Greek Salad with Gyro-Spiced Grilled Chicken
Traditional, village-style Greek salads, or horiatiki, are made with large chunks of fresh vegetables, no lettuce, and a slab of feta to take from as you see fit. These fun, decidedly un-fussy salads are a great way to experience refreshing summer vegetables and great Greek flavors. This salad is easy to personalize; if you don’t like green bell peppers, use all red. If you want to add some zucchini or sliced fennel, go for it.
We made both the chicken and the dressing with our Gyro Seasoning, to make sure this dish is as bright and refreshing as possible. If it’s grilling season, put the chicken on the grill but if it’s not, this will work equally well with sauteed or baked chicken. We didn’t use any oil on the grill because it’s non-stick, but if you cook in a frying pan please use oil if necessary for the best outcome. Serve with a little hummus or pita on the side to round out the meal.
For the salad:
1.25 pounds chicken breast
1 Tablespoon plus one teaspoon Gyro Seasoning, plus more to taste
1 medium red onion, sliced into half-moons
3-4 ripe tomatoes, sliced into wedges
1 English cucumber, cut in chunks
2 green bell peppers, one cut in chunks, the other sliced into half-moons
2 red bell peppers, one cut in chunks, the other sliced into half-moons
1/4 cup of pitted kalamata olives, sliced in half, or more to taste
1 block of feta cheese, cut into 4 slabs
For the dressing:
1 Tablespoon finely minced shallot
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard, plus more if necessary
Zest and juice from one lemon
2 teaspoons Gyro Seasoning
2 teaspoons Greek Oregano
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1. Heat grill to medium-high.
2. Clean and trim chicken breasts and cut them into 3-4 ounce portions if necessary. Thoroughly coat chicken breasts in Gyro Seasoning.
3. Place chicken on the hot grill. Cook for 5-8 minutes per side, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked and a meat thermometer measures the internal temperature at 165°F. When chicken is done, remove from heat and set aside to cool.
4. While chicken cooks, cut all vegetables and put in a large mixing bowl. Toss to combine. Keep feta slabs to the side until you’re ready to serve.
5. Make the dressing. Combine all ingredients except olive oil in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Drizzle in olive oil while whisking; you’re looking for the dressing to emulsify, or combine into a relatively stable mixture that doesn’t separate. If the oil and liquids don’t bind, add a little more mustard and whisk rapidly to get them to combine.
6. When dressing is ready and chicken is cooled, cut chicken across the grain so it fans out over the salad. Toss salad with some dressing, reserving dressing to drizzle over the final dish. Scoop salad onto individual plates and top with grilled chicken breast. Tuck one slab of feta onto each plate. Drizzle with additional salad dressing and serve.