At-Home Souvla Salad & Garlic Yogurt

I spend way to much money at Souvla. It’s our go-to takeout spot, and living two block away from it definitely doesn’t help. I love Souvla for a multitude of reasons. First, their salads are amazing–but their sauces are…next level. Particularly, their garlic yogurt. I’m obsessed. I order like 5 sides every time I go there and yes..it’s a problem.

If you’re not familiar with Souvla, it’s a Bay Area based Greek restaurant specializing in salads and wrap-style sandwiches. Their menu is small and concise–you can choose from 3-4 options of meats and whether you’d like a salad or sandwich variation.

In my humble opinion, I think their pork salad sub chicken is elite. I order it every time I go. I just like the combination or baby cucumbers, pickled red onion, feta and tomato. I often also order a side of sweet potato–because I think it adds a nice creamy, earthy taste/texture that brings the salad to a whole other level.

For years, I’ve been doing a riff off of this salad at home, and thought I’d share. I also wanted to try and nail their garlic yogurt at home too because…it’s too good not to.

Chances are, if you like Greek food and are a fan of salads, this recipe is for you.

A few notes before we get started:
You need lacinto kale for this. Its the only kale that will go, and it’s the kale that they use–don’t swap it for any of that grizzly shitty kale, it won’t be the same. Second, you need about 1:2 ratio of kale to romaine. Always have more romaine. Trust me. Okay and finally, I like breast meat instead of thigh meat for the chicken. They use thigh but I think a breast actually works better here. It’s a texture thing. If you really want the Souvla kick, buy their hot sauce here–they sell it bottled and it’s amazing–I keep one in our fridge at all times!

The garlic yogurt is garlic-y. Hence it’s name. When I first tested this, I thought–it couldn’t be that easy…but it is. It’s just a handful of ingredients and it all comes down to the balance of those ingredients. Make sure your garlic clove is fresh, if you’re a salt person add more salt.

Makes about 2 salads

Ingredients
1 heaping cup lacinato kale, chopped and spine removed
1.5 cups heaping romaine, chopped
1 cup shredded chicken breast
2 baby cucumbers, cut into 1/2 rounds
1/4 cup cherry tomatos, halved
1/3 cup roasted sweet potatoes
pinch of pickled red onion
generous dash of feta

1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
dash of salt and pep to taste
dash of red wine vinegar to taste

Optional side of pita

For the Garlic Yogurt
1 medium/large clove garlic
1/2 cup greek yogurt, full fat
juice of half a lemon
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 tsp salt

To make the salad, start by adding the chopped kale and romaine into a large, low bowl–ideally a pasta bowl. Next, add your chicken, all the veg, sweet potatoes, and top with red onion, garnishing with feta.

Make your salad dressing and set aside.

In a cuisinart, add the garlic clove, lemon juice and greek yogurt and salt. Mix and while mixing add the olive oil–this is a crucial step. The texture should be thick, with a few lumps, but generally smooth. If it’s too runny add more yogurt, and visa versa until you get a nice creamy dipping sauce-like texture. Spoon into a serving dish.

Heat your pita in the toaster or oven and begin tossing your salad together. Serve and enjoy!