NO BLENDER OR FOOD PROCESSOR? You can mix the tahini dressing by hand –  just chop the herbs finely, crush your garlic and mix everything with a fork until thick and creamy.

INGREDIENT NOTES: Harissa is a North African chili paste and its spiciness differs depending on the brand you use. You’ll find it with the spices in your grocery store. If you can’t find it, use another chili paste. If you want to cook chicken specifically for this recipe, I like to use this honey harissa chicken recipe, the chicken in these Mediterranean chicken rice bowls or this miso grilled chicken recipe. You’ll end up with more dressing than you need – but it keeps well and is lovely drizzled over anything and everything (grilled chicken, steamed rice, or even as a toast topper!)

SUBSTITUTIONS: Skip the chicken to make the salad vegetarian, or skip the feta for a dairy-free version. I like to add juicy cherry tomatoes to this salad too and you can play around with your ingredients for sure. If you don’t like olives, use chopped sundried tomatoes or jarred red bell peppers. Swap mint and parsley for marjoram, oregano or even cilantro (coriander).

PREP AHEAD: Once you mix the salad with the dressing and store it, you’ll lose the crispiness of the rice. It’ll become a little chewy (which is still delicious!) but if you’re entertaining or taking it to a potluck, I recommend mixing the rice and dressing through the salad just before serving. But it keeps very well (roughly 4 days in the fridge) and doesn’t get soggy (!) so it’s a brilliant one to meal prep.