Chopped Salad

A Chopped Salad doesn’t have to be just a salad, it can be entire meal! This hearty Mediterranean chopped salad recipe is crowded with fresh vegetables, chicken, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, cheese, avocado, tomatoes and olives. And we use the best creamy Italian dressing to toss this big beautiful salad with. 

We love everything about  this chopped salad! It’s loaded with flavor and textures, and it’s simple enough to make any night of the week. It’s also a great salad to prep ahead of time. 

This salad is a riff on a salad that we LOVE and order all the time at our favorite restaurant (Garduno’s). It’s a family-owned business, and besides being the nicest people ever, everything they make tastes amazing.

Chopped Salad Recipe Ingredients

• Romaine Lettuce. We use Romaine lettuce tossed with grated carrot and purple cabbage for this salad, but you could use another type of lettuce or use a mix of Romain with Spring Mix.
• Tomatoes. We like to use cherry tomatoes, but you can use Roma or vine ripe tomatoes if you like.
• Avocado. Avocado adds a nice creamy texture to the salad.
• Chicken breasts. You can use grilled, baked or poached chicken. You can also use store-bought rotisserie chicken if you’re in a pinch for time.
• Beans. We use canned garbanzo beans and red kidney beans. We like to use low-sodium or no sodium beans the best.
• Black olives. These add a nice salty flavor.
• Mozzarella cheese. We add a little grated mozzarella cheese to the mix. 
• Salad Dressing. We use our homemade Creamy Italian Dressing to toss this salad with.

Find printable recipe with the measurements below.

Variations

• Cucumber. Add slices of English or Persian cucumber. You can also use garden cucumber, but you will want to peel it and remove the seeds first before slicing it. The skins are thick and bitter tasting and the seeds are bitter tasting as well. English and Persian cucumber have thinner skins and fewer seeds and they have a more delicate flavor
• Salty Add-ins. Add artichoke hearts and pepperoncini.
• Cheese.  We use mozzarella cheese, but you can use Feta, Gorgonzola, Cheddar or Jack cheese if you prefer.
• Croutons. Simple homemade croutons like these Herbed Croutons, Parmesan Croutons and Basil Pesto Croutons make any salad extra special.
• Dressing.You can also toss this salad with Creamy Vinaigrette, Mediterranean Salad Dressing, Pomegranate Vinaigrette, Zesty Italian Dressing,  Lemon Vinaigrette or Greek Vinaigrette.  Or check out all of our Salad Dressing Recipes. We have over 60 of them for you to choose from.
• Make it Vegetarian. Leave out the chicken to make this a vegetarian salad. 

How To Make Chopped Salad

1. Make Dressing. Add the ingredients to a wide mouth mason jar and use an immersion blender (stick blender) to blend the ingredients. You can also add everything to a mason jar, seal the lid and shake vigorously to blend the ingredients. Or simply add the ingredients to a bowl and whisk them together. Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.
2. Pan Sear Chicken. Pan sear chicken in a skillet or stove-top grill.
3. Toss Salad. Add the chopped lettuce (with grated carrot and cabbage), kidney beans, garbanzo beans, cooked chicken and grated cheese, tomatoes, avocado and black olives to a bowl and toss. Drizzle the dressing over the salad ingredients and toss again. 
4. Season. Season with salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste.

How To Pan Sear Chicken

If you happen to have Italian Salad Dressing or Balsamic Salad Dressing on hand, I like to drizzle about 1 tablespoon of the dressing on the top of each side of the chicken while it cooks. It makes the chicken extra flavorful, tender and juicy. I also like to use a grill press to weigh the chicken down while it cooks so the breasts (or thighs) cook evenly.

1. Use a cast iron skillet (if possible) or a stove-top grill pan.
2. Pound chicken breast between parchment paper to about 1-inch thick.
3. Season chicken with onion powder and freshly ground black pepper.
4. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
5. Add the chicken and cook 4 to 5 minutes on each side until no longer pink on the inside.

