Mediterranean Balsamic Chicken Salad

On days where I don’t feel like eating heavier food, I love a good salad. It has to be full of flavor and texture and tasty things though or it can be boring. I love how easy and delicious this one is, and I’m always a sucker for anything with balsamic vinegar in the recipe.

It is important to use a higher quality balsamic vinegar here, because it is in both the marinade and the dressing and cheap ones can be harsh and too acidic. This is my very favorite balsamic…. It is from Fustini’s in Traverse City, MI. It isn’t cheap, but it has such a smooth, sweet/tart flavor and isn’t harsh at all and is really worth the investment if you want a really tasty salad.

Since you are using vinegar in the marinade, don’t marinate the chicken overnight here. A few hours is enough or else it will change the texture of the chicken due to the acid. You can tailor this salad to your liking, and I think it would be great with some toasted pita or naan on the side.

Mediterranean Balsamic Chicken Salad

Juicy balsamic dijon chicken on a salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, banana peppers and feta and balsamic dressing

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Prep Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Course Lunch, Main Course, Salad

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  

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For the chicken:

• 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• fresh black pepper
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp dried Italian herbs or use fresh for more flavor

For the salad:

• 6 cups chopped romaine
• 4 roma tomatoes cut into wedges
• banana pepper rings you can also add olives if you like
• feta cheese more or less depending on preference
• 4 sliced mini cucumbers
• hummus
• 1/2 red onion thinly sliced

For the dressing:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup good balsamic if using cheaper balsamic add a little honey to sweeten it
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp dijon
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Combine the marinade ingredients and add the chicken. Coat and mix well and let sit in the fridge for 30 min to a few hours. Heat a non stick skillet over medium and add the chicken. Allow to brown, then flip and brown the second side. Cover the pan and let the chicken cook until fully done. If the balsamic is getting burnt, add a little water to the pan as needed to keep it from burning. Rest the chicken for 5 minutes before slicing.
• Mix the dressing ingredients well. Taste and season further as needed.
• Add your salad components to plates then top with the sliced chicken and drizzle with dressing. Enjoy!

Keyword Chicken, Lunch, Main Dish, Salad

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