Mediterranean Chicken Salad with Sumac Dressing
Oh my god! This Mediterranean chicken salad! I could literally eat it every day of the week (in fact, I nearly did this last week). It is that good! I don’t do this often, but I would like to politely urge you to make this as soon as possible. The name doesn’t give it nearly enough justice.
As a general rule, I enjoy salads. This isn’t anything new. But it takes a very special salad for me to feel 100% satiated with one as a main course. It also takes a very special salad for me to crave it more than anything else! It has to have a ton of flavor and texture, and this salad checks all of those boxes. I love it.
The wow factor comes from:
- chicken breasts marinaded with a homemade spice mixture made up of ground cumin, coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, paprika, allspice, cloves, and turmeric. It literally makes everything taste better!
- crunchy, vibrant, thinly sliced red cabbage (I love adding it to salads for texture nutrition, and heartiness) combined with scallions and umami-rich sun-dried tomatoes
- za’atar spice, dried sumac, lots of fresh lemon juice, and good-quality olive oil
- creamy, easy lemon tahini sauce for drizzling – this sauce is spectacular!
My favorite recipes are the ones that I end up throwing together at the last minute, and this is exactly how this salad came about. I looked to my pantry and last year’s Middle Eastern spatchcocked chicken for inspiration.
The chicken on this salad is marinated with a homemade Middle Eastern inspired spice mixture made up of ground cumin, coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, paprika, allspice, sumac, cloves, and turmeric. If you cook regularly, these are ground spices that are commonly used for both baking and savory dishes. I recommend having all of them in your pantry.
I make a large batch of the spice mixture at once (tip: quadruple the dry spice amounts in the recipe and keep the leftovers in a small ziplock bag for easy grabbing!) and keep some in my pantry at all times. It makes everything taste better and it compliments the other components in this salad perfectly.
The best part? You can marinate the chicken for as little as 20 minutes or up to 12 hours, depending on your time schedule.
The sumac dressing is made with fresh lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, za’atar spice blend, and sumac.
Sumac is dark red spice produced from the berry fruit of sumac flowers. It is very citrus-y and tart in flavor, and is a wonderful staple of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. I’ve acquired a habit of sprinkling it on salads, vegetables, dips, and so many other things over the past few years. Unfortunately, sumac is hard to find in most grocery stores, so if you’re looking to grab a container of it, I recommend seeking out any local Middle Eastern grocery stores or simply, ordering it online.
Za’atar is a spice blend made from toasted sesame seeds, sumac, and thyme (and occasionally a few other spices!). You can try your hand at making your own – sumac is difficult to find – but I’ve had better luck finding za’atar spice blend online or in the international aisle of my standard grocery store.
Both of these spices offer so much in flavor! It is hard to meet a vegetable or piece of meat or seafood that doesn’t benefit from a sprinkling of both.
This salad is incredibly hearty and satiating on it’s own, and can be whipped up quickly – especially if you prep the spice mixture and tahini sauce ahead of time. All of the components and flavors of the salad come together really well, so please don’t be tempted to skimp on one or the other.
It is also worth noting that this Mediterranean chicken salad tastes incredible with of side of grilled vegetables. Eggplant, zucchini, and bell pepper are my favorites for this particular salad!
Mediterranean Chicken Salad with Sumac Dressing
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade:
- ¼ cup (60 mL) extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ground sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground sumac
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 large clove garlic grated with a microplane or pressed
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts roughly 1½ lbs
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Mediterranean Salad:
- 2 large scallions finely sliced
- 4-5 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes finely diced
- 1 heaping teaspoon za’atar spice blend
- ½ teaspoon ground sumac
- ¼ small red cabbage cored and thinly sliced (about ¾ cup)
- 2 small heads of romaine cored, and sliced
- 4-5 ounces mixed greens
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) fresh lemon juice plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Toppings:
- lemon tahini sauce
- za’atar spice for sprinkling
- ground sumac for sprinkling
- lemon wedges for serving
- grilled assorted vegetables optional
- crumbled feta cheese optional
Instructions
- Marinate the Chicken: Place the olive oil, spices, garlic, and lemon juice in a large gallon freezer Ziploc bag. Close the bag, squeezing out any excess air, and combine the ingredients together - you want to make the spices are evenly incorporated - by squishing the contents of the bag with your hands. Using tongs, add the chicken breasts to the Ziploc bag, squeeze out the excess air from the bag, and reseal. Make sure the marinade is evenly coating both sides of the chicken breasts. Place the bag flat on a large plate (I like to place mine on a quarter-size baking sheet, as I can store it easily in the fridge this way) and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 12 hours if prepping ahead in the morning.
