Greek Chicken Gyro Caesar Salad.
You know what I find really strange?
Well, aside from the fact that I actually made a salad for the blog (it’s kind of been a while). I find it really strange that my younger brother is getting is temps (driver’s learning permit) this week. Like what?!? How is he a teenager?? How can he almost drive??
It’s SCARY! Also, I hadn’t seen Red for a good two months and you know what happened? He left looking like the little Red I know, but he came home looking like Red the teenager. NOOO. I mean, I didn’t even realize I really cared until he actually started growing. Does this means I have to stop thinking of him as a kid and more of like, an equal?? Again, NOOO.
Clearly I am having a hard time comprehending this all. It’s just, Red is always going to be my kid brother, you know? Can he really be growing up and no longer be a kid??!?
Oh man, can you imagine me as a mom?? You think I am bad now, just wait till then. YIKES…
What hasn’t changed about Red though is that he still doesn’t have any interest in the food I make. Unless it’s chocolate chip cookies or chocolate cake, for which he is all game, but then, who wouldn’t be game for those?!?
So yeah, he will not touch this Greek Chicken Gyro Caesar Salad… even with the fries!! I tried, tried again and was denied. Instead he went for instant oatmeal. I mean really?? Now that is LAME.
Whether little Red thinks so or not, this salad is kind of awesome.
It’s basically a chicken gyro on a bed of lettuce, baby kale and basil, but with the addition of Caesar dressing (but not the scary kind!). I even made fresh pitas, for you know, scooping and such.
But can I tell you guys a story??
My first experience with caesar salad was kind of horrible. Basically I was shopping with my grandma and we needed fuel to continue on. SO we stopped for lunch, and me being the weird kid that I was, decided a salad sounded good. Only I had no idea what a caesar salad was…turns out it was delicious…but not so delicious coming up. Oh yes. I totally got food poisoning from that salad. Guys, to this day I have yet to order a caesar salad from a restaurant, they still scare me, but a homemade caesar salad, that I can totally do!!
Honestly though, the idea of a traditional caesar salad kind of bores me. Fortunately, I had the idea to make a gyro inspired caesar. It’s kind of amazing, but then again, when anything is topped with fries, you know it’s going to be good!
So what do you say??? Salad Wednesday?!?
Say yes! Say yes!!
Oh and yes, there are hard boiled eggs too. I can’t help it, I just kind of love eggs…and tomatoes. Aren’t they pretty though?!?
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Greek Chicken Gyro Caesar Salad.
By halfbakedharvest
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American, Greek
Keyword: ceasar salad, chicken gyro
It's basically a chicken gyro on a bed of lettuce, baby kale and basil, but with the addition of Caesar dressing (but not the scary kind!). I even made fresh pitas, for you know, scooping and such.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 pound boneless chicken breast about 4 small breast
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika or paprika
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano
- 3 cloves garlic minced or grated
- 1/2 teaspoon salt + 1 teaspoon pepper
Dressing
- 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
- 2 anchovies optional
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup feta crumbled
- salt + pepper to taste
Salad
- 4 cups romain lettuce chopped
- 2 cups baby kale chopped
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes + green olives
- 4 cups oven fries or [greek oven fries | https://dev.halfbakedharvest.com/skinny-greek-feta-fries-with-roasted-garlic-saffron-aioli/]*
- 4 hard boiled eggs sliced
- toasted pine nuts crumbled feta + [fresh pitas | https://dev.halfbakedharvest.com/traditional-greek-pita-bread/], for serving
Instructions
-
In a medium size bowl or glass measuring cup combine the lemon juice, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, smoked paprika, dill, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the chicken to a gallon size ziplock bag and pour the marinade over the chicken, toss well, making sure the chicken is completely coated in the seasonings. Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight.
-
Meanwhile, make the dressing (this is also when I make the fries and boil my eggs). Add all the ingredients for the dressing to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasonings.
-
When ready to cook the chicken, preheat the grill or a grill pan to high heat. Grill the chicken for about 4-5 minutes per side or until cooked through. Remove from the heat and allow to rest while you prepare the salad.
-
In a large bowl, toss together the lettuce, baby kale and basil. Add a little dressing and massage it into the salad. Add the tomatoes and olives. Divide the salad among plates or bowls. Slice the chicken and place on the salad. Add the fries, eggs, pine nuts and feta cheese. Serve with fresh [pita | https://dev.halfbakedharvest.com/traditional-greek-pita-bread/]and more dressing for drizzling.
