Chicken Quinoa Greek Salad

From the kitchen of Carly

A warm grain bowl that eats like a salad. Griddled chicken with chili-garlic butter melting on top, plus quinoa, feta, olives, mint, and red onion in a lemon-olive-oil dressing. Lunch or dinner, equally good. Cook the quinoa first; the chicken comes together in 8 minutes and you don't want it sitting around getting cold.

Chicken Quinoa Greek Salad

Chicken with a slick of chili-garlic butter hits the same as gyro meat without the drama. Quinoa soaks up bright lemon and olive oil while feta and fresh mint pull everything toward the Mediterranean. The whole thing comes together in 30 minutes, and that cross-hatched sear on the chicken is the move that makes people think you know what you're doing.

Prep
10 min
Cook
20 min
Total
30 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
easy

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 8 oz(225 g)quinoa, rinsed
  • 1 oz(25 g)unsalted butter, softened
  • 1red chili, finely chopped
  • 1 clovegarlic, finely chopped
  • 14 oz(400 g)boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 tbspolive oil
  • 7 oz(200 g)cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 handfulkalamata or black olives, pitted
  • 1 smallred onion, finely chopped
  • 3 1/2 oz(100 g)feta, crumbled
  • 2 tbspfresh mint, chopped
  • 1lemon, zest and juice

Instructions

  1. Cook the quinoa per the package directions, usually 15 minutes in 2:1 water-to-grain. Rinse under cold water, drain thoroughly, and tip into a wide bowl.

  2. While the quinoa cooks, mash the softened butter with the chopped chili and garlic plus a pinch of salt. Set aside.

  3. Pat the chicken breasts dry. Season generously with salt and pepper, then rub with 2 tsp of the olive oil.

  4. Heat a griddle or cast iron pan to high. When smoking, add the chicken and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, until well-marked and cooked through (165°F internal).

  5. Move the chicken to a plate. Dot the chili-garlic butter on top and let it melt over the warm meat.

  6. While the chicken rests, add the cherry tomatoes, olives, red onion, feta, and mint to the quinoa.

  7. Whisk the remaining olive oil with the lemon zest and juice plus a pinch of salt. Pour over the quinoa and toss.

  8. Slice the chicken on the bias. Pile the quinoa mix on plates, top with chicken slices. Drizzle any pan-juices and melted butter over the top.

Tips from the kitchen

  • Pat your chicken completely dry before seasoning, dry goes hard brown, wet goes steamed and sad.
  • Make the chili-garlic butter while quinoa cooks so it's ready to melt on hot chicken the second it comes off the pan.
  • Toss the quinoa salad warm, not cold, so the lemon dressing and feta meld together properly.
  • Slice the chicken against the grain on the bias for a more tender bite and prettier plate.

Variations

  • Swap the quinoa for couscous if you want something that drinks up dressing faster and tastes more pillowy.
  • Use grilled shrimp instead of chicken, cut cook time to 2 minutes per side over high heat, same chili butter trick applies.
  • Go vegetarian, skip the chicken and add chickpeas or white beans to the quinoa, bump the feta up by 50 grams.
  • Trade the mint for dill and add a big squeeze of tzatziki on the side if cucumber-forward is your lane.

Make ahead and storage

Keeps in the fridge for 3 days, though the quinoa gets a touch softer. Store chicken and salad separately and reheated chicken separately if you're fussy. Freezing dulls the feta and mint, skip it.

Substitutions
  • chicken breast to shrimp, halloumi, or chickpeas. Halloumi makes it vegetarian; chickpeas vegan. Shrimp is fastest, 3 minutes per side.
  • quinoa to couscous, farro, or warm orzo. Couscous cooks fastest (5 minutes). Farro is chewier; orzo is pasta-like.
  • feta to fresh mozzarella or goat cheese. Goat cheese is creamier and tangier; mozzarella is milder.

Pairs well with: Warm pita and a side of tzatziki, A glass of dry rose or sauvignon blanc, Sparkling water with lemon