Best Mediterranean Chicken Salad

Since i've accepted the idea of going to the gym regularly, I routinely make this delicious chicken salad at least once a week.

It's moorish, filling and delicious, but doesn't leave you feeling too heavy.

My chicken salad does not run away from flavour; I have sun-dried tomatoes, pickles, pistachios with lots of crunchy gem lettuce.

You might also like my ultimate healthy potato salad, which also does it's job in NOT being bland.

Oh and have you tried my legendary practically perfect fattoush or tabbouleh salads? What?! You must make them right away to lead a full life.

Ingredients

Here's an obvious point that people miss when making chicken salad - make sure the chicken is good quality and flavoured well.

If you make chicken salad with boiled or unseasoned chicken then guess what - that's how your salad will be.

I prefer using chicken breast cooked to perfection and not overdone or underdone.

I don't season the chicken with too much spice as it will overwhelm the salad. It's not a curry!

Again, simply pan fry it for around five minutes on medium heat and another five minutes on lowest heat.

You can know it's cooked when it pulls away from the pan and is white all the way through (you can check it with a knife no biggie).

I also like to add:

• cherry tomatoes
• gem lettuce
• pistachios
• sundried tomatoes
• pickles
• olives

These ingredients will highlight the flavours of the chicken without fighting them.

Instructions

You can prepare the marinaded chicken the night before or a few hours before to maximize flavour. This really is the most important step.

1. Slice the chicken into 1cm thick rounds

2. Add the spices, marinade for a few hours at least

3. Pan fry the chicken in a drizzle of oil

4. Add the other ingredients, mix well and taste to adjust seasoning if necessary

Remember salads are flexible things so work with what you have. You can also add any of the following if you like them:

• a small dash of balsamic vinegar
• capers
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme or oregano
• radishes
• pine nuts
• grilled artichokes
• grilled peppers

Seasoning the salad and adjusting it at the end is the most essential bit to making it successful.

You need to taste it and see if it needs more lemon or salt, so start by adding the minimum then increasing as needs be.

📖 Recipe

5 from 1 vote

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Best Mediterranean Chicken Salad

Subtly spiced chicken with sun-dried tomatoes, pickles, olives and pistachios

Course Salad

Cuisine Lebanese, Mediterranean

Keyword Easy, Healthy

Servings 4

Author Zaatar and Zaytoun

Ingredients

For the chicken

• 1 chicken breast sliced into 1cm rounds
• pinch of turmeric
• pinch dried oregano
• pinch 7 spice
• pinch paprika
• pinch of sumac
• pinch of black pepper
• drizzle vegetable oil for pan frying

For the salad

• 1 gem lettuce roughly chopped
• 1 handful cherry tomatoes halved
• ¼ cup pistachios
• 3 sundried tomatoes chopped
• 3 pickles chopped
• ¼ olives stones removed and halved
• ½ lemon
• pinch of salt
• sprinkle of sumac
• good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

To prepare the chicken

1. Slice the chicken breast into 1cm thick strips and add the spices, salt and a small drizzle of mild olive oil. Leave to marinade in the fridge for a few hours or overnight

2. When you are ready to cook the chicken, add a drizzle of mild olive oil to a pan on medium heat.

3. When the oil is hot add the chicken strips and cook until tender for around five minutes, turning half way through and then another 5 minutes on lowest heat. Remove the chicken and set aside to cool

To assemble the salad

1. Wash the lettuce and tomato and roughly chop, add to a large bowl.
2. Chop the pickles, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and chicken, and add to the bowl. Sprinkle on the pistacios
3. Season the salad with a good squeeze of lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and a good pinch of salt and sumac
4. Most importantly, taste to adjust the seasoning by adding a little more salt if it is too sharp and more lemon if it is too dull

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Pairing

These are my favourite dishes to serve with chicken salad: