Greek Chicken Salad
Serves 4 | Prep Time 15 min | Cook Time 0 min
In the summer, my kitchen gets hot. At times like that, all a girl can do is fantasize about cool Mediterranean breezes, tall frosted pitchers of ice-cold concoctions, and maybe a Greek god of the mortal variety serving her a supernaturally cool Greek salad. I'm still working on the Greek god part- I'm not sure I can convince my husband to parade around the house in a toga—but I've got the salad down cold. (Sorry, couldn't resist.) What makes this dish so refreshing is generous amounts of hydrating cucumbers and tomatoes, along with a light trill of parsley and mint to tingle the taste buds. Throw in traditional Mediterranean ingredients such as feta cheese, olives, and capers, and you'll swear a cool front just passed over your house. It sure beats fanning yourself with a potholder!
Instructions
Put the chicken, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, olive oil, lemon juice, capers, and salt in a bowl and stir until well combined.
Divide the arugula among individual plates. Put a mound of the chicken salad on top, and sprinkle with the feta cheese, parsley, mint, and a few grinds of pepper.
COOK'S NOTE: Left over Flat-Out Good Chicken (page 148) works perfectly in this dish.
VARIATIONS: This also makes a great sandwich filling: try it in whole wheat pita pockets, or go Latin by mixing the chicken. tomatoes, and olive oil with ¼ avocado (diced), 1/+ cup of black beans, 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice, and 1 teaspoon salt. Omit the feta cheese, and substitute 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh cilantro for the mint. Another option is to swap out the lemon, olive oil, and capers and toss the chicken with Olive and Mint Vinaigrette (page 181) or Lime Vinaigrette with Toasted Cumin Seeds (page 184).
STORAGE: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days..
PER SERVING: Calories: 220; Total Fat: 14 g (3.5 g saturated, 7 g mono unsaturated); Carbohydrates: 15 g; Protein: 9.5 g; Fiber: 3.5 g; Sodium: 433 mg
Ingredients
1 cup diced cooked organic chicken
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced small
6 kalamata olives, sliced lengthwise
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon capers, rinsed and minced
Pinch of sea salt
6 cups loosely packed arugula
¼ cup crumbled organic goat's milk or sheep's milk feta cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
Freshly ground black pepper