Grilled Chicken Salad

This Grilled Chicken Salad recipe features marinated grilled chicken breast served over crisp lettuce with hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, grilled corn, cucumbers, and avocado—making it a healthy and flavorful summer meal.

Nothing beats a summer salad with chicken and this Grilled Chicken Salad screams summer! It starts with delicious chicken that is marinated and grilled. So juicy and tender. Then pile it on a bed of greens along with your favorite veggies. Light, healthy and packed with flavor!

Why you’ll love this grilled chicken salad!

• Packed with protein so it keeps you full longer!
• Easy meal prep!
• So easy to make it your own.

Ingredients for Easy Grilled Chicken Salad Recipe

• Boneless, skinless chicken breast – You could also use chicken legs or thighs. You would need to shred this meat before adding it to the salad.
• Lemon juice – Fresh gives it the most flavor so grab a lemon!
• Worcestershire Sauce – Adds a tangy, rich flavor to this marinade.
• Extra-Virgin Olive oil – Helps the marinade stick to the chicken.
• Fresh oregano – Can substitute with dried oregano
• Fresh parsley – Can substitute with dried parsley
• Fresh basil – Can substitute with dried basil
• Garlic – The best flavor will come from mincing a whole clove, but you could use preminced jarred garlic.
• Brown Sugar – Could substitute with honey
• Seasonings – Paprika, salt and pepper
• Greens – Pick your favorite! We recommend spring lettuce, but romaine lettuce, field greens, spinach or even kale will be great.

What should I put in a grilled chicken salad?

This is where you make it your own! Here’s a list of great options to pile into your salad.

• Tomatoes – Sliced cherry or grape tomatoes or diced Roma tomatoes are great in this salad.
• Corn – You can also use grilled or frozen corn (run it under water to thaw it).
• Red onion – Thinly sliced or minced.
• Avocado – Creamy avocado really kicks it up a notch in any salad.
• Hard boiled eggs – Extra protein and the eggs help with nutrient absorption!
• Cucumbers – Sliced or diced English cucumbers add such a fresh crunch
• Red peppers – Grill these for even more flavor!
• Bacon – Try our smoked bacon. Such a flavor enhancer!

How to Make Grilled Chicken Salad

Start by marinating the chicken breast for at least one hour (and up to 8). Grill to perfection, slice and add to your delicious salad! This BBQ chicken salad recipe is so easy!

marinate your chicken

In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the chicken marinade. Pour marinade over chicken in shallow bowl, cover and place in refrigerator for 1-4 hours.

Grill Chicken

After your chicken is marinated, it’s time to grill it and build your salad!

Remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Take chicken out of marinade and place on a plate. Discard any remaining marinade.

Heat grill to medium-high heat or 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place chicken on grill grates and cook on each side for 4 minutes. Turn grill to low and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Use an Instant Read Meat Thermometer to make sure you cook it to the right temperature. This makes such a difference!

Remove chicken from grill and allow to rest while you prepare the salad. The temperature of the chicken will rise the last 5 degrees during resting to get to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit which is recommended by the USDA.

Assemble Salad

Wash and cut lettuce and prep any other toppings you like. Slice chicken and layer on salad with favorite toppings. Serve with your favorite salad dressing or try our yummy poppyseed dressing.

Can I make this without a grill?

Yes! If you don’t have a grill or it’s the winter and you prefer to make this indoors, you can use a grill pan on the stove top.

How to store leftovers

If you know you are going to have leftover veggies, only put the dressing on the portion you are eating. Store the leftovers and dressing separately for 3-4 days.

Store cooled, cooked chicken in an airtight container for up to three days. Keep this in mind if you cook it ahead of time.

Can I prep this ahead of time?

You can cook your chicken up to two days before you want to assemble the salad. Either serve the chicken cold on the salad or reheat it and top the salad with warm chicken. This is perfect for meal prep!

This is one of our favorite light, healthy meals off the grill. It’s so fresh and delicious and has a ton of flexibility as a main course, meal prep idea or side dish. The possibilities are endless with this salad.

Our Favorite Grilled Chicken Recipes!

• Need a simple grilled dinner that that whole family will love? Then you need to make a batch of Grilled Chicken Legs! The homemade rub gives them so much flavor!
• Chicken Kabobs are stuffed with crispy bacon, marinated in a ranch marinade and grilled to perfection! Who can say no to Bacon Ranch Chicken Kabobs for an easy summer dinner?
• Chicken Caprese is a delicious, healthy dinner recipe bursting with flavor. Grilled seasoned chicken breast that’s topped with fresh mozzarella, a slice of ripe tomato, basil and balsamic reduction.
• Delicious, juicy Beer Can Chicken on your grill is so easy! The chicken is seasoned with a homemade rub then grilled on top of a beer can. The chicken has a crispy, seasoned skin and is tender and delicious.