Mediterranean Chicken Salad
A hearty main dish chicken salad recipe with Mediterranean flavors, including olives, tomatoes and feta cheese. Delicious with a white wine from the Lugana region of Italy.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: baking + stove top
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Scale
For the chicken (or use leftover chicken)
- 1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 tsp champagne vinegar or similar
- 1/4 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 chicken breast fillet (approximately 8 ozs) — rinsed and patted dry.
For the farro
- 1/2 cup farro grain, rinsed in cold water
- 1 cup water
Salad dressing
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp mustard
- 1/4 honey
Other salad ingredients
- 8 olives, sliced
- 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half or quartered
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 2 tbsp feta cheese
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken: combine the olive oil, vinegar, basil, garlic, salt and lemon juice in a bowl. Place the chicken in a sealable plastic bag, and add the marinade. Toss gently to combine, and marinate the chicken for 10 to 15 minutes (longer OK if you like, put in refrigerator to marinate).
- Bake the chicken: Preheat oven to 400 degrees convection setting. Place the chicken in a baking dish, and bake 20 to 25 minutes until cooked through — check at 20 minutes, or sooner if using thin chicken breasts. When cooked, move the chicken to a platter, and slice into strips when it has cooled a bit.
- Cook the farro while the chicken is baking. Bring the water to a boil, then stir in the farro. Reduce heat to simmer, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes. The farro is done when the water has been absorbed into the grain. Stir the cooked farro and set aside.
- Make the dressing: whisk the dressing ingredients together in a bowl (olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic powder, mustard and honey). Set aside.
- Assemble the salad: Divide the spinach into two shallow bowls. Top the spinach with 3 tablespoons farro per bowl. Next, place 3 slices of chicken on top of the spinach and farro. Layer the tomatoes, olive and feta over the chicken. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, and toss gently. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can use leftover cooked chicken you already have on hand and skip cooking the chicken.
- If cooking the chicken for this recipe, we like to make extra for sandwiches. We doubled the marinade ingredients quantity for 3 chicken breast fillets.
- Quinoa or brown rice you have on hand could be substituted for the farro grain.
- You will likely have a bit of extra farro, which can be saved for adding to a soup or salad later.
Find it online: https://cookingchatfood.com/mediterranean-chicken-salad/
