Chicken Gyro Salad with Creamy Dill Dressing
This recipe for chicken gyro salads is healthy, easy, and packed full of bright, bold flavors. It’s a lighter option for dinner or lunch, and perfectly portioned for two – no leftovers! It comes from April Anderson’s book, Gourmet Cooking for One or Two, which is a fabulous find for home cooks who like to keep things small scale.
Are you ready for some lighter dinner inspiration? Or a breezy, fresh lunch to break you out of a rut? Get excited. This salad is your jam!
We’ve been slowly starting to shed the winter layers and frequent local farmers markets again, and it’s oh-so-worthwhile because on practically every trip, the variety of locally-grown produce just goes up and up. I recently noticed a little stand at the Falls Church farmers market with the absolute freshest-looking lettuce I’ve ever seen, no exaggeration. Admittedly I might have assigned it subconscious bonus points for coming in this sweet little basket, but can you blame me?
This salad recipe, and a few others with greens, were already on my mind, so it was fated. The lettuce came home and I got to work!
Related Post: The Ultimate Spring Produce and Recipe Guide
Gourmet Cooking for One or Two
Why did I have this salad on the brain? It’s one of many recipes I’d bookmarked, hungrily, from April Anderson’s new book, Gourmet Cooking for One or Two.
This cookbook is a joy. It lends itself perfectly to flipping through on a lazy afternoon – just be sure you have scratch paper around, because you’ll want to mark page after page, and probably start making a grocery list. It’s full of recipes you’ll want to eat right now. Here is a sampling:
- Spinach Salad Steak Tacos
- Strawberry Balsamic Oven Ribs with Potato Salad
- Pappardelle with Roasted Red Pepper Pesto and Sautéed Fennel
- Smothered Veggie and Bean Burrito
- Summer Berry Chicken Salad (this is going to be on repeat all summer long)
- Skillet Zucchini Parmesan
- Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Cutlet with Avocado Tomato Salad (we loved this for another simple dinner-worthy salad)
Just as promised, every recipe in the book is scaled and portioned for exactly one or two servings. This obviously is great if you cook for yourself or just one other person, but I also find it useful with a small family.
Real talk: there are plenty of nights my three-year-old does just fine with a few bites of “real dinner” from my plate, and some supplemental fruit, cheese, or crackers. So making a dinner scaled just for Mom and Dad is a good way to exercise portion control – and prevent leftovers from taking over the whole fridge!
Many of the recipes are quick and easy enough to make on a weeknight, and there are helpful hints sprinkled throughout on how to repurpose sauces, double up on prep work for multiple meals, and other time/effort-saving suggestions. Basically, this book has your back!
What’s in a chicken gyro salad?
You may be trying to cut carbs, or just eat more green things – summer is coming, after all – but no one wants to eat boring bunny food or sacrifice flavor. Salads like this are here for you. Juicy marinated chicken breasts, fresh veggies, and the most delicious yogurt dressing with fresh dill and a lemony tang. Where do I sign!?
Here’s what you’ll need to make this at home:
- Boneless, skinless chicken breast
- Fresh green lettuce
- Grape or cherry tomatoes
- Cucumber
- Part of a small red onion
- Crumbled feta cheese
- Plain yogurt (Greek or regular yogurt will work)
- Minced garlic
- Fresh herbs – parsley and dill
- A squeeze of lemon juice
- Olive oil, dried oregano, ground cumin, and kosher salt
Fresh pita bread optional, but not really. 😉
Is this tzatziki sauce?
The dressing is a simplified spin on traditional tzatziki sauce. Tzatziki is fundamentally strained yogurt mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice, and fresh herbs. We have many of those elements here, but not cucumbers.
So let’s call this a creamy, lemony, dill-infused yogurt sauce, and celebrate, because ladies and gentlemen, it is delicious.
If you like this recipe, you might also enjoy my Moroccan lamb burgers with tomato cucumber salad, simple Greek salad with homemade dressing, or these ultimate chicken and hummus bistro boxes – one of our favorite lunches to meal prep!
And, as always, if you try this salad or any other recipe on the blog, please rate it and leave a comment below. I love hearing from you, and other readers will benefit from your experience!
Chicken Gyro Salad with Creamy Dill Dressing
Ingredients
Marinade
- 2 tsp olive oil divided
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 8 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast
Dressing
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tsp chopped fresh dill
- pinch salt
- 1 tsp olive oil
Salad
- 4 cups fresh green leaf or mixed lettuce
- 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/4 small red onion thinly sliced
- 1 7 oz. cucumber sliced
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 pita breads quartered
Instructions
- To make the marinade, combine 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, oregano, cumin, and salt in a shallow bowl. Place the chicken in the marinade and turn it a few times to coat evenly. Set aside while you make the dressing.
- To make the dressing, mix the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, dill, salt, and olive oil in a small bowl. Place in the refrigerator while you cook the chicken.
- Prepare the chicken by heating the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place the chicken in the pan and brown on both sides for 4-5 minutes, just until the chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from the pan and let it rest on a cutting board for a few minutes before cutting it into cubes or strips.
- To assemble the salad, place the lettuce in a large bowl. Top it with the tomatoes, onion, cucumber, and chicken. Drizzle the dressing over the top and sprinkle with parsley and cheese. Serve with pita bread. Enjoy!
Notes
- Greek or plain yogurt will work for the dressing. Once you get it mixed together, if you use Greek yogurt and want a thinner dressing, it’s easy to adjust the consistency to taste by adding a bit more olive oil and/or lemon juice.
- Pro tip: to soften the bite of red onion, soak the cut pieces in a small bowl of cold water for 10-15 minutes, then drain and add to the salad. So simple and converts all the red onion skeptics!
- Recipe reprinted with permission from Gourmet Cooking for One or Two, by April Anderson.
Not a great salad lover, so just made the chicen and sauce, then served it with garlic roasted potatoes and green beens. Spot on – took me back to Lindos
Though my kids don’t usually like salad dinners, they devour this one. The combination of chicken, creamy dill dressing and warm pita bread is a winner. This makes for some really enjoyable al-fresco dining memories!
i love love love this chicken salad-
my sort of picky son is obsessed with it. The dressing is everything. The recipe is written so perfectly, it makes me feel like some kind of Rachael Ray because the way it flows just is smooth and timed beautifully. We have had this once per week all summer.
I love the whole “Girl Gone Gourmet” cookbook and wholeheartedly second your recommendation. It’s been my go to for meals for me when my oldest is off at college. I wasn’t motivated to cook, feeling sad like an empty nester, But nice meals for one or two was just what i needed for my soul. Everyone should have that book.
Was excited to see it on your blog!