Recipe for Greek chicken salad with lemon and dill {gluten-free}

Every May, with great optimism, I set four or six dill plants, purchased at the local organic garden center, into my herb garden. I choose the most vigorous plants I can find, ones that look like survivors. I plant, and I water, and I whisper sweet nothings to them. And I count the days -- usually not more than two weeks' worth -- until the plants shrivel and keel over, deader than dead. Until this year. As I write this (I'm whispering so I don't jinx anything), my dill plants have survived for almost six weeks. I've snipped them back so they don't set seed this early in the season, and with my trimmings I couldn't resist making this Greek-inspired chicken salad. I added sun-dried tomatoes; you could add (or substitute) kalamata olives. Keep your fingers crossed: I'd love to have dill in my garden all summer, or at least for a few more weeks.

Greek chicken salad with lemon and dill

From the pantry, you'll need: frozen chicken breasts, Greek yogurt, garlic, lemon, extra virgin olive oil, mild red pepper flakes, slow-roasted (or sun-dried) tomatoes, fresh dill.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 3 cups cubed cooked leftover chicken)
1/3 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
1 clove garlic, minced
Zest of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp Greek seasoning
1/4 tsp mild red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2-3 Tbsp chopped slow-roasted or sun-dried tomatoes

Directions

Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and bake, broil, grill or poach. When cool, cut into 1-inch cubes. Or, use leftover or rotisserie chicken, cut into 1-inch cubes. You should have a total of 3 cups of cooked, cubed chicken. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, dill, garlic, lemon zest, Greek seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and olive oil.

Stir into the yogurt mixture the chicken and tomatoes. Toss to combine.

Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to 6 hours.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Chicken salad with walnuts, celery, and pomegranate-harissa yogurt sauce
Curried chicken salad with bell pepper, peanuts and raisins
Chicken salad with mustard sauce and lovage
Cucumber and chicken salad with sesame ginger dressing
Curried chicken pasta salad with apricots and cashews

Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Lemony chicken and orzo soup, from Shutterbean
Chicken souvlaki, from Kalyn's Kitchen
Chicken tzatziki pizza, from foodiecrush
Grilled lemon yogurt chicken, from Food Wishes
Marinated grilled lemon rosemary chicken, from Culinary CoryNeed more ideas for how to create salads with pizzazz? Get Dress Up Your Salad, my e-book packed with easy mix-and-match recipes, full-color photos and a few fun videos. Exciting salad recipes from everyday ingredients can be just one click away, on any computer, tablet or smart phone, with the FREE Kindle Reading app. Click here to learn more.

Greek chicken salad with lemon and dill

From the pantry, you'll need: frozen chicken breasts, Greek yogurt, garlic, lemon, extra virgin olive oil, mild red pepper flakes, slow-roasted (or sun-dried) tomatoes, fresh dill.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 3 cups cubed cooked leftover chicken)
1/3 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
1 clove garlic, minced
Zest of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp Greek seasoning
1/4 tsp mild red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2-3 Tbsp chopped slow-roasted or sun-dried tomatoes

Directions

Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and bake, broil, grill or poach. When cool, cut into 1-inch cubes. Or, use leftover or rotisserie chicken, cut into 1-inch cubes. You should have a total of 3 cups of cooked, cubed chicken. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, dill, garlic, lemon zest, Greek seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and olive oil.

Stir into the yogurt mixture the chicken and tomatoes. Toss to combine.

Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to 6 hours.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Chicken salad with walnuts, celery, and pomegranate-harissa yogurt sauce
Curried chicken salad with bell pepper, peanuts and raisins
Chicken salad with mustard sauce and lovage
Cucumber and chicken salad with sesame ginger dressing
Curried chicken pasta salad with apricots and cashews

Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Lemony chicken and orzo soup, from Shutterbean
Chicken souvlaki, from Kalyn's Kitchen
Chicken tzatziki pizza, from foodiecrush
Grilled lemon yogurt chicken, from Food Wishes
Marinated grilled lemon rosemary chicken, from Culinary CoryNeed more ideas for how to create salads with pizzazz? Get Dress Up Your Salad, my e-book packed with easy mix-and-match recipes, full-color photos and a few fun videos. Exciting salad recipes from everyday ingredients can be just one click away, on any computer, tablet or smart phone, with the FREE Kindle Reading app. Click here to learn more.

Comments

Also I would suggest planting dill seed now and successively through mid August, maybe even later. Love the idea of this salad!

Cary, thanks for the advice. I will look for some seed now, and will let the plants go to seed later in the summer in hopes some of those seeds germinate next year.

I have never tried growing dill but you made me remember that I used to cook with it often. Haven't for years! I failed miserably at growing coriander. Both are the ideal summer herb, I think. And I think dill and lemon just makes a chicken salad the perfect summer dish!

Jamie, in this freakish weather summer, I am also growing cilantro! I didn't plant it this year, but it self-seeded last summer and the little bits of plants that popped up in May are now one foot tall. Go figure.

Recently my daughter and I went to 5 garden centers before scoring some dill--and I need some of it to set seeds so I can tuck the coveted seed heads into pickle jars soon!

Earlier in the spring I planted young dill which was just the thing for the marauding varmint who ate it all, and then it was next to impossible to find a dill plant in Dayton, but apparently calling to check first is a better idea than driving aimlessly.

This salad looks yummy, thanks, Lydia!

Kirsten, I always have trouble finding dill plants here in Rhode Island, too. And scallions. Don't know why they are so hard to find, perhaps because everyone except me manages to keep theirs over from one summer to the next.

I've never been able to grow dill that well either, but it's worth trying over and over so you can make salads like this one!

Kalyn, clearly we need a dill support group!

This is definitely now on my radar Lydia. How I adore Greek flavours.

yummm dill! I just got off a dill-kick but mine was caused by purchasing an incredible fresh bunch at the farmer's market - I should plant some and try it! this salad looks divine!