- Grill the Chicken: Remove the chicken from the fridge about 15 minutes prior to cooking, so that it comes slightly closer to room temperature. Heat an outdoor grill or large cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade, place on a large plate, and season both sides with salt and pepper. Discard the remainder of the marinade. Grill the chicken (I prefer to do this in batches, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, so that the grill stays hot) for 4 to 5 minutes per side (cooking time is roughly 10 minutes per inch of thickness) or until the internal temperature reads 165°F. Adjust the heat and time depending on the thickness and size of your chicken. Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean plate or serving platter and allow it to rest for at least 5 to 10 minutes while you prepare the salad.
- Prepare the Salad: In a large salad bowl, combine the scallions, sun-dried tomatoes, za’atar spice, sumac, and cabbage. Add the romaine, mixed greens, lemon juice, olive oil, and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper. Toss and season to taste, adjusting with additional salt, lemon juice, or olive oil as needed.
- For Serving: Once the chicken breasts have rested, slice them against the grain into ½ or ¾-inch thick slices. Distribute the salad evenly into four large bowls. Top with grilled chicken and sprinkle each serving with a pinch of za’atar spice and sumac. Serve with assorted grilled vegetables, crumbled feta cheese (optional), wedges of lemon and a large spoonful of lemon tahini sauce.
Tips for Success:
- I recommend making a large batch (tripling or quadrupling) the spice mixture for the chicken marinade. It tastes fabulous on everything, and you can keep a small batch of it in your pantry for easy access!
- This salad stands incredibly well on its own, but tastes fabulous accompanied with a crumbling of feta cheese or simple grilled vegetables, such as eggplant, zucchini, and bell pepper.
11 Comments on “Mediterranean Chicken Salad with Sumac Dressing”
Hello, love your recipe. Just wanted to let you know that you/your editor forgot to put “eat” after “literally” on the second line of the recipe. Thanks, have a good night!
Fixed! Thanks for bringing that to my attention!
This comment is long overdue, but I cannot say enough great things about the taste of this salad. It truly is THAT GOOD!!! Seriously one of my husbands favorite too. I think we made it weekly for a couple months after we discovered the recipe. We tried it with the grilled veggies but actually thought it was better without. We’ve also made it with homemade falafels instead of the chicken and it’s superb. We always double the tahini sauce, but we always tend to double our sauces! Try it, you won’t be disappointed.
Oh my gosh! This comment makes me so happy because this is my favorite salad and I’ve always wondered if people loved it as much as I did, haha. I love the idea of doing it with homemade falafels too. Oh my god. YUM! I’ll have to update the post with that suggestion. Thank you Lea!!!
Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe. We love mediterranean food, its flavor and its health benefits. It’s always a pleasure to enjoy a good salad with a Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Definitely ruing the fact that I don’t eat meat lol! I wonder if it would be just as tasty if I marinated chickpeas in the spice mixture and then roasted them. Hmmm….
Definitely would! Love that idea. Honestly, just the addition of a lot of grilled vegetable is equally good too. The tahini sauce/basic works wonders with everything, haha!
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Looks fantastic. I can tell it’s not dried to a scab. We are so picky about our chicken breasts and yours is done to perfection. The seasoning in the marinade would give them that deep flavor. I’m pinning this recipe to make ASAP. We are a huge salad eating family and this would be a nice switch.
Thank you so much Marisa!
Looks absolutely delicious! Can’t wait to try it! Thanks!