Greek Chicken and Barley Salad Recipe (2024)

why would you discard the broth, when you need it for the barley?

I had been looking for some alternatives to sandwiches for lunch and knew I wanted something packed for of vegetables, flavor and fiber. We loved this. My husband even commented it was one of the best "healthy" meals he's ever had and that he'd eat it anytime.

First off - don't be intimidated by the work of the dressing. Make a double batch! I had a friend actually say "I can't stop eating this, it's SO good!" Followed the recipe verbatim.

I didn't use all the cooked barley. I eyeballed it until it looked like the right amount of barley in the salad. Great flavor. My kids loved it! Served with some toasted roasted garlic bread.

Very nice light salad for a warm summer day. I don't like barley so I decided to substitute brown rice, which I forgot to buy! So I improvised and added a can of garbanzo beans and it turned out great. Next time, I will double the olives (and the calories). This could also be a great dish for a picnic or pot luck, but must be served cold.

This was really good for a warm summer day. It does seem like there is perhaps about 1/3 too much barley, but the flavors all balanced nicely, it was very tasty and surprisingly I had almost all the ingredients on hand. Was surprised the dressing added so much flavor. I substituted leftover cooked turkey breast for the chicken, so saved a little on cooking time and an extra cup of broth. Recipe did not say to peel cukes and as I was using the small Persian type, I left the skins on. I think it added a little more texture to the dish anyway.

Excellent light meal - we made it during the winter, but I think it will become a summer staple in our home. The family loved all of the fresh colors and flavors.

Excellent! I didn't make the dressing to go with it because I'm usually short on time (and energy) so I just used Newmann's Own Olive Oil & Vinegar dressing. Everybody who I've made it for has loved it.

Delicious! I used the breast meat from a rotisserie chicken to save time (reserved the dark meat for another recipe), and added scallions.

Pretty good, with a few modifications. We thought of it more as a party pasta salad dish than an entree. Left out olives because we don't like them. The one cup of barley made an INSANE amount of pasta. We used maybe 1/4 of it in the final mix and added some extra feta cheese. Ate it at room temperature because we were too hungry to let it chill in the fridge! I'm sure it will be even better tomorrow after it all melds together.

Made this to take to a friend who had just had a baby thinking it is something she can eat whenever withour needing to heat it up. I did add salt and pepper as it tasted a little bland at first, but realized that after the flavors sat in the fridge awhile it probably would not have needed it.

Excellent recipe. 9-year-old wanted it as his school lunch. I added extra lemon juice to further brighten the flavour.

Fresh and flavorful. Very forgiving recipe. Used rotisserie chicken, dried herbs and added artichoke heart. The dressing is so light and fresh. Had hoped to try leftovers for lunch, but hubby had second helping(s). It was a hit!

great idea with barley! I only ever use it in soups and I have a lot left over, so that was a nice idea to put it to use. I also added fresh chopped spinach, basil and mint, almonds, tangerines and dried cranberries to my version. Explosion of flavor! Five Stars!

4 stars because it was better than expected for basic pantry ingredients. The chicken turned out a little bland and chewy for me so I think next time I will leave it out or substitute with beans. Don't skip the fresh herbs in the dressing, but the garlic flavor is strong, so cut back if you are not a big fan.

Loved this, and made it (mostly) to specs without needing anything other than pantry staples. Omitted the yellow bell peppers as I didn't have any, substituted regular black olives for kalamata and used white wine vinegar instead of red, and dried basil for fresh and it still turned out great. Also added a bit of Cavender's all-purpose Greek seasoning just to taste. Will make again!

This is wonderful! It's very easy to make-ahead and the flavors are fantastic...so fresh and perfect for summer. I've made it twice with chicken and am making it today with chickpeas for a vegetarian friend. I like to use a combination of grains b/c I like more texture and triple the liquid ingredients in the dressing (only the liquids) but otherwise the recipe is perfect!

Awesome light dinner! Taste great and easy. I did not have the fresh herbs so substituted dried and it was still great! Last a couple of days in the 'frig.

Awesome recipe! Did a little adjusting, added 1/2 large spanish onion diced and left out the olives... A real hit with the family!

This was the first time I had ever used pearl barely, and it was so yummy! We didn't let it sit that night, but it was good a bit warm. It was really good the next day. We also used dried herbs and I had to use white wine vinegar because I ran out of red- still really good. I would make this again.

