Italian Chicken Salad

A complete Italian meal that’s loaded with nutrients and natural flavors – Perfect for lunch and dinner! Not to mention that it’s also low-carb, gluten-free, and paleo-friendly. The best part is, you can prepare this recipe ahead of time so all you have to do later on is grill the marinated chicken, dress the salad, assemble, and serve!

Course Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Italian

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Marinating and Rest Time 35 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 247kcal

Equipment

Grill

Ingredients

For Chicken:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast

For Salad Dressing:

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice freshly squeezed
2 tablespoons fresh basil finely chopped
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt or fine sea salt

For Salad:

3-4 cups chopped romaine lettuce about 1 large head
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup roasted red peppers chopped
1/2 cup red onion sliced thin

Instructions

Combine all the chicken ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and marinate in the refrigerator for at least half an hour or up to 6 hours.
In a separate bowl, combine and whisk all the salad dressing ingredients. Set aside. Consequently, mix all the salad ingredients into another bowl and set aside.
Heat a grill pan to medium-high heat and cook chicken for about 4-6 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF. Rest the chicken for 5 minutes, then slice them into bite-sized pieces.
To assemble, drizzle dressing on salad and toss to combine. Then, place the cooked chicken on top of the salad and serve immediately.

Notes

You can multiply the salad dressing recipe and make it ahead of time so you don’t have to do it every time you’re gonna make this salad recipe. You can store them in the refrigerator, where it would retain its freshness for 1 to 2 weeks.

Nutrition