Greek Chopped Salad with Marinated Chicken

Greek salad is a staple in restaurants all over our area. Greek places have them, pizza places have them, steak houses have them. And while you can get a decent Greek salad nearly anywhere along the Gulf Coast and many points beyond, this chopped version tastes like the very best of them. Chopping the vegetables exposes more surface area and allows the simple dressing to permeate; the flavors meld beautifully. And with no lettuce, this salad travels well.

Sand Mountain tomatoes, small pickling cukes, and red bell peppers are all fantastic in the farmer’s market right now. Grab some and make the most of them! If you’re making this salad off-season, it still works: get the best tomatoes available (tiny grape tomatoes are great year round!), an English cucumber, and the brightest red bell peppers in the pile. If using grape tomatoes, just cut them in half. You probably won’t need the whole English cucumber unless you’re making salad for a crowd (or making a lot of tzatziki, too). Just don’t skimp on the feta!

The Marinated Chicken below is a staple in my fridge, and I am forever adding it to salads to make a meal. It’s simple, good, and ready for anything. I buy raw chicken tenders in the meat case. The packages usually run about a pound each, meaning 6-8 tenders, more or less. I snip off the white tendon at one end and cut each tender into 3 or 4 pieces–once again, you want more surface area to grab the marinade. Then I throw the chunks in a zipper bag with a little bottled Italian dressing. I use the original Wishbone Italian. Yeah, yeah, I don’t like it as a salad dressing, either, but it’s unequalled as a marinade. I also add the juice of half a lemon. I let it all lounge around in the fridge overnight, or even for two nights. (Sometimes I squeeze the air out of the bag, and put the whole thing in the freezer for weeks at a time.) Drain the chicken pieces, give them a quick sauté, and there you are. You can use these chicken nuggets for absolutely anything, and they’re good in your fridge for several days.

Another easy protein addition to serve on the side is Mediterranean boiled eggs. Much faster than deviled eggs, simply slice hard boiled eggs and dress them with a little lemon juice, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt, cracked black pepper, and a pinch of herbs if you like. You usually see them sliced in rounds, but I think they’re easier to eat if cut in halves. Mediterranean eggs are terrific as a side dish or even on an appetizer tray. If your eggs are already boiled, these take all of 30 seconds to make.

If you have any leftovers, they’re great the next day wrapped in a pita with this lightning-fast yogurt sauce: stir together 1 cup plain yogurt, 1 T. lime juice, a pinch of salt, ½ t. honey.

Καλή όρεξη!

Greek Chopped Salad

1 lb. tomatoes–either 2 very large ones or 3 or 4 medium ones, diced, or 16 oz. container of grape tomatoes, halved
1 regular cucumber, or ½ an English cucumber, quartered lengthwise and cut in 1/2-inch chunks
½ a red bell pepper, finely diced
⅓ cup minced onion
1 cup chickpeas, drained
½ cup kalamata olives without pits
1 8 oz. jar artichoke hearts, drained
⅔ cup crumbled feta
1 T. dried oregano
½ cup olive oil
3 T. red wine vinegar
2 t. balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and toss well. Flavors will meld after a couple of hours.

Marinated Chicken

1 package fresh chicken tenders
⅓ cup bottled Italian dressing (I usually use Wishbone)
Juice of ½ a lemon

Cut out the white tendon on one end of the chicken tender. Cut each tender in 3 or 4 pieces, depending on size. Put the pieces in a bowl or a zipper bag with the dressing and lemon juice to marinate several hours or overnight.

To cook, drain the tenders and pat dry, discarding the marinade. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Spray pan with cooking spray and, working in batches, cook the chicken pieces for a couple of minutes per side until browned, turning once.

These are excellent on salads, with a dipping sauce, or as a snack.