Easy Grilled Chicken Salad Recipe

You know that feeling when you order a salad at a restaurant and it actually tastes good? Not just “healthy” good, but genuinely delicious? That’s what we’re making today.

Last summer, a friend mentioned she’d been eating the same grilled chicken salad for lunch every single day for three weeks straight. Not because she was on some strict diet. Not because she had to. She genuinely looked forward to it. That got me thinking – what makes a salad so good that you’d want it every day?

Turns out, it’s not rocket science. It’s just about doing a few simple things right.

What Makes This Salad Special

Here’s the truth about salads. Most of them are boring. Dry chicken on top of sad lettuce with some watery dressing. Nobody actually enjoys eating those. They just tolerate them.

But when you get it right? When the chicken is juicy with those gorgeous grill marks, when the vegetables are actually crisp and fresh, when everything comes together with a tangy dressing – that’s when magic happens.

This isn’t one of those recipes where you need fancy equipment or ingredients you’ve never heard of. Everything here is straightforward. Your local grocery store has it all. Your regular kitchen can handle it. No stress.

What You Need to Grab

For the Chicken:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and pepper
• Half a lemon

For the Salad:

• 6 cups mixed greens (whatever looks fresh)
• A handful of cherry tomatoes
• 1 cucumber
• Half a red onion
• 1 bell pepper (any color you like)
• Some shredded carrots
• Feta cheese if you’re into it

For the Dressing:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• Salt and pepper

See? Nothing crazy. You probably have half of this already.

Let’s Make This Happen

Getting the Chicken Ready

First things first. Take your chicken breasts and look at them. Chances are, they’re thick on one end and thin on the other. That’s a problem because the thin part will dry out before the thick part is cooked.

So here’s what you do. Put them between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Grab something heavy – a rolling pin, a small pan, even a can of beans if that’s all you’ve got. Gently pound the chicken until it’s the same thickness all over. About three-quarters of an inch works great.

Now, mix your olive oil, crushed garlic, paprika, oregano, salt, pepper, and squeeze that lemon into a dish. Give it a good stir. Smell it. That’s what flavor smells like.

The Waiting Game (It’s Worth It)

Drop your chicken into that marinade.

Turn it around a few times so it’s coated all over. Cover it up and stick it in the fridge.

Thirty minutes minimum. But if you’ve got time, let it hang out there for a couple hours. Go watch an episode of something. Take a walk. Do whatever. The chicken will be soaking up all those flavors while you’re gone.

Some people skip marinating because they’re in a hurry. Don’t be those people. This step is the difference between “okay” chicken and “wow, this is actually really good” chicken.

Chop Everything Else

While the chicken is chilling in the fridge, get your vegetables sorted out.

Wash your greens. Really wash them.

Nobody wants gritty salad. Then dry them properly. Here’s a trick – if they’re wet, your dressing just slides off instead of sticking. Wet lettuce equals sad salad.

Cut your tomatoes in half. Slice the cucumber. Make those onion slices thin – thick raw onion can be overpowering. Chop up the bell pepper into bite-sized pieces. Toss in those carrots.

Put everything in a big bowl but don’t mix it yet. Just have it ready to go.

Mix Up That Dressing

Take a jar or a small bowl. Dump in the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, honey, and some salt and pepper.

If you’re using a jar, close the lid and shake it like you mean it. Thirty seconds of shaking. If you’re using a bowl, whisk it fast until everything looks smooth and mixed together.

Give it a taste. It should be a bit tangy, slightly sweet, and flavorful. If it’s too sharp, add a tiny bit more honey. Too bland? More salt. Trust your taste buds here.

Fire Up the Grill

This is important. Your grill needs to be hot. Really hot. Not kind of warm. Hot.

Whether you’re using an outdoor grill, a grill pan on your stove, or even one of those electric grills, let it heat up for at least ten minutes. A hot grill means those beautiful char marks and no sticking.

Take a paper towel, dip it in a bit of oil, and wipe down the grill grates using tongs to hold the paper towel. This keeps things from sticking.

Time to Grill

Pull your chicken out of the fridge. Let the extra marinade drip off. Place it on that hot grill.

Now here’s where people mess up. They keep flipping and moving the chicken around. Don’t do that. Put it down and leave it alone for six to seven minutes. Just let it cook. This is how you get those restaurant-style grill marks.

After six or seven minutes, flip it once. Just once. Cook the other side for another six to seven minutes.

How do you know when it’s done? If you’ve got a meat thermometer, it should read 165°F in the thickest part. If you don’t have one, cut into the thickest part slightly – the inside should be white, not pink, and the juices should run clear.

The Secret Rest Period

When your chicken is done, take it off the grill and put it on a cutting board. Now, do absolutely nothing for five minutes.

Walk away. Seriously.

This is called resting, and it’s the step most people skip. When chicken comes off the grill, all the juices are concentrated in the center. If you cut it right away, those juices spill out onto the board and your chicken ends up dry.

But if you wait five minutes, those juices spread back through the whole piece of meat. Patient chicken is juicy chicken.

Putting It All Together

After your five minutes are up, slice that chicken against the grain into strips. Not thick chunks – nice thin slices.

