Grilled Chicken Greek Salad

Cook's Notes: Once I got hooked on  this tasty marinade for chicken I knew it would be perfect for a company worthy Greek Salad. For easier assembly the chicken can be grilled a few hours in advance or the day before and refrigerated until needed. Salad serves 4.

Greek Chicken Marinade

recipe from carlsbadcravings.com
Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts pounded to 1/2" thickness
• 3 TB. olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 TB. balsamic vinegar
• 1 TB. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. each cumin, dried basil, onion powdr, sugar, salt
• 1/4 tsp.each paprika and pepper

Grill Directions:

• Grease and preheat the grill to medium heat, 375 degrees. Drain chicken from the marinade and grill 7-8 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked through. (An inserted thermometer should read 165 degrees F.) Remove chicken from grill and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.

Greek Salad Ingredients: 

• 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1 large cucumber peeled, cut in half lengthwise, then cut into 1/2” chunks
• 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes halved
• 1 cup combination of red and yellow sweet mini bell peppers, chopped
• 1 cup red onions, thin slices  
• 1/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives sliced if desired
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

• Slice the chicken on the bias and mix with salad ingredients listed above. Top salad with Ever Ready  Creamy Tzatziki Sauce or a use a bottled Greek Lite Dressing from the store.  

Tzatziki Sauce-a Greek cucumber yogurt dip. It’s a healthy sauce you can serve with chicken, grilled veggies, pita chips, gyros and use as a raw veggie dip.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 English cucumber, peeled about 1 cup 
• 10 oz. plain Greek yogurt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh dill or 1-1/2 tsp. dried dill
• 1 TB. freshly squeezed lemon juice 
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt, or to taste
• 1/8 tsp. black or lemon pepper

Directions:

• The cucumber should be peeled, finely diced and strained of it's juices. I squeezed it really tight by the fistful with two paper towels. Getting rid of excess juice is important so that you tzatziki sauce isn't watery the next day.
• Combine the strained and chopped cucumber with plain Greek yogurt, lemon juice, minced garlic, dill, salt and pepper.
• Mix everything together in blender pulse a few times, but not puree it. For best flavor make the sauce the day before for flavors to meld.