Greek Chicken With Cucumber-Feta Salad
Published Dec. 14, 2022

- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
- 1½cups plain Greek yogurt
- 3garlic cloves, finely grated
- Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
- Black pepper
- 1teaspoon dried oregano or mint
- 2pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, patted dry
- 1½pounds cucumbers (preferably Japanese, Persian or mini, seedless cucumbers)
- 1pound ripe tomatoes
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
- 4ounces feta, crumbled (about ¾ cup)
- ½cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
Preparation
- Step 1
In a large bowl, stir together the yogurt and garlic; season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer ½ cup of the yogurt to a medium bowl and reserve for Step 5.
- Step 2
Coat the chicken: To the large bowl, add the oregano and stir to combine. Season the chicken all over with 1½ teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper. Add the chicken to the large bowl and turn to coat; set aside.
- Step 3
Start the salad: Smash the cucumbers with the side of your knife until craggy and split. Rip into ½- to 1-inch pieces and transfer to a colander placed in the sink. Slice or chop the tomatoes into bite-size pieces. Add to the cucumbers along with 1 ½ teaspoons salt. (It may seem like a lot of salt, but most will drain away.) Toss to combine and leave to drain.
- Step 4
In a large nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium. Scrape excess marinade off the chicken, then cook the chicken in batches, adding oil to the pan if necessary, until it’s well browned and releases from the pan, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip and cook until cooked through, another 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to plates to rest. (For grilling info, see Tip.)
- Step 5
To the medium bowl of yogurt, add the feta and mash with a fork until a chunky paste forms. Shake the cucumbers and tomatoes to get rid of any excess moisture. Add to the feta yogurt along with the olives and stir until coated. The balance is dependent on your produce and feta, so season to taste with salt and pepper until flavors are vivid. Eat alongside the chicken.
- To grill the chicken: Heat a grill to medium and clean and grease the grates. Grill the chicken over direct heat until it's well browned and releases from the grates, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip and cook until cooked through, another 5 to 7 minutes. (For a gas grill, close the lid between flips.)
Private Notes
Comments
What is the benefit of “ripping” the cukes into small pieces as opposed to chopping them into same?
baked the chicken on a sheet pan at 400
A little bit more info—is there an optimum time to let the salad sit salted and to marinate the chicken? 10 minutes? 20 minutes or….!
Okay I love all these recipes, but when I look at the nutritional information, I can never find what the SERVING SIZE is. Can anyone help me out here? Is there a standard serving size for all the recipies or am I just missing where the information is posted?
This set my friend Emma’s fire alarm off. That was rude. It also took too long. Waiting for it to be finished I’m hungry
Smashing and ripping the cucumbers releases a lot more liquid than cutting – much more of the vegetable is ruptured. While it's resting in the colander in the sink, LOTS of liquid will drain out (like a surprising amount). This will ensure the salad has a nice consistency with the yogurt so it is not too runny.