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GREEK CH I CKEN PASTA SAL AD

$8.91 RECIPE / $2.23 SERVING

BUDGET BYTES » RECIPES » PASTA RECIPES » CHICKEN PASTA RECIPES » GREEK CHICKEN PASTA SALAD

JUMP TO RECIPE  GROCERY LIST  FAVORITES

I guess we’ve hit that time of the year where just I want to eat cold salads every day (Hi,
summer!). So I decided to take one of my favorite pasta salads, Lemony Cucumber Couscous
Salad, and transform it into a full meal. I added a few other vegetables and used half of the
dressing to marinate a couple juicy chicken thighs. And ladies and gentlemen, we have a
winner! So much of a winner that I ate this Greek Chicken Pasta Salad for breakfast this
morning. ;) #noregrets

GREEK CHICKEN PASTA S AL AD

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GREEK CHICKEN PASTA SAL AD PORTION SIZES

This Greek Chicken Pasta Salad comes together quickly and easily and makes about four
large meal-sized portions, or about six smaller side dish portions. It’s also a great candidate
for potlucks, and would be super easy to double, or even triple if needed.
CAN I USE CHICKEN BREAST INSTEAD OF THIGHS?
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Yes, just make sure you pound your chicken breast to an even thickness, about 3/4-inch
thick before marinating. Making sure the chicken is thin and even will help it cook quickly
without drying it out. You can also filet your chicken breast into two thinner pieces, or use
chicken tenders.

MAKE IT VEGETARIAN

Want to make it vegetarian? No problem. Just skip the chicken and you can probably halve
the dressing/marinade (or just make the full batch if you really like a lot of dressing on your
salads). The medley of vegetables are plenty to keep this salad filling and interesting on its
own! And if you want a little more protein in there, chickpeas would do very well with these
flavors!

GREEK CHICKEN PASTA 

SALAD
Greek Chicken Pasta Salad is the perfectly refreshing and
filling summer meal with its medley of vegetables and
tangy lemon garlic dressing.
TOTAL COST: $8.91 recipe / $2.23 serving
AUTHOR: Beth - Budget Bytes
PREP TIME: 40 mins
PRINT RECIPE 
COOK TIME: 20 mins
GROCERY LIST 
TOTAL TIME: 1 hr
SERVINGS: 4 to 6 FAVORITES

INGREDIENTS 4.87 from 36 votes

MARINADE/DRESSING

1 lemon ($0.59)
1/4 cup olive oil ($0.64)
3 cloves garlic, divided ($0.24)
1/2 Tbsp dried oregano ($0.07)
1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
Freshly cracked pepper ($0.03)

SALAD

2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs ($2.10)

8 oz. pasta (any shape) ($0.50)
1 bell pepper (any color) ($1.50)
4 oz. grape tomatoes* ($1.00)
1/2 cucumber (1.5 cups diced) ($1.00)
1/4 bunch parsley ($0.20)
2 oz. feta ($1.12)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Use a zester, microplane, or small-holed cheese grater to remove the zest from the
lemon. Set the zest aside. Squeeze the juice from the lemon into a separate bowl.
You'll need at least 1/4 cup juice.
 2. Prepare the dressing and marinade by mincing two of the three cloves of garlic and
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combining them with 1/4 cup lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, salt, some freshly
cracked pepper, and a pinch of the lemon zest. Whisk these ingredients until well
combined.
3. Place the chicken thighs in a small zip lock bag and add half of the dressing, saving
the rest to add to the salad later. Mince one more clove of garlic and add it to the
bag with the chicken and marinade. Squeeze the air out and massage the bag to
make sure the thighs are well coated in the marinade. Refrigerate the thighs for at
least 30 minutes.
4. While the chicken is marinating, cook the pasta according to the package directions,
drain in a colander, and let cool.
5. Heat a skillet over a medium flame. Once hot, add the marinated chicken thighs
and cook on each side until they are well browned and cooked through (about 5
minutes each side). There should be enough oil in the marinade to keep the meat
from sticking. Remove the cooked chicken from the skillet and let it rest for about
five minutes. Once slightly cooled, chop the chicken into smaller, bite-sized pieces.
6. While the chicken is cooking, prepare the rest of the vegetables. Dice the cucumber
and bell pepper. Slice the tomatoes in half (or dice if using Roma or regular
tomatoes). Pull the parsley leaves from the stems and give them a rough chop.
7. Finally, build the salad. Add the cooked and cooled pasta to a large bowl. Top the
pasta with the cucumber, bell pepper, tomatoes, parsley, and chopped chicken.
Crumble the feta over top and add a pinch or two of the lemon zest. Pour the
remaining dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately or
refrigerate until ready to eat.

NOTES
*I got a sale on a snack pack of grape tomatoes for $1.00, but two Roma tomatoes
(diced) or one medium tomato can be used in place of the grape tomatoes.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!

NUTRITION

Serving: 1 Serving・ Calories: 710.18 kcal ・ Carbohydrates: 50.93 g ・ Protein: 17.38 g

・ Fat: 49.13 g ・ Sodium: 561.98 mg ・ Fiber: 4.25 g
 Nutritional values are estimates only. See our full nutrition disclaimer here.
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The equipment section above contains affiliate links to products we use and love. As an
Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Scroll down for the step by step photos!

