Mediterranean Salad with Grilled Chicken

This mediterranean salad is a perfect blend of greens, juicy tomatoes, feta, pistachios and grilled chicken tossed in lemon tahini dressing.

Course Main Dish, Salad

Cuisine Mediterranean

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Marinade Time 30

Servings

Calories 438kcal

Author Christy Gurin

Ingredients

Chicken

2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts 3-4 breasts
Zest from a lemon
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 plain yogurt don’t use non-fat
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp. dried oregano

Dressing

1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. tahini
1 Tbsp. minced shallot
1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
2 tsp. honey or agave syrup
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1-2 Tbsp. water

Salad

2/3 cup roasted, salted, shelled pistachios lightly crushed
2/3 cup feta crumbled
10 oz. baby arugula
2 cups cherry tomatoes halved

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Remove any fatty areas or excess skin from chicken breasts. Either marinade whole breasts for 2 hours or to speed the marinade time up, cut chicken into 1" pieces and marinade for 30 - 60 minutes.
Mix all chicken ingredients together in a bowl or reusable bag and let marinade for 30 minutes - 1 hour. Use some of this time to prepare dressing and salad ingredients. If using 1" pieces and you plan on grilling the chicken as kabobs, soak the wooden skewers in water while the chicken is marinating to keep them from burning.
Add all dressing ingredients to a small glass jar and shake to combine. Start by adding only 1 Tbsp. of water and add an additional Tbsp. if needed to reach desired consistency (amount of water will depend on tahini thickness).
Prepare all salad ingredients and add to a serving bowl. Set aside.
Preheat Grill to about 425° F (218° C) and brush and oil grill grates.
If using 1" chunks, skewer chicken onto kabob skewers leaving a few millimeters of space between each chunk so that chicken cooks evenly. Once grill is hot, place chicken on grill and cook for 5-8 minutes per side for breasts or 4-6 minutes per side for kabobs.
Remove chicken from grill and let sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing breasts (if cut into chunks, it does not need to rest).
Shake salad dressing jar and pour over prepared salad. Toss to combine.
Add chicken to salad and serve immediately.

Notes

Cooking time can vary based on size and heat temperature so I recommend using a meat thermometer when cooking whole chicken breasts or thighs. Here are some general cook time ranges for different cooking methods (exact time depends on size and temperature):

Grilled Breasts - 5-8 minutes/side at about 425°F (218° C)
Grilled Thighs - 4-5 minutes per side at about 425°F (218° C)
Grilled Kabobs with 1" pieces - 4-6 minutes per side
Stovetop Skillet as 1" Chunks - 10-12 minutes on medium-high heat w 1 Tbsp. oil
Breasts in Oven - 18-22 minutes at 400°F (205° C)

Breasts and thighs should marinate 4-6 hours, with a minimum of 2 hours and a maximum of 24 hours. 1" chunks can be fully marinated in 1 hour or half hour at the absolute minimum.

Nutrition