This Grilled Lemon and Herb Chicken Salad recipe is easy, healthy and packed full of flavors. Marinated chicken is grilled and served with a tonne of fresh veggies for a healthy and filling meal.
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It's the first day of Spring, the snow is melting and we are into double figures here! We're starting to plan trips out over the weekends and the food festival season here in Toronto is nearly upon us - all is good with the world 🙂 As it's getting warmer here, I thought it was time for a fresh and delicious salad recipe.
If you caught my last recipe, Marinated Feta, and you're wondering how to use that tasty cheese, this is the recipe for you!
This is not just a bland salad, this is a salad that packs a punch! The grilled chicken is marinaded in herbs and lemon, tonnes of fresh veggies and a simple herb vinaigrette pulls it all together. This Mediterranean inspired salad is all kinds of yum!
We had this for dinner a few nights ago, and it went down a storm. Mr Slow The Cook Down even said he doesn't mind having salad for dinner on other nights(!!).
Be sure to try my Honey & Mustard Chicken Salad and BLT Chicken Salad too!
Why you will love this recipe!
- Make ahead: You can marinate and grill the chicken at the start of the week, then it takes minutes to make up the salad, so it's great for quick lunches and weekly meal prep.
- Healthy: Low in fat, with a good amount and protein and only 20g of carbs, this salad is loaded with lots of fresh ingredients.
- Quick and easy: There's nothing complicated about this recipe, just marinate and cook the chicken, mix up the dressing and chop the veggies. It's a great go to for a quick dinner.
Ingredients
- Chicken: This recipe uses boneless and skinless chicken breasts.
- Lemon and herb marinade: Oil, oregano, basil, rosemary, black pepper, salt, garlic powder and lemon zest and juice.
- Salad vegetables: Lettuce, red onion, bell pepper, cucumber, tomatoes, avocado.
- Marinated feta cheese: This herb marinated feta adds a great flavor and creamy texture. You can use regular feta, and goat cheese will also work well.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: Sun-dried tomatoes burst with a really vibrant flavor and are a great addition to this salad.
- Sesame seeds: These are optional, but they add a great texture to the salad.
- Salad dressing: Oil, white wine vinegar, garlic, Italian seasoning, pepper, sugar, lemon juice and zest.
How to make lemon and herb chicken salad
Be sure to scroll down for the full recipe!
- Marinate the chicken breasts.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the salad dressing.
- Use a grill pan or outdoor grill to cook the chicken on both sides til browned and cooked through.
- Chop and plate up the salad ingredients and add the sliced cooked chicken.
- Drizzle over some of the salad dressing.
Serving Suggestions
The recipe and technique to make this delicious lemon and herb chicken is so simple and easy. Here I have used it to add protein to the salad, but it is super versatile, so you could easily serve it with fries, roast potatoes or however you like your chicken!
You can of course mix up your salad to suit exactly your tastes. Black olives would also be a good addition to this salad!
The marinade is fresh and zingy, but you could easily swap it for a store bought dressing, or try it with any of these:
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! The grilled chicken will keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days, and the dressing will keep well for at least a week. Make enough for the week, then you just have to chop up the salad ingredients and you are good to go?
Because this marinade is quite acidic, it's best not to marinate it for more than a couple of hours. Thirty minutes will add flavor and get the chicken nice and tender.
Yes, chicken thighs will work great with this recipe, just be aware that they will take slightly longer to cook through. This marinade would also work well with steak and fish.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- There will be dressing left over, this will keep in the fridge for around 5 days.
- For homemade marinated feta, use this recipe.
- Don't marinade the chicken for more than 2 hours as the acid can cause it to become tough and chewy.
- Let the cooked chicken sit, covered with foil, for 5 minutes before slicing. This helps to make it extra juicy.
More Salad Recipes
- Winter Brown Rice Salad
- Giant Cous Cous Salad
- Potato Salad with Trout & Chorizo
- Fennel and Apple Coleslaw
I love hearing from you!! If you have tried this grilled lemon and herb chicken salad, be sure to scroll down, give it a star rating and let me know what you thought!
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Grilled Lemon and Herb Chicken Salad
Ingredients
For the marinated chicken
- 2 chicken breast (organic and free range)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tbsp dried oregano
- ½ tbsp dried basil
- ½ tbsp dried rosemary
- ¼ tbsp ground black pepper
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- juice and zest of 2 lemons
For the salad
- ½ iceberg or romaine lettuce shredded
- ½ small red onion finely sliced
- 1 red pepper finely sliced
- ½ cucumber finely sliced
- 12 cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 1 avocado sliced
- 3.5 to 5 ounces marinated feta cheese (100 to 150g)
- 2 sundried tomatoes finely sliced
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- ground black pepper
For the salad dressing
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- juice and zest of ½ lemon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
Instructions
To marinade the chicken
- Put all of the ingredients for the marinaded chicken (except for the chicken) into a jug and mix well.
- Put the chicken breasts into a zip lock bag, and pour over the marinade. Close the bag and use your hands to move the marinade around and coat the chicken. Put in the fridge for at least 30 mins - up to 2 hours for a stronger flavor.
For the salad dressing
- Mix together all of the ingredients for the dressing and store in the fridge until ready to use.
To put it all together
- When you are ready to cook the chicken, add a little oil to a grill pan and put on a medium high heat. Cook on both sides for around 15 to 20 minutes til cooked through. You can also use an outdoor grill.
- While the chicken is cooking you can prep the salad. Layer the iceberg lettuce on the bottom of a large serving bowl, and add the thinly sliced red onion and red pepper. Add the cucumber, tomatoes, avocado, feta and sun dried tomatoes.
- Slice the chicken and add to the salad, then sprinkle with sesame seeds and black pepper. Drizzle over some of the dressing and serve.
Notes
- There will be dressing left over, this will keep in the fridge for around 5 days.
- For homemade marinated feta, use this recipe.
- Don't marinade the chicken for more than 2 hours as the acid can cause it to become tough and chewy.
- Let the cooked chicken sit, covered with foil, for 5 minutes before slicing. This helps to make it extra juicy.
- Nutritional value based on 1 of 4 servings and are an estimate.
Maria Raysses-Whipple says
The only thing missing is the word "Greek" Grilled Lemon Chicken, etc."!!! Straight out of the Greek culinary repertoire!
Slow The Cook Down says
You're absolutely right Maria - I never thought of that! I wouldn't be adverse to adding some olives to the finished salad 🙂
Fiona Manoon says
Thank you so much for sharing recipes.Great blog!!!
Slow The Cook Down says
Thanks so much Fiona 🙂