HOW TO MAKE GREEK C HI C K EN PASTA SAL AD

– STEP BY STEP PHOTO S
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Start by removing the zest from one lemon. The zest is the magic part of the lemon. It
provides an incredibly lemony flavor without making things too sour. So, for this recipe we
use both the juice and the zest for an extra lemony kick. Use a zester, microplane, or small-
holed cheese grater to scrape the thin layer of yellow zest from the peel. Set the zest aside.
Squeeze the juice from the lemon into a separate bowl. You’ll need at least 1/4 cup of juice.
 

Now prepare the mixture that will be used as both the dressing and the marinade. Mince
two cloves of garlic and combine them in a bowl with 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup olive oil,
1/2 Tbsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp salt, some freshly cracked pepper, and a pinch of that lemon
zest. Whisk with a fork until well combined.
 

Add two boneless, skinless chicken thighs to a zip lock bag and add half of that dressing,
plus one more clove of minced garlic (you really want the chicken to be garlicky!). Squeeze
out all the air, give the bag a quick massage to distribute the marinade, then refrigerate the
chicken for at least 30 minutes.
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While the chicken is marinating, cook 8oz. of pasta (any shape) according to the package
directions. Drain the pasta in a colander, and let it cool.
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Heat a skillet over a medium flame and once hot, add the marinated chicken thighs. There
should be enough oil on them from the marinade to keep them from sticking. Cook the
thighs on each side until well browned and cooked through (about five minutes each side).
Seriously, this chicken was SO GOOD that I’m probably going to feature it as its own recipe
soon. I wanted to eat it by itself.
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Remove the chicken from the skillet and let it rest for a few minutes, then chop it into
smaller, bite-sized pieces.
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While the chicken is cooking, prepare the rest of the vegetables. Dice 1/2 cucumber (1.5 cups
diced), dice the bell pepper, slice the tomatoes in half (or dice if using Roma or regular
tomatoes), and give the parsley a rough chop.
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Finally, it’s time to put everything together! Place the cooked, drained, and cooled pasta in a
large bowl (it’s under there, I swear). Top the pasta with the tomatoes, cucumber, bell
pepper, parsley, and chopped chicken. Finally, crumble 2oz. feta over everything and add
one last pinch of lemon zest.
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Pour the remaining dressing over the salad…

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And toss until everything is coated in dressing. Done!

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I miiiiiight have to make this Greek Chicken Pasta Salad again immediately after this batch is
gone. Yeah, definitely.

POSTED ON MAY 11, 2016 IN CHICKEN PASTA RECIPES, 73 COMMENTS »

CHICKEN RECIPES, CHICKEN SALAD RECIPES, CHICKEN
THIGH RECIPES, GLOBALLY INSPIRED RECIPES, MEAT
RECIPES, MEDITERRANEAN INSPIRED RECIPES, PASTA
RECIPES, RECIPES, RECIPES UNDER $10, SALAD RECIPES,
UNDER $3 PER SERVING
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73 COMMENTS ON “GREEK CHICKEN PASTA SAL A D”

« Older Comments

RACHEL —
09.23.20 @ 4:42 PM REPLY

Still obsessed with this recipe. It’s easy and delicious. The only problem is I always eat
too much when I make it.

SUZANNE —
08.06.19 @ 8:46 PM REPLY

This looks nothing short of delicious! PERFECT for summer!

RACHEL —
07.27.19 @ 11:50 AM REPLY

I was just getting ready to print this out to make it tonight, but I noticed something I
wanted to mention to everyone. Note that if you change the serving size of the recipe
before printing out the recipe, the 1/4 cup of lemon juice in the instructions does not
change at all, so remember to adjust your lemon juice appropriately.

LAURA —
07.22.19 @ 2:28 PM REPLY

Thanks for this recipe! It was super easy and there’s so much flavor!
LISA —
07.02.19 @ 6:01 PM REPLY 

Made as is, except I used chicken tenders and added some black olives, artichoke
hearts and green onion. OMG my husband and I devoured it!!! At first I thought “why
did this go viral? It can’t be all THAT”…..oh, it is ALL THAT and more, paired it with
some pita chips and yep, I gotta make it again tomorrow lol. Thanks for this recipe!!

ELIZABETH PORTER —
06.04.19 @ 12:30 PM REPLY

This looks delicious! I want to use it as a pre-made meal on a vacation I’m about to
take. How long do you think this would last before it spoils? Could it go a week?

BETH M —
06.07.19 @ 8:45 AM REPLY

Prepared meals are usually good for 3-5 days in the refrigerator. Any longer
than that and you’re getting into dangerous territory. :)

PD —
07.05.19 @ 8:51 PM REPLY

As Beth says, don’t chance it for a week.

The last thing you want is to get sick on vacation.

JESSI —
05.01.19 @ 1:54 PM REPLY

This is so frikkin good! My local Giant had some limoncello inspired olive oil a while
back, so I used that in the marinade/dressing. I left out the parsley because it wasn’t
worth a trip to the store, and I don’t feel like it made a difference. This salad is going
to be my dinner for the rest of the week and I’m 100% making more of the chicken.

AMANDA —
03.18.19 @ 8:26 PM REPLY
 Loved it!! It is so yummy and refreshing. I will definitely be making it again!


SARA —
01.07.19 @ 2:31 PM REPLY

This was soooo good! I made mine vegetarian by swapping out the chicken and
adding a can of chickpeas. I also used whole grain penne, added some red onion,
zucchini, olives, and then added a serving of spinach when I ate it. Delicious!

« Older Comments

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