Grilled Halloumi Salad

I added chicken and mini-peppers to make Grilled Halloumi Salad a low-carb main dish, but skip those and make four side salads if you prefer. However you make it, it’s the Halloumi and the zesty lemony dressing that makes this salad such a wow!

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I’ve always been passionate about trying new foods, and years ago I heard about Halloumi Cheese, and I was eager to taste this salty cheese that can be grilled or fried. At first I couldn’t find Halloumi, but then one day I was walking through my favorite neighborhood grocery store and I spotted some Halloumi in the cheese case, and I had so much fun trying it out with my friends.

Definitely I’m now a long-time Halloumi fan and Halloumi is even more widely available, so I’m updating the photos for this Grilled Halloumi Salad to encourage you to try it if you’ve never cooked with Halloumi! Personally I think grilled Halloumi cheese is a life-changing flavor adventure!

This is a simple salad I created with Halloumi, leftover rotisserie chicken, and some sliced sweet mini-peppers, but grilled Halloumi is so amazing that it makes this a truly memorable dish that’s perfect for a light summer dinner. I hope you try it and that you’ll enjoy Halloumi as much as I do! 

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

• salad greens
• sweet mini peppers
• diced cooked chicken
• Halloumi Cheese
• olive oil
• fresh-squeezed lemon juice, I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice
• Dijon mustard
• Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
• Greek Seasoning (affiliate link) 
• fresh ground black pepper to taste

What is Halloumi Cheese?

Halloumi is a unique cheese from Cyprus that has a high melting point which allows it to be fried or grilled. The browned cheese is delightful, and although Halloumi is a bit of a budget splurge, it’s something I love to buy for a treat. Here is more about Halloumi Cheese and how it’s made.

What type of salad greens can you use?

I used my favorite Power Greens mix to make this salad, but you can use any type of greens or combination of greens that you prefer.

What could you use if you don’t like Sweet Mini Peppers?

If you don’t like sweet mini peppers or don’t want to buy them for the salad, you could use cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas, olives, cucumbers, radishes, or most any other vegetable that strikes your fancy in place of the mini peppers!

What if you don’t have an outdoor grill?

I’ve grilled Halloumi on my stove-top grill pan (affiliate link) many times, and I encourage you to try that if you don’t have an outdoor grill. And actually I thought it was even a bit easier on the stovetop grill pan!

How to Make Grilled Halloumi Salad:

(Scroll down for complete recipe with nutritional information.)

1. Mix together lemon juice, Dijon, garlic, and pepper; then whisk in olive oil to make the dressing.
2. Shred chicken apart into bite-sized pieces and mix with a few tablespoons of the dressing. 
3. Cut off the stem end, pull out the seeds, and slice mini peppers.
4. I bought pre-sliced Halloumi, but cut into slices if needed.
5. Preheat gas grill or stovetop grill pan to medium while you brush olive oil on the Halloumi cheese. 
6. Lay cheese at an angle to the grill grates and cook 2-3 minutes.
7. Rotate pieces (to get criss-cross marks) and cook a couple minutes more on that side.
8. Brush more olive oil on the top side before you turn the cheese over.
9. Cook about 3-4 minutes more on the second side, or until the Halloumi has browned marks and is starting to feel firm.
10. Let cheese cool while you toss the greens with dressing and toss in the marinated chicken and sliced mini peppers.
11. Cut Halloumi into strips or cubes, whichever you prefer.
12. Lay pieces of grilled Halloumi over the top of the salad and enjoy!

More Tasty Ideas for Halloumi:

Pan Fried Halloumi with Chilli from Nami Nami

Grilled Halloumi Cheese Skewers with Mushrooms from Kalyn’s Kitchen

Cucumber, Tomato, Avocado Salad with Grilled Halloumi from Cookin’ Canuck

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Yield: 2 salads (with extra dressing)

Grilled Halloumi Salad

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes

Total Time 28 minutes

Grilled Halloumi Salad with Chicken, Mini-Peppers, and Lemon is delicious and this is an amazing and easy way to use Halloumi.

Ingredients

Ingredients:

• 6 cups salad greens
• 6 mini peppers 
• 8 oz. diced cooked chicken
• 4 slices Halloumi Cheese (about 7 oz. Halloumi, more or less to taste)
• 1 T olive oil, for brushing cheese

Dressing Ingredients:

• 2 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp. Greek seasoning (see notes)
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 3 T olive oil

Instructions

1. Mix together lemon juice, Dijon, garlic, and pepper; then whisk in olive oil to make the dressing.
2. Shred chicken apart into bite-sized pieces and mix with a few tablespoons of the dressing. Marinating the chicken in the dressing while you prepare greens and grill the cheese gives this salad extra flavor.
3. Cut off the stem end, pull out the seeds, and then slice the mini peppers into rings.
4. I bought pre-sliced Halloumi, but cut into slices if needed.
5.  Preheat gas grill or stovetop grill pan to medium while you brush olive oil on the Halloumi cheese. (If you're using a gas grill, be sure to spray with non-stick grilling spray or rub grill grates with oil before you heat the grill.)
6. Lay cheese at an angle to the grill grates and cook 2-3 minutes or until you see grill marks.
7. Rotate pieces (to get criss-cross marks) and cook a couple minutes more on that side.
8. Then brush more olive oil on the top side before you turn the cheese over.
9. Cook about 3-4 minutes more on the second side, or until the Halloumi has browned marks and is starting to feel firm.
10. Let cheese cool while you toss the greens with dressing and then toss in the marinated chicken and sliced mini peppers.
11. Arrange salad into two (or four) serving bowls.
12. Cut Halloumi into strips or cubes, whichever you prefer.
13. Lay pieces of grilled Halloumi over the top of the salads and enjoy!

Notes

Use any type of salad greens you prefer. If you don't have any Greek Seasoning (affiliate link), it contains salt, garlic, lemon, oregano, pepper, and marjoram.

Nutritional information is based on the generous amount of Halloumi we used but you still can make a delicious salad with a lot less Halloumi if that works better for you.

Recipe created by Kalyn.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 776Total Fat: 60gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 38gCholesterol: 165mgSodium: 783mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 46g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Grilled Halloumi Salad with leafy greens, chicken, and sweet mini peppers is a great dish for low-carb diet plans, including Keto. Halloumi has 8 grams of fat per ounce, so this is probably a “once in a while treat” for the original South Beach Diet, but Halloumi is a treat that’s not to be missed for an occasional splurge.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
I first posted the Grilled Halloumi Salad in 2008, and I’ve been making it and enjoying it ever since then. In 2021 I finally took better photos for this recipe and in 2022 I updated the post with more information about Halloumi and the process for making the salad.

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