Summer Salad Series: Grilled Chicken Pita Salad

13.6.12

It’s Wednesday and that means today is another salad recipe for my Summer Salad Series. Today I am sharing a recipe that was featured as one of Sunset Magazine’s best salad recipes. If you like traditional greek flavors you will love this salad. The original recipe used pita chips but I grilled pita and cut it into triangles for my salad (that way I could use the left over pitas for sandwiches later in the week).

Ingredients
2 boned, skinned chicken breast halves ( you could use rotisserie chicken to save time) About 6 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
4 ounces block feta cheese, broken into chunks
2 cups halved grape tomatoes
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
2 cups pita chips (I grilled pita bread and made my own)
2 cups loosely packed baby arugula

Directions
Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for high heat (450° to 550°; you can hold your hand 5 in. above cooking grate only 2 to 4 seconds). Coat chicken breasts with 1 tbsp. oil and cook, turning once, until no longer pink in the center and grill marks appear, about 7 minutes total. Let rest 10 minutes, then slice.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk lemon juice, 1/3 cup oil, oregano, and pepper; set aside. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil, drop in asparagus, and cook until bright green, about 2 minutes. Drain and rinse thoroughly with cold water.

In a medium bowl, combine chicken, cheese, asparagus, tomatoes, olives, and pita chips. Pour reserved dressing over mixture and toss gently to coat. Add arugula and toss once more just to combine.

If you have a salad recipe that you would like me to try please send me the recipe! I am also looking for guest bloggers to share their favorite main course salads so snap some pictures at your next healthy dinner and send them my way.