Mediterranean Chopped Chicken Salad with Greek Vinaigrette
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This chopped salad is a flavorful mix of tangy feta cheese, fresh tomatoes, savory Kalamata olives, crisp cucumbers and juicy marinated chicken, tossed in a homemade Greek vinaigrette. This is my go to when I’m craving a fresh salad that’s also super flavorful.
To make a good chopped salad, you need to cut your ingredients into even bite size pieces. That is the key to the perfect chopped salad and ensures everything gets an even coat of dressing too.
The vinaigrette is incredibly delicious with rich Mediterranean flavors but because it’s olive oil based, it’s slightly higher in fat than many of my recipes. You can lower the fat by reducing the olive oil and adding water in its place. You can use this dressing on all your favorite salad combos!
Try Mediterranean cucumber and tomato salad for a Greek salad without the chicken or Greek chicken meatball bowls for a tasty meal prep option.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- 32g of protein per salad.
- A variety of flavors and textures.
- Great way to add fresh veggies and protein to your plate.
Ingredients and Substitutions:
These are the main ingredients and substitutions for this Mediterranean salad recipe. See the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and instructions.
- Chicken Tenderloins: chicken breasts or chicken thighs.
- Olive Oil: use a higher quality oil for the best flavor.
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Fresh Lemon Juice: fresh squeezed is always preferred.
- Honey: or maple syrup.
- Dried Oregano: if using fresh oregano, double the amount.
- Fresh Garlic
- Dijon Mustard
- Romaine Lettuce: or iceberg lettuce, any bed of lettuce or greens you love will work.
- Cherry Tomatoes: or grape tomatoes.
- Kalamata Olives: can’t be a Mediterranean salad without the taste of briny olives.
- Roasted Red Bell Pepper: you can use regular red bell peppers but I love the flavor of roasted peppers from the jar.
- Cucumber: I prefer using an English cucumber because they have thinner skin, less seeds and are slightly sweeter, persian cucumbers work great too.
- Feta Cheese: similar to the olives, creamy feta cheese is a must on this salad. I used low-fat but feel free to use full-fat or a dairy-free version. You can also use blue cheese and parmesan cheese.
Variations
- Add artichoke hearts, white beans, chopped red onion, garbanzo beans or sun-dried tomatoes.
- Forgo the chicken step and add honey garlic grilled chicken thighs or air fryer crispy chicken patties, cut into small pieces.
- Add fresh herbs or green onions for even more flavors.
Dietary Modifications
- This recipe is gluten-free, as is.
- For dairy-free, omit the feta-cheese or add a non-dairy alternative. I love Violife feta cheese.
- To lower the fat, lower the olive oil in the dressing to 2 Tbsp. and add 1 Tbsp. of water.
How to make this easy salad:
Step 1: prep chicken tenderloins
Remove the tendons from the chicken tenderloins. The easiest way to do this is to grab the tendon with a paper towel and place it between the prongs of a fork and slide down while pulling with the paper towel. You can see a step-by-step visual in my baked chicken tenderloins recipe.
Add the chicken tenderloins, olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, honey, garlic, oregano, salt, paprika and black pepper to a sealable container (image 1). Stir to submerge the chicken and cover in the marinade. Place in the fridge and let it marinate for at least 2 hours (image 2).
Step 2: make dressing
In a mason jar or salad dressing container, combine the oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, oregano, lemon juice, paprika, dijon mustard, salt and black pepper (image 3) and give it a good shake or whisk to fully combine. Place in the fridge until ready to use to let the flavors combine (image 4).
Step 3: cook chicken
When ready to cook the chicken heat a pan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Remove the chicken from the marinade and add to the hot pan (image 5). Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side until cooked through and no longer pink. Chop into bite size pieces (image 6).
Step 4: prep the salad
While the chicken cooks, prep the lettuce, tomato, olives, cucumber and parsley and chop into small pieces. We want everything in uniform size for the perfect chopped salad. Add to a large bowl (image 7) OR split into 4 meal prep containers (see notes for details). Add the feta cheese and the vinaigrette and mix until fully combined (image 8).
Expert Tip!
Use a salad spinner to get all the excess moisture off your rinsed lettuce, especially if using this for meal prep. This will ensure your salad doesn’t get soggy.
Recipe FAQs
Store the salad in layers if meal prepping in airtight containers. I like to do a layer of everything except the lettuce, followed by a piece of parchment paper and then the lettuce on top of that. This keeps the lettuce from getting soggy, you can see how I do that on my Big Bac Bowls. Leave the dressing on the side to mix when ready to enjoy. Store the prepped containers in the fridge for up to three days.
Serve this with honey lemon pepper chicken thighs, sweet heat baked salmon, or egg-free chicken meatballs.
Skip the chicken and make this into a delicious side salad. This is the kind of salad that you can customize to fit any dinner or meal prep plans.
Check out our other salad recipes!
If you make this recipe, please leave a rating and/or comment! Tag me on Instagram @ohsnapmacros, I love hearing from you!
Mediterranean Chopped Salad
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Ingredients
Chicken and Marinade
- 1 lb. chicken tenderloins
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 1 small lemon, juiced
- 1 tsp. honey
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. paprika
- fresh cracked pepper
Greek Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup olive oil 52g
- 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- fresh cracked pepper
Chopped Salad
- 5 cups romaine lettuce, chopped, packed
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped 160g
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped 88g
- 1 cup roasted red bell peppers, chopped 200g
- 1/2 cup cucumber, chopped 64g
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 3 oz. crumbed feta cheese
Instructions
- Remove the tendons from the chicken tenderloins. The easiest way to do this it to grab the tendon with a paper towel and place it between the prongs of a fork and slide down while pulling with the paper towel. You can see a step by step visual in my baked chicken tenderloins recipe.
- Add the chicken tenderloins, oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, honey, garlic, oregano, salt, paprika and black pepper to a sealable container. Stir to submerge the chicken and cover in the marinade. Place in the fridge and let it marinate for at least 2 hours.
- In a mason jar or salad dressing container, comine the oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, oregano, lemon juice, paprika, dijon musard, salt and pepper and shake to combine. Place in the fridge until ready to use to let the flavors combine.
- When ready to cook the chicken, heat a pan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Remove the chicken from the marinade and add to the hot pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side until cooked through and no longer pink.
- While the chicken cooks, prep the lettuce, tomato, olives, cucumber and parsley and chop into small pieces. We want everything in similar size pieces for the perfect chopped salad. Add to a large mixing bowl OR split into 4 meal prep containers (see notes for details).
- Chop the chicken and add to the bowl of veggies. Add the feta cheese and the vinaigrette and mix until fully combined. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Use the chicken and marinade for meal prep throughout the week.
- If meal prepping 4 salads: add approx. 300 grams of salad in meal prep containers and 33 grams of salad dressing on the side to mix when ready to enjoy. This will keep you from having a soggy salad at lunch. You can also layer, add the wetter ingredients at the bottom, top with the lettuce and then add the dressing when ready to enjoy.
- If you want to add extra crunch: add roasted chickpeas or crunchy quinoa.
- Nutritional information is an estimate and will vary with substitutions.
