Skip to main content

Mediterranean Chicken Salad



I grew up eating pizza at a local place; my parents call it Chief’s but all us townies call it GHOP. Their pizza is delicious, their mozzarella sticks are PERFECTION, but the one meal they make there that I am truly addicted to is their grilled chicken salad. 

The owner of the store is Greek and this salad is tinged of Greek touches: Kalamata olives, oregano, lemon juice, etc. The basic ingredients of the salad are fairly simple (iceberg lettuce, tomato, carrots, cucumber, olives, red onions that I omit in my recreations, bell pepper, chicken breast) but the chicken marinade and the dressing are the most delicious things ever. The recipe as follows is the closest I have been able to come to a recreation.

When I do order this salad, I also order a pint of their house dressing. The large salad comes with about a quarter cup of the stuff, but it is the most delicious dressing I have ever tasted and I must have it in my fridge. When I lived far away from home, I missed it so badly that I set to work for months trying to perfect a recreation. The ingredients are simple, but figuring out the ratios, what kind of vinegar to use, how much pepper, how much salt- let’s just say I could write a thesis about my dressing journey.

I hope you enjoy it!


Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
pepper to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1/2 head of iceberg lettuce, quartered and sliced
12 Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced lengthwise
1 green bell pepper, de-cored and thinly sliced into rings
1 tomato, thinly sliced in half moons
1/2 english cucumber, thinly sliced into disks
1 carrot, thinly sliced on the bias
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
2 1/2 teaspoons oregano


Method:
Whisk together the 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons white vinegar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, pepper and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Add the chicken and let marinate for 30 minutes to an hour.

Meanwhile, which together the dressing: 1/2 cup mayo, 1/4 cup white vinegar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 1/2 teaspoons oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Let these flavors meld together in the fridge for at least an hour before using.


Drain the chicken well. Heat a skillet with 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat. Cook the chicken strips in three batches, browning each side a golden brown- about a minute or two per side. Assemble the salad and dip generously into individual cups of dressing. Enjoy!



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Peek-a-boo Squares

My grandma, Mimi, taught me this recipe. I used to make this with her and my mother as a child. It is my very favorite dessert. It is incredibly easy to make, and even easier to eat. My favorite part of making this as a child was dusting every bar generously with snowy white powdered sugar.  My favorite version of this dessert uses canned blueberry pie filling; I vastly prefer Libby brand over the store brand. You can make blueberry pie filling from scratch with sugar, cornstarch, bleberries, etc. but using the canned stuff is easy in a pinch and is much for nostalgic for me. Plus, I don’t notice a vast improvement over my homemade blueberry pie filling and the Libby brand; it just takes me longer to put this dessert together.  I have been known to whip up a pan of these Friday night and have them disappear by Saturday afternoon. Be warned, these things are addictive! Ingredients: 3 cups of all-purpose flour 2 cups of granulated sugar 4 eggs 2 ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Samosas with Yogurt Sauce

I love exploring many kinds of cuisine in my kitchen because I can control the spice level, and in the case of this recipe, the use of cilantro. Cilantro lovers out there- sub it info the parsley here. I have the gene that makes cilantro taste like soap, which limits my ability to enjoy some dishes in restaurants, but is easily rectified in my own kitchen. I hope you enjoy! Ingredients:  3 russet potatoes 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped 2 teaspoons curry powder 5 ounces peas Six 8 inch flour tortillas 4 ounces Greek yogurt Oil, salt, pepper, vinegar 4 tablespoons butter Method: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet. Scrub potatoes and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces. Place in a large saucepan with a generous pinch of salt and enough water to cover by 1 inch. Cover and bring to a boil over high; uncover and cook until tenderDrain potatoes and transfer to a bowl.  Heat 2 tablespoons oil in reserved saucepan over medium. Add chopped garl...
1 comment
Read more

Deluxe BLT- with avocado, Emmental cheese, and asiago bread

 I don't normally feature sandwiches on this blog, but I simply cannot ignore this one. It's too good! The method is dead simple, but perhaps I can include a tip or two you may not have thought of to elevate your BLT to the next level! Ingredients: Bacon, best quality but thinly sliced Tomatoes (ideally fresh from your garden) Romaine lettuce Mayo Emmental cheese Asiago bread salt, pepper, butter Method: In a large sheet pan with a wire rack, lay your bacon out. In a preheated 400 degree F oven, bake for 15 minutes or until the bacon is crispy.  Slice your tomatoes and salt and pepper them. The salt is non-negotiable despite the saltiness from the bacon- the salt brings the flavor out of the tomato. Do not skip! Slice avocados. Rip lettuce to desired sizes for bread. Freshly slice bread and butter one side. In a large pan over medium high head, toast the buttered side of each bread slice. Lay a slice of Emmental cheese on one of the bread slices, and allow to melt. Time to con...
Post a Comment
Read more