In the United States, stoves are used to cook the majority of dinners. The Greek variation usually includes a mini grill and a cutting board, which can change with the seasons. An abundance of Mediterranean dishes can be prepared that include grilled proteins, chopped vegetables, feta cheese, olive oil, and other accompaniments. None should take more than 25 and most are better than anything that comes out of a hot oven, not even in 90-degree heat.
One example of such dinners is the Greek salad with grilled chicken and for that, the chicken will be grilled for five minutes on each side after being seasoned with a marinade made of garlic, oregano, lemon juice, and olive oil. The salad will include tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onions, along with Kalamata olives and bell peppers, and will be dressed with red wine vinegar and olive oil. The salad will have slices of chicken and a big piece of block feta cheese on top. It will take about 20 minutes in total. Tuesday in July is the answer.
Contents
The Cheat Sheet
- Greek Salad That’s Built, in a nutshell: A Greek salad of chunked vegetables, olives, and feta, topped with grilled lemon-oregano chicken. Real dinner without turning on the oven.
- Why it works: The marinade does the seasoning work in 15 minutes. The vegetables are barely dressed. The feta and olive oil carry the richness. Nothing is fussy.
- Time: 15 minutes to marinate (can overlap with chopping), 5–6 minutes per side to grill, 10 minutes of prep total. About 20 minutes start to plate.
- Key tips: Pull the chicken at 160°F internal and rest 5 minutes; carryover takes it to 165. Don’t skip the rest, it’s the difference between juicy chicken and dry slices.
Ingredients
This plate prioritizes quality over quantity. The most important element is not the technique of preparation, but rather the inclusion of fresh kalamata olives, ripe tomatoes, high-quality feta, and premium olive oil.
- Chicken breasts (4, about 6 oz each): Boneless and skinless. Pound thicker pieces to even thickness before marinating so they cook evenly.
- Marinade: 3 tbsp olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, 1 tsp dried oregano, 2 garlic cloves (minced), salt and pepper. Whisk and pour over chicken; marinate 15 minutes to 2 hours.
- Tomatoes (3 medium or 2 cups cherry, chunked or halved): The single most important ingredient. Use the ripest you can find.
- Cucumber (1 large, chunked): English or Persian cucumbers don’t need peeling.
- Red onion (1/2 small, thinly sliced): Soak in cold water for 5 minutes to mellow the bite if it’s particularly sharp.
- Kalamata olives (1/2 cup, pitted): The real ones, not the bland canned black ones.
- Bell pepper (1, chunked): Green is classic; red or yellow if you prefer a sweeter bite.
- Dressing: 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, salt and pepper.
- Feta (4 oz, sliced into thick slabs or crumbled): Block feta in brine. Pre-crumbled is a downgrade.
Instructions
Prepare the grill by heating it to a range of 400 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure you have a small whisk to prepare the marinade, a sharp knife for additional preparation, and a thermometer to measure the temperature of the chicken.
1) Start by marinating the chicken. In a separate small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Whisk together to combine. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Set aside for up to 15 minutes while you prepare the salad. If you want to, you can let it sit for up to 2 hours. If you leave it longer, the lemon juice will start ‘cooking’ the chicken and make the texture mealy.
2) Prepare the salad. While the chicken is soaking in the marinade, prepare the salad by chopping the tomatoes, cucumber, and bell pepper into pieces that are roughly the same size. Slice the red onion into very thin pieces. If the olives are whole, remove the pits. Add all of the ingredients into a large bowl.
3) Prepare the vegetables. Combine the ingredients for the dressing in a separate bowl (or you can add them straight into the bowl). Pour the sauce over the vegetables, and give it a gentle toss. When grilling, let the chicken sit so the flavors can blend together.
4) Prepare the chicken on the grill. Set the burner on medium-high heat. Before grilling, remove any marinade on the chicken. Grill each side for 5-6 minutes. Check the internal temperature at the thickest part and ensure it reads 160° F. Once you remove it from the grill, the internal temperature will increase to 165°F due to carryover cooking.
5) Allow the chicken to rest for five minutes on a cutting board before completing the rest of the preparations. This point is not negotiable; cutting into the chicken prematurely will result in all of the juices escaping onto the board rather than staying in the chicken. Cut across the grain into pieces approximately a quarter of an inch thick.
6) Serve. For customer service, you can either serve individual portions of the salad, or you can place the salad in a large shallow bowl. Add sliced chicken and a big piece of feta cheese. To finish, you can add a little more olive oil, a little bit of pepper, and if you feel like it, a touch of oregano.
Make It Yours
- Grilled shrimp: Marinate 1 lb of peeled shrimp in the same lemon-oregano-garlic mix. Grill 2 minutes per side. Faster than chicken and just as good.
- Chickpeas (no grill): Skip the chicken entirely. Toss a rinsed can of chickpeas with a little olive oil and oregano. Pile on top of the salad. Vegetarian and 5 minutes faster.
- Lamb: Use lamb chops or sliced lamb loin in place of chicken. More authentically Greek, more expensive, more impressive.
- Pita on the side: Toast a couple of pitas, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with oregano. Cut into wedges and serve alongside.
What to Serve With It
- Warm pita or crusty bread, for mopping up the dressing and feta.
- A glass of Assyrtiko, dry rosé, or Sauvignon Blanc.
- Tzatziki or hummus on the side, especially with pita.
- Roasted potatoes with lemon and oregano, if you want the meal to be heartier.
- A bowl of olives and a small plate of marinated peppers, mezze-style.
Pro Moves
- Pound thicker pieces of chicken to even thickness. A cutlet pounded to about 3/4 inch cooks more evenly and won’t dry out at the edges before the middle is done.
- Don’t skip the rest. Five minutes off the heat keeps the juices in the chicken, not on your cutting board.
- Use block feta, not pre-crumbled. Pre-crumbled is drier and flavorless. A slab of real feta on top of the salad looks better and tastes meaningfully different.
- Salt the tomatoes lightly when you chop them. Lets them release a little juice that mixes into the dressing.
- Rinse the red onion. A 5-minute soak in cold water mellows the sharp bite that some onions have, especially if your onion isn’t super-fresh.
- No grill? A grill pan or a cast iron skillet over medium-high works. Same timing, similar result.
Closing Thoughts
This Greek salad is my first choice when I don’t want to put in the effort to make a proper meal, or grilling is on the cards. Using top tier tomatoes and feta will make this meal worth it even if it takes 20 minutes. Having this meal as an option in the summer is great as it means you won’t have to rely on the oven as much.
