I’ve always appreciated the flexibility of Mexican food. You can take 4 ingredients and make about 3 million things. Mexican food, I raise you Greek food. I am such a huge fan of being able to make some chicken and a cucumber salad and spin it a number of ways throughout the week. It’s fresh, healthy, and easy to adjust measurements on. Put it in a wrap, on a salad, or just spread out on a plate. It’s up to you! I like to double or triple the recipe below to use in multiple meals throughout the week. It’s also a great idea to just make a big ol’ batch of the greek seasoning and keep it in a container to use later.
This recipe is going to make a gorgeous greek salad, some seriously flavorful chicken, and a healthy tzaziki sauce that can be used on everything. It’s worth the little bit of extra effort in my opinion, but if you are in a hurry you don’t need it for this meal to be awesome.
Ingredients:
1.5lb skinless, boneless chicken breast
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tbsp italian seasoning
1/4 tsp nutmeg, ground
1/2 tsp paprika
2 1/2 tsp salt
2 T avocado or olive oil
2 medium to large cucumbers
1 container (10 oz) cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 C feta cheese
1/2 C red wine vinegar
1/4 C +1 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 C kalamata olives, chopped
1/3 C chopped red onions
1C fat free greek yogurt
1T lemon juice
1T dill
1t chopped garlic
Directions:
Chicken-
- Preheat oven (or grill) to 400F.
- Mix up the seasoning (black pepper through salt). I love cutting my chicken breasts in half down the center to make them thinner so they cook faster and have more seasoning per bite, but it’s not necessary. Coat the chicken breasts with 2T of avocado or olive oil. Sprinkle the chicken breasts evenly with the seasoning.
- Place chicken breasts in oven and cook about 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through. If you grill them, cook over medium heat.
Cucumber Salad-
- While chicken cooks, dice one and a half of the cucumbers, setting one half to the side for the tzaziki. No need to peel. The skins are good for you and it’s a waste of time in my opinion! Slice cherry tomatoes in half if you have time.
- In a medium sized bowl combine diced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, chopped red onion, chopped olives, feta, red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.
- Toss mixture and allow to sit while you make the tzaziki sauce.
Tzaziki Sauce-
- Shred remaining half of cucumber. Over the sink, give the shredded cucumber a good squeeze between your hands to remove excess liquid.
- Place squeezed shredded cucumber in a small bowl with the greek yogurt, dill, chopped garlic, lemon juice and the remaining 1T of extra virgin olive oil. Mix thoroughly.
Tips and Tricks:
I love to serve these as a plate on the first night with a side of pita bread and store bought hummus. Everything lasts in the fridge for up to a week, so get creative! Make wraps, layer onto some lettuce to make a greek salad, Make some bowls on top of instant couscous with the leftovers. The options are truly endless. I’ve even put this with eggs and it was good.