7-Ingredient Salsa Verde Grilled Chicken Salad

A light & healthy salad recipe with  juicy chicken, brown/white rice, fresh cilantro, creamy feta cheese, colorful tomatoes and lots of zesty salsa verde. Comes together in about 5 minutes – this is my favorite/go-to light weeknight dinner or easy lunch!

I think I have officially gone into a dinner rut! Here on LOH and in my personal life… for the past couple of weeks, after an exhausting day at school and extra-curriculars, all I ever come home and end up making is a PB & Banana rice cake with an apple and whatever else is within arm’s reach.

I hope it’s not just me that feels this way, but dinner is hard. Luckily for you (and my tummy!) I am on a mission to create and share lots of EASY dinner recipes in a near future, starting today.

Now prepare yourself for the great combination of fresh, leafy greans, juicy chicken, sprinkled with craemy feta cheese all doused in super low-calorie salsa verde that acts as the dressing – this salad packed with all your favorite Mexican flavors.

This salad is seriously one of the easiest salads I have ever, ever made. It came together in about 5 minutes, no joke.

What makes this come together so fast? 

Well, I cheat a little bit. I buy pre-grilled chicken from the deli section at Whole Foods, along with frozen brown rice from Whole Foods as well. If you don’t have a Whole Foods near you, or you just don’t shop at Whole Foods, you could totally make brown rice and grill up some chicken, but those two things are seriously what make this salad so easy.

A lot of times I tend to steer clear of salads because there are so many different toppings and chopping this, and chopping that, that eventually it just becomes easier (and cheaper) to buy a salad. That’s where this salad comes in an breaks all those rules.

There’s only 6 ingredients! I hardly ever actually add the tomatoes or cilantro, so really there’s only 5 ingredients.

Don’t let the few ingredients keep you skeptical for too long. This salad is so simple, yet it’s unbelievably delicious – it really doesn’t need anything else. The creamy, tangy feta paired with the grilled chicken with a drizzle of salsa verde – oh my. Mmhmmm.

This is what skinny Mexican food dreams are made of.

You could totally butter it up and some crushed tortilla chips, sliced avocados, black beans, or some corn; but I always keep it simple. And I actually think I like it better the simple way. 🙂

Tips for making ahead of time:

I love to make this salad ahead of time to have on hand for lunches throughout the week – the best way I have found to store this salad is to add the toppings (everything but lettuce) into the bottom and then pack the lettuce on top. This method is great for preventing lettuce wilting!

If you give this salad a try, we’d LOVE to know! Leave a comment or tag your picture #layersofhappinessblog on Instagram! When we see everyone enjoying out recipes it always makes our day. 🙂

7-Ingredient Salsa Verde Grilled Chicken Salad

Yield: 1 serving

Prep Time: 5 mins

A light & healthy salad recipe with  juicy chicken, brown/white rice, fresh cilantro, creamy feta cheese, colorful tomatoes and lots of zesty salsa verde. Comes together in about 5 minutes – this is my favorite/go-to light weeknight dinner or easy lunch!

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

4-6 cups leafy greens (I use a blend of field greens, kale, spinach, and arugula)
1 grilled chicken breast, sliced
1/4 cup cooked brown rice (I use frozen rice heated in the microwave or you could also use ready rice)
2 Tablespoons feta cheese
1/4 cup salsa verde
(optional) 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
(optional) 2 Tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Directions:

Toss everything together in a large bowl, except for the dressing, until combined. Pour desired amount of dressing overtop and serve immediately.