This is delicous! I skipped the Feta too and substituted roaasted red peppers for the yellow peppers. Very very good and good for leftovers!

Great tasting salad. I will certainly make it for friends.

I loved this recipe! I didn't use chicken, instead I used a can of tuna. I also left out the feta ( I don't really care for it) and used orange bell pepper in addition to the yellow. Perfect for lunch! I'll probably try it with the chicken next week to keep things interesting :)

The only thing I changed was using red instead of yellow bell peppers. Those I served it to thought it tasted good but that it wasn't an outstanding recipe. It made a pretty presentation and the barley was very good.

Great recipe. I'm always drawn to recipes that have citrus (esp lemon and lime) as primary ingredients. This was good as published, but the second time I made it, I added some chopped scallions and doubled the dressing. One of the best recipes I've found in a long time.

This dish was fabulous and next time I'll make extra to bring to work the next day. I'll definitely make this for my family again. The teenagers even liked the barley and I followed it but had dried thyme as no fresh thyme on hand. I'll use the dressing in other dishes too and try some avocados next time.

This is delicious! I will definitely make this again. I followed the recipe except for the following changes: I used 6 chicken breasts, I included about 1/2-cup sliced red onion, and I sprinkled the chicken with Greek seasoning as it browned. Everyone liked this, and I will definitely make it again. It's very filling!

This dish was fabulous! We substituted quinoa for the barley, added extra olives and doubled the dressing recipe. It was delicious cold or hot and was very filling. I passed the recipe around the office and everyone that has tried it loves it too!

We ate it warm for dinner, and then chilled the next day for lunch. I almost preferred it warm, but it was delicious both ways. Next time I'll add green olives and red onion. I suggest making more of the dressing than recommended and adding more feta. Took some prep work, but was fun and easy. My husband is a chef and he loved it.

I thought this was a really great recipe and pretty easy to put together. I did add sliced red onions to it. And the barley was great! Maybe not a great dinner recipe for a group, but definitely a good recipe to take to work for lunch. Will definitely be making again.

A perfect combination of flavors and textures. Everyone in the family - including my two year-old - loved this.

THis is a great, easy recipe. I doubled the dressing and substituted avocado for yellow peppers as I don't like bell peppers. My boyfriend ate all of this before I even got a chance so I had to make another batch! I now make up an entire bag of barley at once and freeze the rest so I can whip this together quickly.

LOVE IT LOVE IT! I nade it for a light Sunday night supper but it was very satisfying because of the barley. I didn't bother to boil the chicken breasts - I just sauteed them in a little olive oil and my favorite spices until cooked through. I only had dried herbs for the vinegrette but it was still delicious. I love all the lemon flavor! This is definately a keeper in my book. My husband liked it too and I would make it for company as well. All you need to accompany it is some crusty french bread and a nice, crisp white wine! It was just as good when I had it leftover for lunch today with a touch more dressing.

We thought this was good, not great. It had a fresh flavor and would be perfect to bring to a summer picnic. It's not something I would make for a regular dinner dish again.

I left out the yellow peppers but followed the rest of the recipe exactly. It was delicious. So fresh! I think the dressing could be used on other salads as well. I will definitely make this again and often.

This is one of the best dishes I've ever cooked from CL, although I did tweak it a bit. Instead of barley, I used Israeli couscous. First, I toasted pine nuts with garlic in olive oil, and added the couscous until browned, about 3 mins. Then, I added boiling chicken broth and let it simmer about 12 mins. I added the cooked couscous to diced cucumber, tomato, reduced fat feta, and yellow and red bellpeppers. I also added mint to the dressing and a splash of basalmic vinegar. This was amazing. I plan to make this in large batches for weekly lunches.

Excellent. Added a few more kalamata olives and left out the thyme. Will definately make again.

This recipe is delicious! I added more bell pepper than the recipe called for, which gave it even more of a crunch. I served it with a crisp, green Greek salad. Very refreshing!

This recipe was great! I used whole wheat orzo instead of barley, and it was delicious! I will definitely make this again. I also added chick peas....going with the greek theme. I really liked the way the chicken was cooked. I never thought of simmering cooked chicken in broth.

I made it exactly as shown, and it turned out GREAT!!