🍯🔥🇬🇷🐔🧀🍝🥒🍅 Greek Chicken & Crispy Halloumi Pasta Salad with Hot Honey Drizzle
This vibrant and tantalizing pasta salad offers an exciting blend of savory, spicy, sweet, and tangy flavors. Featuring tender oregano-spiced grilled chicken slices, perfectly al dente fusilli pasta, crisp cucumber, juicy cherry tomatoes, and briny olives, all complemented by irresistibly crispy pan-fried halloumi cheese cubes. A luxurious drizzle of spicy hot honey-tzatziki sauce brings everything together for a truly unforgettable Mediterranean-inspired meal.
Yields: 3-4 servings
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 20-25 minutes
Ingredients:
🐔🌿 Grilled Oregano-Spiced Chicken Slices:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into ½-inch thick cutlets
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
½ tsp garlic powder
Salt & freshly cracked black pepper to taste
🧀 Crispy Pan-Fried Halloumi Cheese Cubes:
8 oz halloumi cheese block, patted dry and cut into ½-inch cubes
1 tbsp olive oil
🍝🥒🍅 Pasta & Salad Elements:
8 oz fusilli pasta
1 large cucumber, deseeded and diced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley (for garnish)
🍯🌶️ Creamy Spicy Hot Honey-Tzatziki Sauce Drizzle:
1 cup plain Greek yogurt (full-fat or low-fat)
½ large cucumber, grated and squeezed very dry (about ¼ cup dry pulp)
2 cloves garlic, minced 🧄
2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped 🌿
2-3 tbsp hot honey 🍯🌶️ (adjust to desired sweetness/heat)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice 🍋
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt & freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions:
Prepare Grilled Chicken:
In a bowl, toss chicken slices with 1 tbsp olive oil, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Heat a grill pan or large skillet over medium-high heat. Grill or sauté chicken for 2-3 minutes per side, or until cooked through and nicely charred. Remove from heat, let cool slightly, then slice into bite-sized pieces.
Cook Pasta:
While chicken cooks, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add fusilli pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente.
Drain pasta, rinse lightly with cold water to cool, and set aside.
Pan-Fry Halloumi:
Pat the halloumi cubes very dry with paper towels (this is key for crispiness).
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add halloumi cubes in a single layer (do not overcrowd).
Pan-fry for 2-3 minutes per side, or until deeply golden brown and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil.
Prepare Creamy Spicy Hot Honey-Tzatziki Sauce:
In a medium bowl, combine the plain Greek yogurt, grated and very dry cucumber (squeeze out all liquid!), 2 cloves minced garlic, 2 tbsp fresh dill, 2-3 tbsp hot honey, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, and 1 tbsp olive oil.
Whisk until thoroughly combined and smooth. Taste and season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper as needed (hot honey and feta can be salty, so add cautiously).
Assemble the Pasta Salad:
In a large serving bowl, combine the cooled cooked fusilli pasta, diced cucumber, halved cherry tomatoes, and halved Kalamata olives.
Add the sliced grilled oregano-spiced chicken.
Gently fold in the crispy pan-fried halloumi cubes.
Serve:
Pour the creamy spicy hot honey-tzatziki sauce over the pasta salad mixture. Toss gently but thoroughly to coat everything evenly.
Garnish with fresh parsley before serving. This salad can be served immediately at room temperature, or chilled for at least 30 minutes for flavors to meld.
Tips for Success:
Dry Halloumi: This cannot be stressed enough! Excess moisture will prevent it from browning and crisping properly.
Hot Honey: Adjust the amount of hot honey in the sauce to your preferred balance of sweetness and heat. You can also drizzle extra hot honey directly over individual servings for an extra kick.
Squeeze Cucumber Dry: For a thick and creamy tzatziki, ensure you squeeze as much liquid as possible from the grated cucumber using a clean kitchen towel or paper towels.
Make Ahead: The chicken can be grilled and sliced ahead of time. The tzatziki sauce can also be made a day in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. You might need to whisk it again and potentially thin it with a tiny splash of water or milk before using, as it can thicken. Halloumi is best pan-fried just before serving for optimal crispiness.