Add a burst of fresh flavor, nutrition, and gorgeous greens to your mealtime rotation with this Grilled Chicken Green Goddess Salad. This hearty and wholesome salad is as good for you as it is delicious and satisfying — perfect for spring lunches, summer meals al fresco, and dinner parties with friends!
It’s officially (finally!) spring, and I’m celebrating with the way I know best: this crisp-crunchy, satisfying, and flavorful grilled chicken green goddess salad! Fresh veggies are just what the doctor ordered this time of year — they epitomize the change to lighter, fresher seasons — and I am here for it!
Top those greens and veggies with tender grilled Italian-seasoned chicken and lush green goddess dressing, and you have a dish made in warmer weather heaven. Enjoy this meal on the back deck with friends and family and your favorite drink (peach or blackberry lemonade, anyone?), and we’re talking mealtime nirvana.
Best of all, this leafy green salad is ready in a few simple steps — just chop the veggies, grill the chicken, blitz up the dressing, assemble, and serve — leaving you plenty of time to sit back, relax, and enjoy!
For more easy and fresh salad recipes, check out my Grilled Steak Salad, Spicy Southwest Salad, and Healthy Taco Salad.
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What Is Green Goddess Salad?
Green goddess salad is salad made with leafy greens, fresh veggies, and an herbaceous, creamy, and green-hued goddess dressing. Though recipes can differ, I’m a believer in preparing this meal-style salad with sweet and sturdy romaine lettuce and classic veggies like tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onions.
Green goddess dressing is often made with heavier ingredients, like mayonnaise, sour cream, and oil. Still, I’ve made my interpretation lighter (but just as tasty, if not more!) by swapping better-for-you goodies like Greek yogurt, cashews, and olive oil.
What Does It Taste Like?
This salad tastes like a favorite salad you order on lunch dates at your favorite lunch spot with your besties — the salad is fresh, crisp, and sweet; the juicy chicken is tender; the veggies are crunchy; and the dressing is creamy, tangy, and herbaceous. Every bite is perfectly balanced and tastes like a professional chef made it. You also feel great about eating such a nourishing salad: the sweet romaine, juicy tomatoes, buttery avocado, and cooling cucumber offer a festival of flavors and textures —not to mention nutrition — that fills you up and satiates you for the afternoon.
Why You Will Love This Green Goddess Salad Recipe
- Fresh – Brimming with crunchy romaine, juicy tomatoes, peppery red onion, and crisp cucumbers, this green goddess salad dressing recipe is brimming with fresh and flavorful produce. It’s perfect for spring, summer, and early fall meals.
- Filling – Each serving boasts 42 grams of protein and 11 grams of fiber, filling you up and keeping you full and energized.
- Nutritious – Avocados deliver healthy fats, veggies bring various micronutrients like vitamins A, C, and K, and the protein contributes good-for-you lean protein. You can enjoy this green goddess chicken salad, knowing it’s as nourishing for you as it is delicious.
- Meal Prep Ready – Eat well even on the busiest of weeks by making it in advance! Make a large batch on Sunday and enjoy tasty and healthy meals throughout the week. Store the salad separately from the dressing and dress and toss immediately before serving.
Ingredients
This fresh and wholesome salad requires a handful of easy-to-find foods found in most major grocery stores. Just grab these green goddess salad ingredients:
- Chicken Breasts – Use boneless skinless chicken for easy and quick marinating and grilling. Choose two small breasts or cut one large one in half lengthwise.
- Avocado Oil – This adds richness to the chicken marinade and prevents the chicken from sticking to the grill. If needed, substitute olive oil.
- Italian Seasoning – A common pantry staple that adds savory herbal flavor to the chicken marinade, perfectly complementing the herb-infused green goddess dressing!
- Seasonings – Garlic powder, salt, and pepper round out the chicken marinade ingredients, adding nutty flavor and seasoning it.
- Green Goddess Dressing – For the best flavor, make it homemade! You may be surprised by how simple it is (just measure, blend, and drizzle!), though you can use store-bought dressing if needed.
- Romaine Lettuce – These leafy greens add a sweet crunch, filling fiber, and nutrition. Wash and spin the greens well to remove dirt and debris.
- Veggies – Particularly sliced cucumber, halved cherry tomatoes, and sliced red onions.
- Avocado – For creamy richness, making the salad ultra-satisfying. Choose a small or medium avocado that gives slightly when pressed.
- Chives – These delicate herbs add a light and herbaceous onion finish, completing the salad. Rinse them well before mincing.
Substitutions
- Chicken – Substitute chicken breast tenderloins for ultra-tender white meat. Use boneless skinless thighs instead of the breasts for juicier, more flavorful chicken. Adapt the cooking time for substitutions, grilling the tenderloins less and the thighs more if needed.
- Lettuce – Swap another crisp salad green, such as green leaf, Bibb, Butterhead, or Little gem.
- Tomatoes – Chopped Roma or beefsteak tomatoes can be substitutes for cherry tomatoes, as can grape tomatoes.
- Onions – For a peppery kick, swap in sliced sweet onions or chopped green onions.
- Chicken Marinade – Use 2-3 tablespoons of premade Italian dressing in place of the homemade marinade, or make the homemade marinade with any combination of 2 teaspoons of dried basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme.
How to Make Green Goddess Salad with Chicken
This green goddess salad recipe is ready in a few simple steps you can tackle any day of the week! Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Preheat the grill to 450°F. Toss the chicken with the oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until covered.
Step 2: Place the chicken on the grill and cook for 10 minutes. Turn the chicken and cook an additional 5-6 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Transfer the grilled chicken to a plate and let it cool for 10 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, slice it and set it aside.
