Greek Salad

This past summer, my family and I traveled to San Francisco. We ate out for almost every meal. I wanted to eat as healthy as possible while on this trip, so I usually ordered some type of salad with my meal wherever we ate. At one pizza place, I ordered a Greek salad. I fell in love. The combination of the tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, kalamata olives, marinated chicken, feta cheese, and Greek dressing made my mouth go "yum" and my stomach happy.

Marinated and grilled chicken.

Garlic toast.

Tasty.

Greek Salad

For the chicken:

• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• A couple good pinches salt
• 10 grinds black pepper
• 4 (6 to 7-ounce) boneless skinless chicken breasts

For the dressing:

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed with the side of your chef's knife
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 pinches salt
• 10 to 15 grinds black pepper

For the salad:

• 1 to 2 hearts romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1/2 cucumber, sliced
• 2 tomatoes
• 1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1. To marinate the chicken: In a dish, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper and mix together. Add the chicken breasts to the dish and rub both sides in the mixture. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.
2. To make the dressing: Combine all the ingredients in a resealable container and shake vigorously, or blend in a blender. Refrigerate until ready to serve, and then bring to room temperature before tossing salad.
3. Assemble the salad: Cut the lettuce into 1-inch strips and place in a bowl that is large enough to hold all the salad ingredients comfortably. Scatter cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, olives, and feta over the top. You can prepare the salad up to a few hours in advance. Cover it with a moist paper towel and refrigerate until 30 minutes before serving.
4. To cook the chicken: Heat a nonstick skillet or grill pan over high heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook, turning once, until well browned, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Let the chicken rest on a cutting board for a few minutes before slicing it into thin strips.
5. Give the dressing a good shake and pour it into a nice little serving bowl, using the lid to strain out the garlic (omit this step if you used a blender).
6. Toss salad just before serving and fan chicken out on top.

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