Greek Chicken Pasta Salad Recipes

GREEK CHICKEN PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Use a zester, microplane, or small-holed cheese grater to remove the zest from the lemon. Set the zest aside. Squeeze the juice from the lemon into a separate bowl. You'll need at least 1/4 cup juice.
• Prepare the dressing and marinade by mincing two of the three cloves of garlic and combining them with 1/4 cup lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, salt, some freshly cracked pepper, and a pinch of the lemon zest. Whisk these ingredients until well combined.
• Place the chicken thighs in a small zip lock bag and add half of the dressing, saving the rest to add to the salad later. Mince one more clove of garlic and add it to the bag with the chicken and marinade. Squeeze the air out and massage the bag to make sure the thighs are well coated in the marinade. Refrigerate the thighs for at least 30 minutes.
• While the chicken is marinating, cook the pasta according to the package directions, drain in a colander, and let cool.
• Heat a skillet over a medium flame. Once hot, add the marinated chicken thighs and cook on each side until they are well browned and cooked through (about 5 minutes each side). There should be enough oil in the marinade to keep the meat from sticking. Remove the cooked chicken from the skillet and let it rest for about five minutes. Once slightly cooled, chop the chicken into smaller, bite-sized pieces.
• While the chicken is cooking, prepare the rest of the vegetables. Dice the cucumber and bell pepper. Slice the tomatoes in half (or dice if using Roma or regular tomatoes). Pull the parsley leaves from the stems and give them a rough chop.
• Finally, build the salad. Add the cooked and cooled pasta to a large bowl. Top the pasta with the cucumber, bell pepper, tomatoes, parsley, and chopped chicken. Crumble the feta over top and add a pinch or two of the lemon zest. Pour the remaining dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat.

GREEK CHICKEN PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water until tender yet firm to the bit, 8 to 10 minutes; drain.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 5 to 6 minutes.
• Reduce heat to medium-low; add artichoke hearts, tomato, feta cheese, parsley, lemon juice, oregano, and cooked pasta. Cook and stir until heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper, and garnish with lemon wedges.

GREEK-STYLE CHICKEN PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta as directed until al dente, careful not to overcook the pasta, just until chewy and firm, but cooked; drain well.
• Rinse in cold water.
• Mix together all pasta ingredients in a bowl.
• Mix all dressing ingredients; add to pasta mixture; toss well to coat.
• Let sit in refrigerator for 2 or more hours before serving, to blend the flavours.
• Sprinkle more Feta cheese on top to garnish.
• ***NOTE*** since this is a big favorite in my house, I usually just cook up the entire package of pasta, and just increase the vegetable amounts, there is really no need to double the dressing ingredients if you should use the whole package of pasta, as the salad may become oily, but by all means it may certainly be doubled if desired. The bacon is optional, I rarely add it.

GREEK CHICKEN AND ORZO PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• For the chicken: In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, salt, oregano, garlic powder, pepper and lemon juice. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.
• Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium high.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade. Grill the chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Slice the chicken into 1-inch-wide pieces. Set aside.
• For the breadcrumbs: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a medium ovensafe skillet, heat the butter, olive oil and garlic over low heat until the garlic begins to sizzle. Add the breadcrumbs and salt and toss to coat. Transfer to the oven and toast until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
• For the dressing: Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, salt, oregano, pepper, garlic and lemon juice in a small bowl until combined.
• For the salad: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook until al dente, 7 to 8 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl. Toss with the dressing while still hot, then let cool to room temperature.
• When cool, stir in the tomatoes, cucumber and parsley. Top with the feta, sliced chicken and breadcrumbs.