Chopped salads are a bit of a thing in L.A. Almost every great restaurant has one on their menu they’re consistently great. They’re what I like to call a “busy salad,” packed with all sorts of fun ingredients ranging from chickpeas and salami to mozzarella and avocado. It’s all tossed together with a lemony dressing and chopped into small pieces, which makes it infinitely more appealing. It’s basically the salad for people who aren’t typical salad people, if that makes sense.
Over break, G and I started making our own at home every few days. And while we tried out a bunch of different flavor combinations, we landed on a pretty classic take on a chopped salad. It’s deceptively simple and the only part that’s somewhat time consuming is all the required chopping, but the process is oddly meditative. We use a store-bought rotisserie chicken to cut corners and make double the amount so lunch is set for the following day. Here’s the salad that’s quickly become our go-to (that I highly recommend making your own)!
INGREDIENTS
SALAD
- 1 head iceberg lettuce, finely chopped
- 6 persian cucumbers, finely chopped
- 1 avocado, finely chopped
- 1 chicken breast, finely chopped
- 3 tomatoes, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup pepperoncinis, finely chopped
- 1 (15 1/2 ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and well-drained
- *1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded (didn’t add this time, but I recommend it!)
VINAIGRETTE
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 garlic, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dijon
- salt and pepper to taste
METHOD
- To make vinaigrette: combine oil, lemon juice, garlic, dijon, and salt and pepper to taste; whisk until well blended.
- In a large bowl, combine lettuce, cucumbers, avocado, chicken, tomatoes, pepperoncinis and garbanzo beans. Toss with vinaigrette to taste.
