I’ve been craving my favorite Greek salad from Cava, which blends fresh, savory Mediterranean flavors and textures with healthy ingredients. Since I’m not near a Cava, I’ve recreated the salad at home. It stays true to the classic Greek salad but includes Mediterranean extras like tzatziki and protein-packed grilled chicken.
Cava’s Greek salad uses common ingredients that you likely have on hand. Leftovers can be repurposed for other healthy dishes—use extra yogurt as a chicken marinade or salad dressing base, and blend leftover herbs with lemon, salt, pepper, and olive oil for a tasty herb sauce. The recipe requires marinating vegetables and chicken in advance, so plan ahead. The extra steps are easy and well worth the effort.
Cava’s Greek salad is a versatile and nutritious dish that can be used in various ways throughout the week. You can create different salad variations from a single shopping trip or, like me, double the recipe to enjoy it for days, saving time and effort in the kitchen.
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375 F. Place the chicken in an oven-safe dish and cover it with the garlic, 2 tbsp basil, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate it for 30 minutes.
Step 2: Cut the cucumbers into bite-sized pieces and cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Place them into a bowl with the red wine vinegar, 3 tbsp olive oil, tomato, and 1 tsp basil. Let them sit for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Mix the yogurt, zest, juice from 1 lemon, dill, salt, pepper, and water for the yogurt dill dressing if using. Mix the red wine vinegar, juice from 1 lemon, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup olive oil for the vinaigrette and pour half of it over the lentils. Reserve the remaining half of the vinaigrette for the salad.
Step 4: Place the chicken in the oven and roast for 20 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 F. Let it rest for five minutes, and then slice it into 4 to 5 pieces.
Step 5: Place the lentils in a bowl. Top the lentils with the greens, marinated tomatoes, and cucumbers. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over the greens. Add the feta and kalamata olives. Place the chicken slices on top. Dress with the vinaigrette and/or yogurt dressing.
Catbird Cooking 