This hearty and refreshing Chicken Watermelon Salad with Feta is the ultimate sweet and salty flavor combo. A fresh and balanced summer salad using basil, red onion, pistachios, and roasted chicken, this juicy and flavorful favorite is guaranteed to be a unique recipe at your next summer event.
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Watermelon is the ultimate summer ingredient. It’s refreshing, juicy, and irresistibly sweet – if you get a good one. Aside from eating it straight off the rind and in Watermelon Granita as featured in our cookbook Eat With Us, one of our favorite ways to eat watermelon is with feta.
A sweet and salty taste sensation, the sweetness and juiciness of the melon brings out the saltiness and tanginess of the feta cheese. Pair it with chicken, red onions, and pistachios, and this winning summer recipe is guaranteed to be a hit at your next event.
Why You’ll Love This Watermelon Salad Recipe
- It’s refreshing: Any dish that features watermelon is instantly refreshing. Our hearty chicken and feta salad is made bright with watermelon and basil leaves making every bite juicy, filling, and packed with lively flavor from the pistachios and red onion.
- It’s beautiful: The rich and cheerful color of watermelon makes any dish pop. When paired with green arugula, red onions, and the contrast from the feta, this watermelon salad is a treat for the eyes and is guaranteed to be the first dish finished at any summer event.
- It’s a balanced meal: Protein, healthy fats, fruit, and greens, this abundant summer salad recipe uses a mix of sweet, salty, and savory ingredients that are chewy and crunchy and serve perfectly as a main course or appetizer recipe.
If this Chicken Watermelon Salad with Feta looks appetizing, try our other summer salad recipes like Burrata Caprese Salad, Polonaise Asparagus Salad with Prosciutto, or Sweet Coleslaw, or learn How to Make the Perfect Simple Salad.
Ingredient List
- Olive oil: use extra virgin olive oil, the best quality available.
- Balsamic vinegar: balsamic vinegar of Modena is preferred for dressing, the best quality available.
- Dijon: mustard adds spice and depth to the dressing.
- Honey: adds sweetness and balances the acidity of the dressing.
- Watermelon: seedless is preferred, if available. Get the freshest watermelon you can find.
- Arugula: adds a little spice to the salad and holds up well to be dressed.
- Chicken: use leftover grilled chicken for the best flavor, roast chicken works well too.
- Feta cheese: the saltiness of the feta works well with the sweetness of the watermelon. Find authentic Greek feta if available.
- Red onion: thinly sliced for a little added spice.
- Basil: adds freshness and brightness to the salad.
- Pistachios: use shelled, salted pistachios if available.
- Salt: Sea salt or kosher salt.
- Pepper: Freshly ground black pepper.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Recipe Variations and Modifications
- Simplify the salad: omit the red onions, pistachios and basil for a quick and simple salad to pack for lunch or get on the table in a hurry.
- Make it spicy: jalapeno slices, chili flakes or a drizzle of chili oil over the salad will add a kick that pairs perfectly with the watermelon.
- Greens: other greens that work well with the salad are romaine lettuce, mustard greens, or frisée.
Recipe Steps: How to Make Chicken Watermelon Salad with Feta
1. Prepare your ingredients.
It's much easier to assemble the salad if everything is prepped. Cube the watermelon, shred the chicken, thinly slice the red onion, crumble the feta cheese, clean and roughly tear the basil, and chop the pistachios.
2. Dress the arugula.
Whisk together the olive oil, balsamic, mustard, honey, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until emulsified.
Place the arugula in a salad bowl or large plate. Drizzle with half the dressing and toss until evenly dressed.
3. Assemble the salad.
Arrange the dressed arugula on the serving plate. Top with shredded chicken, watermelon cubes, and red onions. Drizzle with remaining dressing
4. Garnish the salad.
Sprinkle the salad with feta cheese, pistachios, and basil. Finish with a sprinkling of flakey sea salt and fresh ground pepper before serving.
Chef's Tip
Shred the chicken: shredding the chicken versus chopping it. Shredded chicken provides lots of nooks and crannies to soak up the dressing.
Make Ahead and Storage
Chicken watermelon salad is best if prepared and served right away. If you have leftovers, remove the arugula and basil, then store the remaining ingredients for a maximum of 1 day.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, because chicken is a light protein, it lends itself well to the sweet and delicate flavor or watermelon. Grilled chicken is especially good as the watermelon mellows and contrasts the charbroiled flavor of barbecued chicken.
Grilled chicken provides the best flavor for watermelon salad, especially if it has a slightly spicy, charred flavor. BBQ-flavored chicken is also delicious.
Vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes, and bell peppers, mint leaves, goat cheese, and fresh mozzarella all make great additions to watermelon salad.
There are lots of theories, but the best way to pick a watermelon is based on it's weight - it should feel heavier than it looks, and it's color - it should have a spot that is yellow, almost butter-like in color where it rested on the ground.
Did you make this Chicken Watermelon Salad with Feta recipe? Please leave a ⭐️ star rating and let us know what you loved about it in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for cooking with us!
Recipe Card
Chicken Watermelon Salad with Feta
Ingredients
Dressing
- 3 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
Salad
- 4 cups watermelon cubed
- 4 cups arugula
- 2 cups leftover chicken shredded
- ½ cup feta cheese crumbled
- ½ small red onion thinly sliced rounds
- 1 sprig basil torn or chopped
- 2 tablespoon pistachios chopped
Instructions
- Whisk olive oil, balsamic, Dijon, honey, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
- Place the arugula in a salad bowl or large plate. Drizzle with half the dressing and toss until evenly dressed.
- Arrange the dressed arugula on the serving plate. Top with shredded chicken, watermelon cubes, and red onions. Drizzle with remaining dressing.
- Sprinkle the salad with feta cheese, pistachios, and basil. Finish with a sprinkling of flakey sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
Elizabeth W says
I made this for dinner before a trip, which was perfect because I ended up using a lot of odds and ends in my fridge - half a rotisserie chicken, cut watermelon, a few baby cucumbers, some Thai basil, and an opened package of feta. The salad was delicious. I’ll be making it again, even when I don’t need to clear out the fridge before traveling.
LauraMitch says
This salad was simply amazing. The only thing I did differently was toss it all together in the dressing, and increased the pistachios to about a 1/4 cup. Otherwise it was perfect and the flavours were awesome and complimented each other.
Chef Sous Chef says
Hi Laura,
Thanks for the comment! We're so happy you enjoyed the recipe. Such a great summer salad 🙂
Melanie says
A great summer salad. Even with the chicken it is very refreshing and light. Can't wait to make it again next summer.