Tips For Making The Best Chopped Salad

1. Rinse produce. Give your salad vegetables a good rinsing under cold water. Use a salad if you have one – they’re sure handy to have especially if you make a lot of salads. I use mine daily!
2. Variety. Use a variety of tossed salad vegetables to make your salad really enjoyable. Pick a good hearty lettuce like Romaine to start with, then add in any combo of vegetables.
3. Large Bowl. Use a large bowl that is and enough to give you room for tossing.  You can use the same bowl to mix and serve with.  A pair of serving spoons is always a nice touch and will help you to gently toss the salad without smashing the ingredients. 
4. Dressing Salad. Drizzle dressing over the salad and toss lightly. 
5. Seasoning. Season sparingly with salt (like sea salt or Himalayan) and freshly ground black pepper.  
6. Serving. Don’t dress the salad until you’re ready to serve it. Be sure to store the tossed salad ingredients and dressing separately in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve to prevent soggy leaves.
7. Vinaigrette. Because of the olive oil, the vinaigrette will solidify a bit in the refrigerator, so you’ll want to take it out of the refrigerator to rest at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to liquify before tossing.

Why You Will Love This Garden Salad

• Fresh and Flavorful. The combination of ingredients makes for a fresh, flavorful and pretty salad. 
• Quick and Easy.We pull this salad together in about 15-20 minutes by using just a few simple ingredients.
• Meal Salad. This salad makes a filling meal for lunch or dinner. 

How Long Will It Last?

Store leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If properly stored, leftover salad should last 3-4 days if it hasn’t been tossed with dressing and just 1 day if it has been tossed with dressing. It’s best to store the salad and the dressing separately in the refrigerator. 

More Salad Recipes

• Garden Salad
• Lemon Kale Salad
• Spring Mix Salad
• Romaine Salad
• Kale Caesar Salad 
• Lemon Arugula Salad
• Simple Kale Salad
• Italian Chopped Salad
• Everyday Mediterranea

Continue to Content

Print

Yield: 4 servings

Chopped Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

A Chopped Salad doesn't have to be just a salad, it can be entire meal! This hearty Mediterranean chopped salad recipe is crowded with fresh vegetables, chicken, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, cheese, avocado, tomatoes and olives. And we use the best creamy Italian dressing to toss this big beautiful salad with. 

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts (boneless and skinless), pan seared
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin-olive oil
• 4 cups Romaine lettuce, chopped (about 2 heads)
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• 3/4 cup purple cabbage, shredded
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 2 Haas avocados, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup Mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup canned kidney beans
• 1 cup canned garbanzo beans
• 1/2 cup black olives

For The Creamy Italian Dressing

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1-1/4 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seeds
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons real mayonnaise
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

For The Creamy Italian Dressing

1. Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and whisk together using a wire whisk, adding the oil last in a gradual stream as you whisk it all together

For the Pan-Seared Chicken

1. Use a cast iron skillet (if possible) or a stove-top grill pan.
2. Pound chicken breast between parchment paper to about 1-inch thick.
3. Season chicken with onion powder and freshly ground black pepper.
4. Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
5. Add the chicken and cook 4 to 5 minutes on each side until no longer pink on the inside.
6. Let rest 5-10 minutes then chop into bite-sized pieces.

Assemble Salad

1. Add the chopped Romaine lettuce, grated carrot and shaved cabbage to a bowl and toss.
2. Add the chopped chicken, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, cheese, olives, tomatoes and sliced avocado on top of the lettuce and toss.
3. Drizzle dressing over the top of the salad and gently toss again. Season with freshly crackd black pepper.

Notes

Variations

• Cucumber. Add slices of English or Persian cucumber. You can also use garden cucumber, but you will want to peel it and remove the seeds first before slicing it. The skins are thick and bitter tasting and the seeds are bitter tasting as well. English and Persian cucumber have thinner skins and fewer seeds and they have a more delicate flavor
• Salty Add-ins. Add artichoke hearts and pepperoncini.
• Cheese.  Use Feta, Gorgonzola, Cheddar or Jack cheese instead of mozzarella.
• Croutons. Simple homemade croutons like these Herbed Croutons, Parmesan Croutons and Basil Pesto Croutons make any salad extra special.
• Dressing.You can also toss this salad with Creamy Vinaigrette, Mediterranean Salad Dressing, Pomegranate Vinaigrette, Zesty Italian Dressing,  Lemon Vinaigrette or Greek Vinaigrette.  Or check out all of our Salad Dressing Recipes. We have over 60 of them for you to choose from.
• Make it Vegetarian. Leave out the chicken to make this a vegetarian salad. 

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 909Total Fat: 70gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 53gCholesterol: 80mgSodium: 724mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 16gSugar: 8gProtein: 37g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations. See full disclaimer on About page.