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!

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