This Green Goddess Salad is a healthy, fresh & light salad that’s antioxidant-rich but also flavor-rich; served with an easy yogurt dressing!

When you’re looking for a salad to make you feel like a Goddess, this green nourishing salad with grilled chicken is definitely a good one to try! This salad is full of a ton of green stuff plus a green dressing, yet it’s not boring at all. In fact, it’s packed with so much flavor and texture, and will leave you feeling satisfied and satiated! Plus it’s pretty 🙂

This Green Goddess Salad is a healthy, fresh & light salad that’s antioxidants rich but also flavor rich. It’s served with an easy cilantro yogurt dressing!
INGREDIENTS TO MAKE THE RECIPE
FOR THE SALAD
Lettuce: I like to use a mix of romaine and Bibb lettuce for a mix of textures. You can also use kale and arugula.
Herbs: Cilantro and dill add a great fresh and herby flavor. If you don’t like cilantro, you can also use parsley or even basil or mint.
Cucumber: Slices of cucumber add a nice crunchy texture.
Avocado: Creamy sliced avocado is a great source of healthy fats and it’s pretty much a must on all my salads!
Feta: This Greek cheese adds a nice saltiness to the salad. It’s optional, but it adds a great burst of flavor.
FOR THE CHICKEN
Chicken: I use skinless and boneless chicken breast to add protein to this fresh and healthy salad.
Oil: I like to use olive oil, but canola or avocado will work well too.
Mustard: A little dijon mustard adds a great tang to the chicken. If you don’t like mustard, you can try some mayonnaise, lemon juice, or just leave it out.
Garlic: Use fresh garlic for the best flavor, and make sure to press it so it distributes evenly on the chicken.
FOR THE DRESSING
This dressing is adapted from my cilantro yogurt sauce because it works so well in this green goddess salad. But feel free to skip and use any store-bought vinaigrette you like.

Cilantro: Fresh cilantro makes the dressing a wonderful green color as well as adding an herby flavor that ties the whole dish together. Use parsley if you don’t like cilantro.
Greek yogurt: Greek yogurt makes this dressing nice and creamy as well as adding in some probiotics.
Oil: Use extra virgin olive oil for the dressing.
Lime juice: Use fresh lime juice for the best flavor.
Salt and cumin: For seasoning.

Ingredients to make the salad

HOW TO MAKE A GREEN GODDESS SALAD
COOK THE CHICKEN
Season the chicken with the marinade ingredients.
Cook in a hot skillet on both sides until cooked through.
2 image collage to show the grilled chicken before and after cooking

PREPARE THE VEGETABLES AND SALAD
Place the bibb lettuce in a large bowl.
Add on the rest of the salad ingredients.
Top with sliced avocado, sliced chicken and finish with the dressing.
3 image collage to show the steps to build the salad

TIPS TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
Swap the protein. Chicken works great in this dish, but you can easily make it meat free by using marinated tofu or a hard boiled egg.
Mix your textures. You can easily add in other salad ingredients to this dish, but try and use a mixture of textures to keep things interesting.
Dry your greens well. I like to use a salad spinner to get rid of any excess moisture after washing. If you don’t have one, pat well with paper towel or you can be left with collected water in the bottom of your bowl. Check out this post on how I cut and dry romaine lettuce.
Don’t add the dressing until you are ready to serve. If you dress your green goddess salad too early, the lettuce can wilt.

Green Goddess Salad
This Green Goddess Salad is a healthy, fresh & light salad that’s antioxidant-rich but also flavor-rich; served with an easy yogurt dressing!

INGREDIENTS

▢1 head romaine lettuce
▢½ head bib lettuce
▢¼ cup fresh cilantro
▢¼ cup fresh dill
▢1 English cucumber sliced
▢1 avocado sliced
▢2 tablespoons feta cheese optional
Chicken
▢1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
▢¼ cup olive oil divided
▢1 tablespoon Dijon mustard optional
▢3 garlic cloves pressed
▢½ teaspoon salt
▢½ teaspoon black pepper
Cilantro Yogurt Dressing

▢½ cup fresh cilantro
▢½ cup 2% Greek yogurt
▢¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
▢Juice of half a lime
▢¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
▢¼ teaspoon cumin
INSTRUCTIONS
Make the Dressing: Blend all the salad dressing ingredients together in a blender or small food processor until smooth and creamy, and refrigerate until ready to use.
Cook the Chicken: Season the chicken breast with the marinade, keeping a tablespoon of oil for the skillet. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken until both sides are golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side. Once cooked, remove from the heat, allow to rest for 10 minutes, then slice into strips.
Prepare the vegetables and place in a large salad bowl. Add the chicken strips on top. Pour the cilantro yogurt dressing over.
Toss well until all the ingredients are coated with the dressing.
NOTES

Make Ahead: You can make the dressing up to a week in advance and you can prepare most of the salad up to 1 day in advance.