06/02/2025
Mediterrenean Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
✅ Lettuce: swap in Romaine or any combination of your favorite greens�✅ Cucumber: substitute the English cucumber with a peeled, slicing cucumber.�✅ Salami: swap the Genoa salami for another variety of salami, pepperoni, prosciutto or bacon. �✅ Almonds: can be replaced with roasted pine nuts, walnuts, pistachios, etc. �✅ Mozzarella pearls: if this kind of mozzarella is too expensive or you don’t want to make a separate trip to the store, substitute with regular mozzarella and chop it into cubes (the flavor/texture won’t be quite as tasty).
HOW TO MAKE MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN SALAD
Juicy chicken is marinated in an Italian-inspired marinade before being grilled (or pan-fried) to perfection. It’s then tossed with an abundance of vegetables, briny olives, and Genoa salami before being topped with homemade croutons and sliced almonds. This chicken salad recipe requires some advance planning so the chicken can bathe the marinade before it can be cooked; otherwise, it’s a straightforward recipe that tastes fabulous every time!
STEP 1: MAKE THE MARINADE / DRESSING
* Whisk all of the marinade/dressing ingredients together in a medium bowl or freezer bag. Use whatever container you plan on marinating the chicken in.
* Remove some of the marinade to a jar to use as the dressing later on.
STEP 2: MARINATE THE CHICKEN
* To the remaining marinade, add the chicken and turn to coat.
* Marinate at room temperature while you prep the salad ingredients (up to 30 minutes) OR refrigerate for up to 12 hours.
STEP 3: MAKE THE CROUTONS
* Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
* Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or a nonstick silicone baking mat.
* Add the cubed bread, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with spices, then toss to coat.
* Spread the cubed bread into an even layer and bake until golden.
STEP 4: COOK THE CHICKEN
* If you marinated the chicken in the fridge, be sure to take it out about 30 minutes before you plan on cooking it. This ensures that the meat cooks evenly once it’s on the grill or in a pan.
* You have two options for cooking the chicken: on the grill or in a hot skillet (or grill pan) on the stovetop.
* Whichever method you choose, I recommend cooking the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees F on an instant read thermometer. Then, remove it to a plate or cutting board and let it rest for about 5 minutes. The heat will carry over and finish cooking the chicken to 165 degrees F.
STEP 5: ASSEMBLE THE SALAD
* Add all of the salad ingredients to a large serving bowl.
* Chop or thinly slice the chicken and add to the salad.
* If not expecting leftovers, drizzle salad with the dressing. If expecting leftovers, add dressing and croutons to individual servings.
TIPS FOR THE BEST CHICKEN SALAD�Marinate chicken: You can get away with marinating the chicken for as little as 30 minutes if it is pounded thin, but the longer you marinate the chicken, the more flavorful it will become. I recommend at least 4 hours but closer to 8 hours is ideal.�Don’t over marinate chicken: On the other hand, you don’t want to marinate the chicken longer than 12 hours because the acids can actually constrict the protein fibers and make your chicken chewy.
Use a hot grill: Heat up the grill with the lid closed cranked to the maximum temperature so it can achieve temperature more quickly; plan on 10-15 minutes. Once the grill is hot, you can adjust the temperature. Don’t add the chicken until the grill reaches temperature or you won’t get those beautiful grill marks.
