A Healthy Lemon Herb Mediterranean Chicken Salad Everyone Will Love!

If you’re looking for the best salad to try that’s both healthy and delicious, then give this a try! It has a hint of lemon with a mixture of herbs and the sweet and sour taste from the dressing. It’s entirely different from the ones you are used to, and with the presence of a creamy avocado, the crunchy lettuce leaves, and tender, juicy chicken, you are bound to have a mouthful of amazing flavors and textures in one bite! And yes, it’s very filling and will have you full for hours, making it a perfect lunch or dinner.

Ingredients (Marinade and Dressing)

• Two tablespoons of olive oil
• Juice of one lemon (quarter cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Two tablespoons of water
• Two tablespoons of red wine vinegar
• Two tablespoons of freshly chopped parsley
• Two teaspoons of dried basil
• Two teaspoons of minced garlic
• One teaspoon of dried oregano
• One teaspoon of salt
• A pinch of cracked pepper for taste
• Four skinless and boneless chicken thigh or breast fillets (one pound)

Ingredients (Salad)

• Four cups of washed and dried Romaine lettuce leaves
• One large diced cucumber
• Two diced Roma tomatoes
• One sliced red onion
• One sliced avocado
• 1/3 cup of pitted olives (can be sliced or whole)
• Lemon wedges for serving

Steps

1. Whisk all the marinade and dressing ingredients in a large jug. In a large and shallow dish, pour half of the marinade there. The remaining mixture in the jug will be used as the salad’s dressing later on.

2. Add the chicken into the bowl of marinade. Allow the chicken to marinade for 15 to 30 minutes. You can also opt to leave it in the fridge for up to two hours for better flavor if you have the time.

3. While waiting for your chicken to marinade, you can prepare all the salad ingredients by mixing it in a large salad bowl.

4. When the chicken is ready to be cooked, heat a tablespoon of oil in a grill pan or plate at medium-high heat.

5. Grill the chicken on both sides until they are browned and cooked evenly and thoroughly.

6. Let the chicken rest for about five minutes. Once it is rested, slice it into pieces and add it to the salad. You can arrange it as a topping, or you can mix it all.

7. Get the remaining salad dressing and drizzle it all over the salad. Again, you can opt to mix it or not.

8. Serve the salad with lemon wedges and enjoy!

If you’re wondering about how you can make this dish even better, then try these tips to ensure that the dish will be delicious and better each time you do it:

1. Upon serving the salad, add half a cup of crumbled feta cheese over it for an even better flavor. You will love the tangy taste!

2. Want to make it with fewer calories? You can omit one tablespoon of olive oil, or grill the chicken without oil and on a nonstick pan.

3. I recommend you to add this as an appetizer or side, serve it in smaller sizes and match it with a delicious main course. While I like making this my main meal, it’s also nice to lessen the serving to make room for even more delicious dishes.

4. If you are allergic to chicken or can’t have it, then try shrimp instead of chicken (also one pound of shrimp). Another awesome swap would be to use grape tomatoes instead of Roma.

5. For those who feel like the marinade is not enough for the chicken or salad, I recommend you to double the serving.