Ingredients
Skillet Grilled Chicken
- 1 Chicken Breast
- 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 0.5 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 0.25 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
Marinated Chickpeas
- 15 ounces Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas)
- 0.3 cup, chopped Sweet Preserved Red Peppers (in jar)
- 3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Honey
- 0.25 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 0.25 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 0.25 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
Red Wine Vinaigrette
- 0.5 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 0.25 cup Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 teaspoon Honey
- 0.25 teaspoon Dried Oregano
Salad Ingredients
- 2 cups, chopped Romaine Lettuce
- 1 cup, chopped Spinach
- 1 cup, cubed English Cucumber
- 4 (whole or chopped) Pepperoncini
Directions
A colorful, slightly sweet and spicy chopped chicken salad.
Chopped chicken salad is a classic. However, this salad has Mediterranean-Italian flavors and marinated chickpeas.
The trick to a successful chopped salad is chopping everything into small bites. This will ensure that with each bite you get a little bit of everything!
No more boring salads!
The best salad recipes keep it colorful and have a variety of textures and flavors.
Savory, salty, spicy fulfills the salt, fat, acid and heat requirements for maximum umami.
I truly enjoy making and eating this salad as it’s packed with flavor, crunch and lean protein.
You will find a chopped chicken salad on most restaurant lunch menus but most are pretty boring and lack imagination.
Although this salad was inspired by La Scala, a Beverly Hills restaurant, this homemade version is 100% better!
The marinated chickpeas really takes this salad to a new level. I highly recommend using preserved and jarred sweet red bell peppers.
To balance out the slight sweetness and tanginess, I am adding spicy red chili flakes and pepperoncini.
You can also make this salad with shrimp instead of chicken or skip the meat all together to make it plant-based.
So let’s make this salad, shall we?
Steps
1 Done | Marinate The ChickpeasAdd the drained and rinsed chickpeas to a bowl along with the finely chopped sweet preserved red peppers, extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, salt, dried oregano and red chili flakes. If you like more spice add 1/2 teaspoon of chili flakes. Mix well then cover and set aside to marinate while you prep the other salad components. At least 30 minutes of marination is best. |
2 Done | Cook The ChickenI highly recommend pounding the chicken breast to both flatten and tenderize the meat. A thinner cut of meat will cook faster and allow more of the surface of the meat to get nice charred grill marks. Do not rinse your chicken breast as all of the bacteria will die off during the cooking process and washing raw meat in your sink will most certainly spread that bacteria all over your sink which can be spread to other foods, utensils, and surfaces! Add a large piece of parchment paper to your cutting board then add the chicken breast and cover with more parchment paper. Using the flat side of a meat mallet or a rolling pin, pound the chicken flat until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Next, using a knife, trim off any excess fatty bits then season both sides of the chicken breast with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper. Heat a large, bottom heavy skillet on high heat then add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken to the skillet and cook on medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes on each sides or until fully cooked. A cast-iron grill pan will yield the best and prettiest result. After the chicken has fully cooked, allow it to rest on your cutting board or plate for 5-7 minutes. |
3 Done | Make The Red Wine VinaigretteAdd all of the dressing ingredients to a small bowl or glass measuring cup and whisk well until fully emulsified. |
4 Done | Make The SaladWash, dry and chop the romaine lettuce, spinach and dice the cucumber into small bite-size pieces. Next, add your prepared salad ingredients to a large salad bowl and top with the marinated chickpeas and chopped chicken. For some added spice, I recommend adding pepperoncini, You can keep them whole of chop them up. Add the salad dressing then toss well and eat! If you are making this salad a day ahead, keep the lettuce and spinach separated from the rest of the ingredients as well as the vinaigrette. Assemble right before serving. |
11 Comments Hide Comments
Love the Mediterranean-Italian flavors and marinated chickpeas!!
Such a yummy set of flavors with the honey, vinegar and oregano. Delicious!
Sounds like the perfect lunch! So easy and delicious!
The flavors and textures will be great on a bed of greens or on a flatbread!
the salad looks like my kinda lunch and the red wine vinaigrette sounds delish!
I love salads like this, with all the flavors and colors. It makes you feel like you’re really eating a full meal instead of a pile of leaves. This is fantastic!
Such a healthy and hearty salad! I love how vibrant and colorful it is too.
Mmm I would never say no to a chicken salad!! This is so flavourful! I would literally eat this every day for lunch for a week 🙂
I always make a chicken salad with my leftovers. It is easy to make, delicious and never fails – love it!
Such a beautiful, simple, colorful and yummy salad! I love the sweet peppers and the dressing!
Marinating the chickpeas is such a great idea! Sounds awesome.