Pour about half your dressing over the vegetables and greens. Toss everything together with your hands or two spoons until everything is lightly coated. Don’t drown it. You can always add more dressing later.

Pile that dressed salad onto your plate. Arrange the sliced chicken on top. Make it look nice – you eat with your eyes first, after all.

Drizzle a bit more dressing on top if you want. Sprinkle some feta cheese. And there you have it.

Things Nobody Tells You

Want to know what separates people who make good grilled chicken from those who make great grilled chicken? These little tricks.

Take your chicken out of the fridge about fifteen minutes before you grill it. Cold chicken straight from the fridge doesn’t cook evenly. Room temperature chicken does.

Don’t be scared of salt. Chicken breast is pretty bland on its own. It needs good seasoning. Season more than you think you should.

Make your dressing a bit stronger than you’d want to eat it straight. Once it mixes with all those vegetables and chicken, it’ll taste perfect.

If you’re making this for the week, keep everything separate. Grilled chicken in one container. Vegetables in another. Dressing in its own jar. Mix them together right before you eat. That way your lettuce stays crispy for days.

Mix It Up

Once you’ve made this a few times and feel comfortable with it, start experimenting.

Throw in some avocado slices. Add some nuts for crunch – walnuts, almonds, whatever you like. Try different cheeses. Goat cheese is incredible here. So is shaved parmesan.

Want to go Mediterranean? Add olives and sun-dried tomatoes. Feeling spicy? Put some cayenne pepper in your chicken marinade or red pepper flakes in your dressing.

The basic formula stays the same. Grilled chicken plus fresh vegetables plus good dressing equals delicious salad. Everything else is just customization.

Easy Grilled Chicken Salad Recipe

Learn how to make the perfect grilled chicken salad with juicy chicken, crisp veggies, and tangy dressing. Easy recipe that you'll want every day!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 13 minutes mins

Marinating Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course dinner, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 2

Calories 380 kcal

Equipment

• A grill or grill pan
• Something to pound the chicken (rolling pin works fine)
• A couple bowls
• Good knife and cutting board
• Tongs
• A jar with a lid for the dressing
• Meat thermometer if you have one

Ingredients

  

For the Chicken:

• 2 chicken breasts about 1 pound
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves crushed
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Juice from half a lemon
• Salt and pepper

For the Salad:

• 6 cups mixed greens romaine, spinach, whatever you like
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
• 1 cucumber sliced up
• Half a red onion sliced thin
• 1 bell pepper chopped
• Half a cup shredded carrots
• Quarter cup feta cheese skip it if you’re not a fan

For the Dressing:

• Quarter cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• Bit of salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

• Put your chicken between plastic wrap and pound it flat so it’s all the same thickness. Mix up the marinade stuff in a dish.
• Dump the chicken in the marinade, flip it around so it’s coated, cover it, and stick it in the fridge for at least half an hour. Longer is better if you’ve got time.
• Throw all the dressing ingredients in a jar, close the lid tight, and shake it really well for about 30 seconds.
• Wash your greens and make sure they’re dry. Chop up all the vegetables and toss them in a big bowl.
• Get your grill nice and hot. Let it heat up for a good 10 minutes. Rub a little oil on the grates so nothing sticks.
• Put the chicken on the grill and don’t mess with it for 6-7 minutes. Flip it once and cook another 6-7 minutes. It’s done when the inside hits 165 degrees.
• Take the chicken off and let it sit for 5 minutes. Don’t skip this part or all the juice runs out.
• Slice up the chicken. Pour some dressing on your veggies and toss it all together. Put it on plates and lay the chicken on top.
• Drizzle more dressing if you want, throw on the feta, and eat it while the chicken’s still warm.

Notes

• You can make the chicken and chop the veggies a day or two ahead. Just keep them separate until you’re ready to eat.
• Leftover grilled chicken keeps in the fridge for 3-4 days. Great for quick lunches all week.
• No grill? Just use a regular pan on your stove. Works fine.
• If you want it spicier, add some red pepper flakes to the marinade.
• The chicken tastes good cold too, so don’t worry about reheating if you don’t feel like it.
• Chicken thighs work even better than breasts – they’re juicier and harder to mess up.

Keyword chicken salad, easy chicken salad, grilled chicken salad, healthy salad recipe, meal prep lunch, protein salad, salad, summer salad

What Goes Great With This

This salad is filling enough on its own for lunch. But if you want something on the side, warm garlic bread is always a good call. The crispy, buttery bread with fresh salad just works.

Roasted sweet potato wedges are great too – toss them with olive oil and paprika, roast for 25 minutes. For cooler days, a light tomato soup makes it feel like a complete meal.

Keep it simple with iced tea or fresh lemonade on the side. Both go perfectly with the tangy dressing.

The Real Deal

Look, this salad isn’t going to change your life. It’s not going to solve all your problems or make you a different person.

But it might change your lunch. It might make eating healthy something you actually look forward to instead of something you force yourself to do.

And sometimes, that’s enough. Sometimes, having one really solid, delicious, easy meal in your rotation makes everything else a bit easier.

So grab your ingredients. Fire up that grill. Make this salad. And if you end up eating it every day for three weeks straight like my friend, well, now you’ll understand why.