Grilled Chicken Salad with marinated chicken (plant based) and refreshing, bold lemon flavors. Amazing seasonings in each and every bite make this a Mediterranean salad recipe that everyone is looking forward to in no time. A fresh and easy to make colorful salad that the whole family will love. Use the dressing as grilled chicken marinade and salad dressing, both will take the final result over the top.
Reasons to love this grilled Chicken Salad
Use the dressing for the marinade and salad. You have both of them and the flavor is just so good.
Truly has the most amazing flavors in your salad bowl: kalamata olives, feta, chicken, avocados.
It is a great dinner salad that will actually feed everyone.
You will love the lemon flavors: so fresh and bright. Lemon juice and zest is what I use to make the final result so good.
Have a look at my step by step pictures and see how you can make a Grilled Chicken Salad at home.
What you need for this Grilled Chicken recipe
Chicken filets: I use plant based, but you can absolutely use whatever you want. Pieces can also be used, but I really like the size of the filets and I can chop them up the way I want to have them. Truly, I can control the size better than with pieces.
Dressing: This is what I really like about this Grilled Chicken Salad, because we make a dressing/marinade. Just use halve of it for the chicken and the other halve for the salad. A really flavorful mix from olive oil, lemon juice, zest, garlic, vinegar, oregano, smoked paprika and last but not least I add a small amount of chili flakes for a little note of heat.
Romaine lettuce: romaine is great for a crispy and fresh texture. Of course you can also use iceberg or any other lettuce that you will find amazing.
Tomatoes, cucumbers and avocados: All of them make our salad juicy, crispy and creamy at the same time. Tomatoes provide a juicy and delicious texture. Cucumbers are here for the ultimate crisp and freshness. Avocados add a naturally creaminess, so good.
Bacon bites, feta, shallots and olives: Here we go again, friends, we are looking together for the most amazing flavors and texture. I think we get it: vegan bacon for a smoky and hearty flavor. It adds up another amazing flavor and texture to the chicken like a blt sandwich but better. Feta here for saltiness, savory flavor and creaminess. Let me tell you this is wonderful to the mild and creamy avocados in contrast. Shallots have a milder flavor than regular onions. For the olives I use kalamata olives, but any other will work great.
How to make Grilled Chicken Salad
Marinate chicken
In a bowl combine garlic, olive oil, red vinegar, lemon juice, zest, smoked paprika, oregano, chili flakes and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Use a reusable bag or bowl and combine chicken with half of the dressing. Let it sit and marinate for at least 5 minutes up to 2 hours.
Cook up some bacon
If you have bacon bites that are fully cooked, skip this step. Otherwise add a 1 tsp of olive oil to your pan and cook the bacon according to your package directions.
How long to grill chicken
It will depend on the size of your chicken filets, because a bigger or smaller size will lead to different grilling times. Medium to smaller sizes will take around 4 minutes each side. You can use a outdoor or indoor grill or like I do a grilling pan on the stove.
Assemble salad
To fill up your salad bowl or plate: start with romaine lettuce, followed by shallots, tomatoes, cucumbers, chicken, bacon, feta, olives and pour the remaining half of the dressing over the salad.
Serve and enjoy. This salad will taste good for around 3 days in the fridge.
Tips and tricks
You can make the dressing and marinate the chicken 2 days in advance.
Easily make a double or triple batch.
Great for meal prep and in my gusto it is truly a wonderful picnic salad
Any olives are delicious: black or green olives.
Instead of the shallots you can also use red onions.
If you’re using lemon zest fresh from a lemon, keep in mind to peel the zest first from the lemon and then juice them. Not the other way, because if you juice first it can be tricky to peel the zest though lemon after juicing is mushy.
Other salad recipes to try
- Greek Salad
- Beet Salad
- Avocado Salad
- Southern Potato Salad
- Tuna Salad
- Chicken Salad
- Chickpea Salad
- Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Big Mac Salad
- Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
- Southwest Salad
For remakes of this Grilled Chicken Salad, tag on Instagram or Facebook.
Enjoy, Florian.
Grilled Chicken Salad
Grilled Chicken Salad with marinated chicken (plant based) and refreshing, bold lemon flavors. Amazing seasonings in each and every bite make this a Mediterranean salad recipe that everyone is looking forward to in no time. A fresh and easy to make colorful salad that the whole family will love. Use the dressing as grilled chicken marinade and salad dressing, both will take the final result over the top.
Ingredients
- 2 chicken filets (I use plantbased)
- 4 cups Romaine lettuce
- 3 oz bacon bites
- 1 lemon juiced
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1/4 cup shallots, finely chopped
- 1 tsp oregano
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 Tbs red vinegar
- 1 medium cucumber, chopped
- 1 cup roma tomatoes, quartered
- 1 avocado
- 3/4 cup Kalamata olives, chopped
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 5 oz dairy free feta, chopped
- salt, pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make dressing for the marinade and salad:
Use a bowl: add garlic, olive oil, red vinegar, lemon juice, zest, smoked paprika, oregano, chili flakes and a pinch of salt and pepper, mix. - Marinate chicken:
Into a freezer bag or bowl, mix and combine chicken with half of dressing let it sit and marinate for at least 5 minutes up to 2 hours. - Cook bacon:
Add a 1 tsp of olive oil to a pan and cook bacon according the package directions (skip if your bacon bites are fully cooked). - Grill chicken:
Heat your grilling pan with 2 tsp of olive oil. Add marinated chicken and grill it properly from each side for around 4 minutes. Cut it up the way into pieces the way you like them, and set a side. - Prepare and serve salad:
To assemble your salad, start with romaine lettuce, followed by shallots, tomatoes, cucumbers, chicken, bacon, feta, olives and pour the remaining half of the dressing over the salad. Serve on plates or in bowls, enjoy.
Notes
- This salad will taste great for 3 days in the fridge.
- Make the dressing and marinade for the chicken 2 days in advance.
- Great for meal prep and in my gusto it is truly a wonderful picnic salad.
- Any olives are delicious: black or green olives.
- Instead of the shallots you can also use red onions.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 512Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 699mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 14gSugar: 4gProtein: 44g