One of my all-time favorite salads is a Greek salad. This is surprising to me considering that I hate tomatoes, and tomatoes are a big part of a Greek salad. But tomatoes are easy enough to avoid, and I love the mix of textures and bright, briny flavors of a good Greek salad. How many times can I say Greek salad in one paragraph?
(Greek salad sidebar: One summer during graduate school, I studied abroad in Prague for a few weeks. Good food was difficult to come by, for a poor grad student. But one of my favorite things to do was go to a little restaurant just outside the old town square and order a Greek salad, bez rajčat. The salads, to my recollection, had no lettuce. They consisted of cubes of cucumber, cubes of feta, kalamata olives, and a beautiful tangy dressing. I am sure the waitstaff thought I was bonkers for rejecting the tomatoes, but they kindly made the salads tomato-free , and they were SO GOOD.)
My husband and I usally roast a chicken breast to have with our Greek salad. If I am feeling fancy, I will also whip up some hummus and pita. (Or buy one or both of those things pre-made from the grocery store.) The last time I made hummus, I only used half a can of chickpeas, so I roasted the other half-can in the air fryer with a little salt and olive oil until they were crunchy, and added those to the salad too.
SALAD INGREDIENTS (all to taste):·
- Romaine lettuce, chopped
- Red onion, finely sliced
- Cucumbers, halved lengthwise and sliced into thin half-moons
- Cherry tomatoes (if you like that kind of thing)
- Kalamata olives
- Feta (the good kind, in brine), crumbled
CHICKEN MARINADE INGREDIENTS (adapted from Savory Nothings)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or more to taste
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon dried garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt or more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS:
- Combine ingredients. Marinate chicken breast for 30 minutes.
- Pre-heat air fryer to 390 degrees for 4 minutes. Then air fry chicken breast for 8-12 minutes at 375 degrees.
VINAIGRETTE INGREDIENTS (from Love and Lemons)
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS:
- Whisk all ingredients together until emulsified.
Combine salad ingredients. Top with chicken (or roasted chickpeas) and vinaigrette. Enjoy!
A Florida thing (I think it started in St. Pete? Somewhere near there because my brain points in that direction when I think of it) is to put a scoop of potato salad in the middle of Greek salad and it is so good. It’s a vinegary potato salad and I’ve never made it, only had it on purchased Greek salads, but it’s delicious if you are looking for something new to try.
Oooooh that sounds so yummy!
Greek salad is my number one favourite dish, and we always have it on Friday with hummus and pita. I buy the pita, though. I also love crispy chickpeas! Mmmmm yum.
I wish I were eating a Greek salad RIGHT NOW, Nicole.
I’m totally making this for dinner one night this week. I may add some store bought spanakopita and dolmas to make it fit my ‘Mediterranean feast’ menu item, but I’ve always felt like that feast could be improved by a good Greek salad.
In Ireland their idea of salad does not always include lettuce. This blew my mind back in the days when I studied there. I’m not a huge fan of Greek salad, but I do like sound of the chicken marinade. I might have to give that a try.
Salad Sunday. I love this.
I too love Greek salad; I’m a huge fan of tomatoes and also feta. I’m not keen on kalamata olives though.
Yum! I also love Greek salad. Here’s my favorite Greek salad recipe if you want to try something a little different sometime: https://theinbetweenismine.com/2022/06/15/recipe-greek-salad-with-kale-and-turkey-meatballs/
That sounds delicious. I would do a tofu feta and leave off the chicken. I think I just love anything with kalamata olives! Oh and that dressing sounds amazing.
Oh my gosh I just realized I didn’t put your blog into my NaBloPo feed reader. How did this happen. I’m so so sorry and have some catching up to do.
I love a greek salad. But tomatoes are a must be. I’d take all yours if we would be in a restaurant together.
Do you know the Bulgarian version? It add bell peppers and iceberg lettuce, and feta (and tomatoes but well). I think you might enjoy that one too.
well this salad series is my favorite I am making ALL OF THE SALADS.
I’ll take the tomatoes and you can have my chicken! If I made this the “ingredients to taste” would be heavy on the feta and kalamata olives;-)
That sounds really yummy. Thank you for sharing this recipe! Greek salad always reminds me of our vacation on Crete (before kids long time ago) and that is always good memories.
Your menu sounds so amazing! And, it does seem unfair that we have to meal plan for the rest of the week TOO, right? I am cooking (and baking) for Thanksgiving: lemon and sage turkey breast, mashed potatoes, roasted green beans, Italian rolls, dressing, and then a pumpkin pie and cinnamon roll apple pie muffins for dessert.
It is SO unfair!