Step 3: Make the green goddess salad dressing. Add the ingredients to the food processor or blender and blitz until combined and your desired consistency.
Step 4: Assemble the green goddess salads. Divide the romaine lettuce, tomatoes, sliced avocados, red onions, and cucumber slices. Top the salads with the grilled chicken and chopped chives. Drizzle with the green goddess dressing and serve!
Recipe Tips
- Preheat the grill. Ensure the perfect sear, locking in the chicken’s moisture by adding the chicken once the grill has reached 450°F. Follow your grill’s preheating instructions, as preheating times can differ.
- Marinate longer for extra flavor. The quick Italian-seasoned marinade adds a burst of herbal flavor in just 5-10 minutes. For an even deeper flavor that penetrates the meat, marinate it for a few hours up to overnight.
- Cool the chicken before slicing. This allows the chicken juices to redistribute throughout the meat, making it ultra moist and juicy.
- Experiment with veggies. If desired, try your own play on this goddess-worthy salad! Swap snap peas for cucumbers, radishes for cucumbers, or shredded or peeled carrots for tomatoes. You can also add hard-boiled eggs, chopped nuts (cashews are divine!), or crumbled feta cheese for extra protein and staying power.
Serving Suggestions
This hearty and wholesome green goddess dressing salad makes for a filling spring or summer lunch or a nutritious weeknight dinner. Serve it with a toasted ciabatta or baguette and butter or homemade garlic bread for a full spread meal.
Storage Directions
Store the salad fixings in an airtight container separate from the dressing to keep them fresh for up to 4 days. If you anticipate having leftovers ahead of time, slice only enough avocado to serve and store the remaining in an airtight container with the pit in contact with the creamy flesh to keep it from browning.
Nutritional Info
Just as this verdant salad appears, it is a fresh, nutritious, and good-for-you meal. The romaine lettuce packs a strong punch of nutrition, with multiple vitamins, folate, and fiber. The tomatoes deliver antioxidants such as lycopene and vitamin C, and the avocado contains potassium, magnesium, lutein, healthy fat, and fiber.
Each serving of this green goddess salad is a hearty 586 calories, making it a meal that will fill you up and power you through whatever your day or evening has in store. 42 grams of lean protein per serving supports muscle maintenance and growth, heart health, hormone regulation, and more.
This salad is also satisfying due to its impressive fiber content and healthy fat profile. You can count on it for 11 grams per salad, keeping you full and supporting healthy digestion. Though there are 36 grams of fat per serving, most of these are heart-healthy, coming from the sliced avocado and the Greek yogurt, cashews, and olive oil in the dressing.
Total nutritional content per serving is:
- Calories: 586 calories
- Total Fat: 36 grams
- Protein: 42 grams
- Sodium: 670 mg
- Carbohydrates: 27 grams
- Fiber: 11 grams
*This nutritional information is an estimate and calculated based on the ingredients used to create the recipe. The nutritional value of your ingredients may differ slightly. Furthermore, this food is not intended to prevent, diagnose, cure, or treat any disease.
Pricing Info
This is what I personally paid to make this recipe:
- 2 small chicken breasts: $8.48
- 1 tbsp avocado oil: $0.27
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning: $0.10
- 1 tsp garlic powder: $0.03
- ¼ tsp salt: $0.01
- ¼ tsp black pepper: $0.01
- 4 cups romaine lettuce: $1.31
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes: $1.24
- 1 large avocado: $0.89
- ½ medium red onion: $0.42
- ½ medium cucumber: $0.36
- 2 tbsp chopped chives: $0.72
- ½ cup Green goddess dressing: $1.64
The total comes out to be around $15.48 or roughly $7.74 per salad!
FAQs
Yes, you can certainly air fry it instead of grilling it! Season the chicken as directed and cook it in an air fryer preheated to 375°F for 12-14 minutes, turning it halfway, until cooked through to 165°F.
It’s super simple to make this for meal prep by following these directions to keep the salad fresh:
1. Make the green goddess dressing as directed, storing it in an airtight container.
2. Prep all the vegetables except the avocado and grill the chicken according to the recipe.
3. While the chicken cools, assemble the salad vegetables in the containers.
4. Divide the cooled chicken between the salads and cover.
5. Slice the avocado and dress the salads immediately before serving.
Yep, this salad with green goddess dressing is easily made into larger batches. Just multiply the ingredients by the desired amount and continue with the recipe as written.
Other Grilled Recipes
Tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comments below! I would really appreciate your feedback!
Recipe
Grilled Chicken Green Goddess Salad
Equipment
- 1 grill or smoker (or grill pan)
Ingredients
Grilled Garlic Chicken:
- 2 small chicken breasts boneless/skinless
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Green Goddess Salad:
- 4 cups romaine lettuce chopped
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 large avocado sliced
- ½ medium red onion sliced
- ½ medium cucumber sliced
- 2 tbsp chopped chives
- ½ cup Green goddess dressing
Instructions
- Make the chicken: Preheat your grill to 450°. Toss the chicken in the oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, coating evenly on all sides.
- Place the chicken on the grill and cook for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, flip the chicken and cook an additional 5-6 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°. Transfer the grilled chicken to a plate and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, slice and set aside.
- Meanwhile, make a batch of homemade green goddess dressing and set aside.
- Assemble your salads with lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, red onion, cucumber, chives, and grilled garlic chicken. Drizzle with green goddess dressing and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
If you end up making this and loving it, take a photo and tag me on Instagram! I’d love to see your versions of my recipes! And feel free to rate it down below in the comment section. I would really appreciate it!
xoxo Megan
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