Creamy Greek Chicken Salad in a Jar is a healthy and easy lunch recipe perfect for meal prep. This easy 5 minute salad keeps fresh for days and is already assembled for a quick meal, made with a light & creamy feta dill dressing, crisp vegetables and pita chips.
Creamy Greek Chicken Salad in a Jar
I have admired salad in a jar recipes from afar for a long time now. They look great, but my first thought is always that there is an extra dish to wash. I loathe dishes, so anything that makes dishes is met with hesitation from me. Well, I finally decided to take the leap and prep some salads in jars recently. I started with my Southwest Chicken Cobb Salad with Chipotle Lime Dressing and made a few salads up ahead of time. I quickly realized I was a fool and having a salad ready to go with chopped veggies, dressing, etc. all in one place led to a much higher consumption of salads, which is always a good thing. I have tried a few more salads since, but this Creamy Greek Chicken Salad in a Jar has been one of my favorites!
Salad in a Jar Recipe
I know, I know, I am late to the game. Salads in a Jar are soooooo 2010! 😉 Sometimes the best of us allow ourselves to pass up on a good trend. These salads really shouldn’t be considered a trend though, because they are smart and practical. If you are wanting to meal prep salads, there really is no other way to do it unless you want to store all your chopped ingredients in 500 different containers. That really goes against my “few dishes as possible” rule!
The important thing to remember when assembling any salad in a jar recipe, is the order of ingredients. Start out with the dressing, preferably homemade, and then continue stacking vegetables and meat in order of heartiness. Add the heartiest ingredients at the bottom that can stand being submerged in the dressing and then finish off with the lettuce or spinach.
How to Make Creamy Greek Chicken Salad in a Jar
For this Creamy Greek Chicken Salad in a Jar I made a homemade Light & Creamy Feta Dill Salad Dressing that adds not only great flavor, but a great creaminess thanks to Greek yogurt. On top of the dressing we added some pre-cooked rotisserie chicken along with chopped cucumbers, tomatoes and red onion. The final ingredient to be added is the mixed greens. I stuff as many greens as I can in the jar after the vegetables and chicken have been added. Don’t be afraid to be rough with them and squish them down. They will bounce back if you are using fresh produce!
Last but certainly not least, are the pita chips. I think every salad needs a crunchy element and pita chips are the perfect addition to this Creamy Greek Chicken Salad in a Jar. You can just toss a serving of pita chips in a reusable bag and bring that with your salad, but that requires you to remember one more thing.
My kids LOVE fruit and in the winter it is slim pickings. Therefore they eat a lot of diced peaches and pears in cups. I rinsed a couple of the used cups out and saved them for my salad jar toppers. They just so happen to be the perfect size to screw on top of a wide mouth jar. After all the fresh salad ingredients are in the quart jar, add the lid to the jar and then top with the cup filled with pitas, turned upside down. Screw the ring over the lid and the plastic cup to seal them both closed.
Voila! You have a full meal all ready to go in a pinch. Just toss everything into a big bowl and mix it up so the salad dressing coats all the veggies. Top with crushed pita chips.
Whether you are packing your salad for lunch at work or are like me and just need a quick grab and go meal at home with the kids, this Creamy Greek Chicken Salad in a Jar is an amazing recipe loaded with fresh flavors!
Creamy Greek Chicken Salad in a Jar
Ingredients
- 1/4 c. Light Creamy Dill & Feta Dressing
- 1/2 c. cooked chicken cubed
- 1/2 c. cucumbers chopped
- 1/2 c. cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 Tbsp. red onion thinly sliced
- 2 c. packed mixed greens
- 1/4 c. pita chips
Instructions
- Rinse and dry a used plastic single serve fruit cup. Set aside.
- Add the dressing to the bottom of a wide mouth quart jar. On top of the dressing, add the chicken, cucumbers, tomatoes and red onion.
- Add the mixed greens on top of the vegetables. You may have to squish them in so they all fit.
- Add the lid to the jar and top with the empty fruit cup filled with pitas, turned upside down. Screw the ring over the lid and the plastic cup to seal them both closed.
- Store refrigerated up to 5 days.
- To serve, toss everything in a big bowl and mix it up so the salad dressing coats all the veggies. Top with crushed pita chips.
Melissa Howell says
Love the addition of the pita chips, and what a great idea to use an empty fruit cup!
Melissa Howell says
Love the addition of the pita chips, and what a great idea to use an empty fruit cup!
Melissa Howell says
Love the addition of the pita chips, and what a great idea to use an empty fruit cup!
Coleen Koehl says
You had me at five minutes! So much flavor too!
Julie Evink says
This is such an easy salad but I know the flavor will be amazing! What a great way to mix things up!
Coleen Koehl says
You had me at five minutes! So much flavor too!
Coleen Koehl says
You had me at five minutes! So much flavor too!
Julie Evink says
This is such an easy salad but I know the flavor will be amazing! What a great way to mix things up!
Julie Evink says
This is such an easy salad but I know the flavor will be amazing! What a great way to mix things up!
Toni says
Such a perfect idea for busy days at work. Looks delish!
Toni says
Such a perfect idea for busy days at work. Looks delish!
Toni says
Such a perfect idea for busy days at work. Looks delish!
Malinda Linnebur says
I love everything about this salad and putting those crackers on top of the jar is just brilliant!!
Malinda Linnebur says
I love everything about this salad and putting those crackers on top of the jar is just brilliant!!
Malinda Linnebur says
I love everything about this salad and putting those crackers on top of the jar is just brilliant!!