happy kids, happy me. Bon appetit.
MAKE AHEAD MEAL
Whether you’re getting organized for guests or simply facing a busy weeknight, parts or all of this recipe can be made in advance.
Tips for prepping Grilled Chicken Souvlaki Salad in advance:
- The dressing can be made up to a week ahead and kept in the fridge.
- The chicken can be placed in the marinade the day before and marinated for up to 24 hours to soak up all the delicious Greek flavours.
- The tomatoes, cucumber, yellow pepper, onion and feta can all be chopped the day before. The edges of the romaine lettuce may start to brown if cut too far in advance, so I prefer to chop the lettuce the day the salad will be served.
- To serve portions of the meal warm, prepare the vegetables, feta and olives for the salad in advance. Grill the chicken and warm the pitas just before you plan to serve it.
- To serve the whole meal chilled, make the salad and grill the chicken in advance. Allow the chicken to cool completely before adding it to the platter. Warm chicken served over salad and eaten immediately is delicious. Warm chicken left sitting over a salad and eaten later will wilt the greens.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
This Greek inspired Salad is a complete meal all on its own, featuring juicy grilled chicken, with Tzatziki and wedges of warm pita bread served on the side. If a further accompaniment is needed, make a Mezze platter with additional dips for the pita, such as hummus and Muhamarra (roasted red pepper dip), along with finger foods such as Dolmas (stuffed grape leaves) and falafel. Many of these items for a Mezze platter are available ready made at the deli counter of good grocery stores or fine foods shops.
DRINK PAIRING
The citrus and herbs in the marinade and dressing, along with all the fresh veggies in the salad, make Sauvignon Blanc a natural fit for this Grilled Chicken Souvlaki Salad. If you can find it, an Assyrtiko (a white wine from Greece) is perfect with Greek salad and feta cheese. A Pinot Noir based Rosé is my favourite pairing with feta. Since I know I’ll be loading my own plate of this salad up with extra cheese, I’d be personally inclined to choose that. If you’re leaning more towards a red wine, look for a lightly spicy, medium bodied Grenache which pairs well with grilled chicken.
Homemade Zesty Greek Salad Dressing
This Homemade Zesty Greek Salad Dressing is healthier, fresher and so much tastier than any salad dressing you can buy in a bottle!
Grilled Chicken Souvlaki Dinner Salad
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- zest of 1 lemon
- juice of 2 lemons
- 1 tsp honey
- 4 cloves fresh garlic
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
For the Salad
- 1/4 of a medium red onion, sliced
- 1 head Romaine lettuce, washed and torn into bitesize pieces
- 1 English cucumber, chopped
- 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup cubed feta cheese (about 170gr/6oz)
- 1 cup kalamata olives
To serve:
- Homemade Zesty Greek Salad Dressing (see link to recipe above)
- prepared Tzatziki
- pita bread, warmed and cut in wedges
Instructions
For the chicken:
- In a large, shallow dish or resealable plastic bag, combine the olive oil, yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, garlic, oregano, thyme, rosemary, paprika and salt. Add a few cracks of black pepper and stir to combine.
- Add the chicken breasts to the marinade and roll the chicken breasts over in the marinade to coat. Cover the dish (or seal the bag) and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes, but up to 24 hours. A longer marinating time will result in more flavourful chicken, but 30 minutes will do if that's all the time you have.
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade, allowing excess to drip back into the dish. Discard marinade. Spray the chicken breasts lightly with cooking spray then place directly on the hot grill. Close the lid of the grill and cook for 5-6 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165F. Remove cooked chicken to a cutting board and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting.
For the salad:
- Place the sliced red onion in a small dish and cover with cold water. Set the onion aside to soak for 10 minutes while you prepare the rest of the salad. (Soaking the onion in cold water will help remove some of the unpleasant bite).
- On a large platter, arrange the torn romaine lettuce in an even layer. Over the lettuce, heap the cucumbers, tomatoes, yellow bell peppers, olives and feta cheese in distinct piles. Drain the soaked red onion and pat dry. Add a pile or two of red onion to the platter.
- Slice the grilled chicken breasts and transfer slices to the salad. Serve immediately with Homemade Zesty Greek Salad Dressing, Tzatziki and wedges of pita bread.
RECIPE NOTES
- To warm pita bread, place the pitas directly on the hot grill for 30 seconds to grill the first side. Use tongs and turn the pita to grill the other side and warm through. Alternatively, preheat the oven to 300F. Stack and wrap the pitas in foil, and place in the oven for 10 minutes. Cut in wedges and serve alongside the salad with tzatziki for dipping.
