Greek Salad

I am hardcore obsessed with Zoes Kitchen. I've always liked Greek food & it's flavors, but a simple Greek salad with chicken from Zoes has me on a whole 'nother level. Whenever it's time to go out to eat, I'm trying to figure out how I can go to Zoes again. The only down side is the price. I don't think it's overly expensive, but after getting a salad, adding on chicken, and then if I get hummus, it ends up being about $15 just for me & that's if you drink water. Sometimes the convenience of a restaurant is worth it & I feel that Zoes its one of the few places where I can eat out & still make a healthy choice, but overall it's not worth paying that price every time. You can make more meals for less money by making it at home! 

This is not a Zoes copycat recipe, it's just how I like to eat Greek salad at home. I add chickpeas for extra texture & avocados because why not? It's a great way to incorporate some extra healthy fats into a meal. I also like to chop up all my toppings into bite size pieces so that each forkful can get all the ingredients. I love the chicken with caramelized onions & never would have thought to do that if it weren't for Zoes. Their salad also comes served on top of potatoes which I leave out here. I prefer my pita not toasted, but of course either way is fine. I'm really into this Mediterranean hummus from Trader Joe's right now, but I also like to make my own. 

The dressing is completely Whole30 compliant & if you remove the pita & chickpeas (hummus) the rest of it will be too. We eat this salad as an entree for a weeknight meal, but it could also be a side dish or lunch. Prep everything ahead of time, including the chicken, and store everything in the fridge individually. When you're ready to eat, pull everything out & put together a quick salad. You can also make this ahead as part of your weekly meal prep. 

{2 chicken breasts makes enough for 4-6 salads, depending on their size. The rest of the toppings amounts are up to personal preference.}


INGREDIENTS 

romaine lettuce
red onion
english cucumber
tomatoes 
kalamata olives 
chickpeas 
avocado 
caramelized onions
green bell pepper
feta 
hummus 
pita 
chicken
greek dressing 

Chicken (2 breasts)
3-4 tbsp olive oil 
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt 
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder 
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried ground thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano 
1/4 tsp dried marjoram 
1/4 tsp dried dill
1/8 tsp cayenne 
juice from half a regular size lemon 


DRESSING 
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar 
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder 
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp dried thyme (ground or regular)
1/8 tsp dried basil
1/8 tsp dried dill 

INSTRUCTIONS

1) Start by marinating the chicken. Cut the breasts into long strips or chunks if you prefer. Place in a large bowl & add in all the marinade ingredients. Stir to mix well & make sure all of the chicken gets coated. If it looks a little dry add a touch more olive oil. Keep covered in the fridge until time to cook, at least 30 minutes & up to 3 hours.

2) While the chicken is marinating, make the caramelized onions. I have a recipe HERE, but I leave out the sugar & balsamic. 

3) Get all the other salad components ready. Chop veggies, slice the pita, rinse & drain the chickpeas if canned. 

***If you're making this for a group, leave everything out in individual bowls set up as a buffet line & let each person make their own salad.

4) Make salad dressing by pouring all ingredients into a jar & shaking to mix. Oil & vinegar separate very quickly so it will have to be shaken again before every use.

5) When the chicken is ready to cook, heat a skillet over medium heat. I like to use the same one that I cooked the onions in just to save dishes. Pour in a few tablespoons of cooking oil (I use avocado for almost all of my cooking) & let it heat until it looks shimmery.

6) Place the chicken strips in the pan one at a time, being careful not to splash hot oil. Do not overcrowd the pan; they need room to brown. Cook roughly 3 minutes per side until both sides are brown & the middle is cooked thru. Larger pieces make take longer while thinner pieces will take less time. It will probably take 2-3 batches to cook all of the chicken. Just remove it to a clean plate while the rest of it cooks.

7) This step is optional, but something that I prefer to do. When all the chicken is cooked, there will be a thin layer of brown "fond" on the bottom of the skillet, especially if using a stainless pan. Add all of the chicken back to the pan & pour in a very small amount of liquid. I used chicken stock, but water will also work. Start with just a few splashes and add more if needed. The liquid will "deglaze" the pan, which just means that it will help release some of the flavorful brown bits. Use your spatula to move the chicken around and scrape up the brown bits, this will create a very small amount of sauce that will coat the chicken and turn them even more brown. Don't leave the chicken in the pan for longer than a minute or it will be overcooked. Remove it back to the same clean plate from earlier. 

8) Assemble the salad as you'd like. I serve mine with a little bit of hummus & whole wheat pita on the side.