A blissful summer meal, this healthy Mediterranean chicken chop salad comes together in minutes—simply grill, chop and toss for the perfect combination of flavor with each bite!

Do you ever just have one of those days? Days when you want to crawl in a hole and escape everything that is current reality? Well, I had one of those days a few weeks back and thankfully my sweet husband stepped in and somehow just made it all ok!  He let me take a much needed nap, go for a long run in the sunshine with Libby the golden retriever and then kept me out of the kitchen for a few hours, saying dinner would be served at 8.  Seriously? How cute is that!

I had no clue what he was making and honestly did not expect this amazing Mediterranean grilled chicken chop salad with sun-dried tomatoes, olives, feta and so much more.  All I knew is that dinner was at 8 and that I was not allowed to do a thing, not even clean up!

And I will admit, I even got to eat in my bathrobe after a hot shower.  Yes, dinner cooked completely by the husband, eaten on the patio in your bathrobe might just be my new favorite thing!

Since living in Spain we have sort of become olive obsessed, well more obsessed that we were before!  Most every meal here in Spain starts with olives and when we are home we have taken up on that habit too.  We may or may not even have a whole shelf dedicated just to olives.  Yeah we are obsessed!

Olives are rich in healthy fats, Vitamin E (which is fabulous for your skin) and antioxidants, so I am totally down with eating them by the bowlful.  Since olives are high in healthy fats and low in carbohydrates, I think they make the perfect afternoon snack or dinner appetizer because just a few leaves you satisfied and can help balance your hunger hormones!

We have been loving this Mediterranean grilled chicken chop salad and I love that it comes together so simply with minimal clean up.  I like to make extras and store the toppings and grilled chicken in glass containers to eat for lunch or dinner throughout the week.

Mediterranean Chicken Chop Salad

serves 6

Grilled Chicken

• 4 chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp Celtic sea salt
• Fresh cracked black pepper

Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 balsamic vinegar 
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 sun-dried tomatoes, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh basil, minced
• 1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
• 1/2 tsp Italian herbs

To assemble

• Mixture of baby lettuce, arugula and spinach, chopped
• 1 cup olives
• 8 oz feta cheese, crumbled (omit for Paleo/dairy-free)
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 2 shallots, finely chopped

Directions

• Add the chicken to a large bowl and pour in the marinade ingredients.  Use a spatula to mix together, making sure all of the chicken is thoroughly coated.
• Warm your grill or smoker to about 350 ° F.  Grill your chicken for about 30 minutes, rotating about every 8 minutes, or until the internal temperature registers 165° F (I recommend using this internal temperature reader so you do not end up with dry chicken).
• While the chicken cooks, whisk together your vinaigrette ingredients.  Chop the lettuce and other salad ingredients and add to a large bowl.  Right as the chicken is finished, toss the salad with the vinaigrette.  Top with warm grilled chicken slices and serve.