Mediterranean-Inspired Chopped Salad

I love meal prepping salads for lunch during the week, especially chopped salads with protein. I've tried a lot of different recipes, and this week, I decided to keep it simple with a fresh, Mediterranean-inspired chopped salad. This salad blends Greek and Italian flavors together. It’s light, delicious, and perfect for easy weekday lunches. This could go well with any protein, but I had boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the freezer.

I tried baking the chicken thighs, and I loved the way it turned out: crispy on the outside, and still juicy on the inside.

Salad Ingredients

• 1 lb of cooked boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1/4 cup cooked organic Italian pearled farro
• 1 orange bell pepper, diced
• 8 oz crumbled feta cheese
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 cup of romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1/4 cup pepperoncini, diced

Dressing Ingredients

• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Directions for Chicken Thighs

1. Pre-heat oven to 425°
2. Trim fat off the boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3. Line baking sheet with parchment paper
4. Drizzle olive oil over chicken thighs
5. Season chicken however you'd like. I did paprika, garlic powder, greek oregano, salt, fresh ground pepper, and onion powder.
6. Place the chicken thighs on the baking sheet
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until chicken reaches internal temperature of 165°
8. Let chicken thighs rest for 5 minutes
9. Dice chicken thighs

Directions for Dressing

1. In a food processor or bowl, combine all dressing ingredients
2. Blend everything together

Directions for Salad

1. In a large bowl, combine cucumber, cooked farro, orange bell pepper, feta cheese, celery, onion, romaine lettuce, pepperoncini, and cooked chicken thighs
2. Slowly mix in dressing, being careful not to add in too much at a time
3. Serve and enjoy