Recipe Notes
*To make oven fries, pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or grease with a little olive oil. Cut about 4 potatoes into thicker fries, lengthwise no more than a quarter-inch thick. In a large bowl, toss the fries with olive oil. I think I used about 2 tablespoons. Add salt and pepper and arrange the fries in a single layer without crowding them (this is very important - I used two baking sheets). Bake for 20 minutes, remove and toss, then bake for 15-20 minutes longer. I like to start checking them at 15 minutes and make sure that none are burning or getting too crisp.
Do you see all that feta?? Best salad ever… feta, fried chicken and ok a little lettuce too…for good measure.
Salad Wednesday yes please! AND boiled eggs ALL the things for sure! I am totally obsessing over the goodness that is this salad!
Also, I always forget that people grow up. Like, I just think they should stay a kid forever…and now I feel old.
Anyway, Pinned!
Tieghan. This salad. It just looks so perfect. And, I am exactly like you regarding food poisoning. If something makes me sick, it takes me FOREVER or maybe NEVER to eat it again.
Your bowls. I want them. So great looking!
Too much amazingness in this salad!!!
Any salad that has French fries in it is A-ok in my book! I love gyros, so a salad inspired by them sounds perfect. Your brother must be nuts to pass this up!
How heavenly! I love all the components to this baby. And soft boiled eggs and tomatoes are the best together. This is one epic caesar salad!
xx Sydney
This salad looks so delicious! Like a perfect dinner 🙂
This is my kind of salad. The more feta the better 😉
Yes to the feta! 🙂
Total awesomeness 🙂
Tieghan – I’d like to come over to your house just to eat a hundred soft boiled eggs- they always look PERFECT when you make them! A really good salad is under-rated, and definitely worth a weekly feature, especially if they’re piled high with so much good stuff as this one is!
Salad Wednesdays sounds AWESOME! Especially since it’s what I eat almost every night at home (yes, kinda lame, but I get lazy to cook for myself and don’t have a lot of time!)
This salad looks amazing!
http://www.elleisforlove.com
Tieghan this is fantastic and those eggs are everything! Looking forward to making this and that ceasar dressing looks divine!
I have to aggree with what everyone is saying about the eggs! They look perfect. As does the salad of course!
Do you have any tips for great soft boiled eggs?
Also, where are the beautiful bowls from?
I’m so craving this salad, those Greek flavors are my fave!
Hello Tieghan – what a badass salad you’ve created! This screams summer and Mediterranean and delicious all in one mouthful! It totally pains me that your initial caesar salad experience was a complete disaster as they have the potential to be quite satisfying, but what’s epic is that here you’ve been able to overcome that and create a new memory that has all the allure and then some! I will be trying this soon. 🙂
I have never been a big caesar salad fan but love the look of this Greek twist! I made your fresh pita bread recently with a more traditional chicken gyros and they were absolutely devoured by the whole family so I can imagine that they would work perfectly to mop up your salad here too.
Also just thought I would let you know that I made your triple layer chocolate birthday cake as the base for a cake I made recently (with the only alteration being that I used all buttermilk rather than a mix of buttermilk and yogurt) – it was a massive hit and worked perfectly (photos are on my blog now), so I think I will be using for all of my chocolate layer cakes in future, thank you!! Xx
This recipe has me hungry for green olives…why do I always forget to keep some on hand? Excellent salad!
I could eat this for every meal!
Thanks Naomi! Hope you are having a great weekend too!
This seems so delish!! 😛 Don’t like caesar very much though XD
So what do you do with the 2nd half of the marinade?
I was wondering the same thing… What to do with the second half of the marinade
Hi! I am so sorry, that was a typo. You actually pour all of the marinade over the chicken.
Well, I ended up putting the leftover marinade in the fridge where it will probably end up forgotten until I find it several weeks from now, but who cares – this salad is so delicious! The pine nuts and basil really make it.
Tiegan – This is the third time I have made this! Wonderful!! Crunchy, tart, and full of flavor. I like the egg runny to coat the lettuce. Another make again and again recipe. I look forward to your email every morning with a new recipe!
Thanks so much for sharing this, Tieghan, it’s gorgeous! Even though I’m Greek, I’m not a big fan of gyros- this will make me a believer! I love how you’ve used all these ingredients- I mean, a salad with fries, roasted chicken, feta, all these greens and that dressing? I think it’ll be a while till I have a caesar salad again…
hehe! Thank you so much! Hope you love the salad!!
Made this tonight. Used chicken tenders and marinated overnight. For the salad just used romaine and tomatoes. Not eating carbs so passed on the fries. The dressing was really good. Quick and simple to put to get her and very tasty. Never disappointed with half baked recipes.
Hey Dianne,
Fantastic! I am thrilled this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a go! Happy Friday:) xTieghan