A crisp Mediterranean-inspired salad with lemon chicken, tarragon tahini dressing, and spiced chickpeas. Fresh, crunchy, salty, spicy, and incredibly delicious — this salad is how I want to eat every day.
A few years ago, I lost a lot of weight. About 30 pounds — a toddler. I have since gained a lot of it back. It isn’t a great place to be or feel great, but I am really afraid to go back to life when losing weight was my #1 priority. All day I obsessed about food.
Eating clean was hard. It felt like my efforts were never good enough. My interpretation was (and a completely incorrect one), why bother? If I don’t eat perfectly all the time, what’s the point?
Turns out, I’m not alone on this one. My friend Andie wrote an entire book about this very issue. I can’t say enough good things about Eating in the Middle: A Mostly Wholesome Cookbook. One of the things that Andie writes about is eating a salad every single day. Not a boring salad, but one with life and interest and vibrancy. Salads are filling and you can pack a lot of flavors into every bite. I have been following her advice and, let me say, I feel better and enjoy my ritual of eating a salad for lunch. Every day. (Well, almost every day.)
In particular, this salad is how I want to eat every day. Fresh, crunchy, salty, spicy, and incredibly delicious. My kids ate this (did you read that – THEY ATE IT.) wrapped in whole wheat pitas. I added some chicken, but otherwise made this recipe exactly as written and I’ve made it again and again.
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tbsp tarragon, finely minced
- salt
Lemon Chicken:
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- zest from one lemon
- juice from lemon
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried mint
- salt and pepper
Spiced Chickpeas:
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 (15 oz) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 2 tsp olive oil
Salad:
- 2 romaine hearts, chopped
- 1 English cucumber, seeded and sliced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/3 cup kalamata olives, halved
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley
- 3/4 cups crumbled feta cheese
How To – The Steps
Step1 (The Dressing): Whisk together ingredients in a small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of water to thin out.
Step 2 (The Chicken): Add chicken to a plastic bag. Whisk together oil, zest, juice, garlic, oregano, mint, salt and pepper. Let marinate for 15-20 minutes. Add pieces to a saute pan over MED-HIGH heat. Brown and cook through. Transfer to a plate until ready to eat.
Step 3 (The Chickpeas): Mix together the spices and salt. Pat the chickpeas dry with a paper towel. Put them in a gallon-sized plastic bag with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Seal the bag and shake to coat with oil. Add the spice mixture, seal the bag, and shake to coat with spices.
Heat a non-stick pan with the remaining olive oil over MED-HIGH heat. Add the chickpeas and saute, shaking occasionally until they are brown and crispy.
Step 4 (The Salad): Toss together salad ingredients. Drizzle with dressing, top with chicken and chickpeas.
FAQs
The chicken should be white all the way through. Cut into the thickest part and take a look. Feel it; if it’s mushy or rubbery, it needs to be cooked longer. When in doubt, invest in a meat thermometer. Inject it into the thickest part of the chicken and ensure it has reached 165°F.
Lots! Black beans, quinoa, lentils, roast sweet potatoes, edamame, nuts, seeds… they should all work.
Ha… my understanding is that every ingredient is chopped into small, bite-sized pieces, making it easier to eat. This way, every mouthful should contain a bit of every ingredient.
How To Store Chopped Chicken Salad
Let the salad cool completely. Transfer it to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to dine once more, take it out of the fridge and let it sit for 20 minutes. Give it a stir to redistribute the dressing and seasoning. You can refresh the flavors by squirting a bit of lemon juice on it.
Other Salad Recipes You Might Like To Try:
- Spring Salad with Roasted Chicken
- Tomato, Basil, and Blue Cheese Salad
- Mediterranean Rice Salad
- Roasted Beet Salad
Chopped Salad with Spiced Chickpeas and Tarragon Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
:
- 3 Tablespoons tahini
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 Tablespoon tarragon finely minced
- salt
Lemon Chicken
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- zest from one lemon
- juice from lemon
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried mint
- salt and pepper
Spiced Chickpeas
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
Salad
- 2 romaine hearts chopped
- 1 English cucumber seeded and sliced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/3 cup kalamata olives halved
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley
- 3/4 cups crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- To make the dressing: Whisk together ingredients in a small bowl. Add 2 Tablespoons of water to thin out.
- To make the chicken: Add chicken to a plastic bag. Whisk together oil, zest, juice, garlic, oregano, mint, salt and pepper. Let marinate for 15-20 minutes. Add pieces to a saute pan over medium-high heat. Brown and cook through. Transfer to a plate until ready to eat.
- To make the chickpeas: Mix together the spices and salt. Pat the chickpeas dry with a paper towel. Put them in a gallon size plastic bag with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Seal the bag and shake to coat with oil. Add the spice mixture, seal the bag, and shake to coat with spices.
- Heat a non-stick pan with the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chickpeas and saute, shaking occasionally until they are brown and crispy.
- To make the salad: Toss together salad ingredients. Drizzle with dressing, top with chicken and chickpeas.
Chopped Salad with Spiced Chickpeas and Tarragon Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
:
- 3 Tablespoons tahini
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 Tablespoon tarragon finely minced
- salt
Lemon Chicken
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- zest from one lemon
- juice from lemon
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried mint
- salt and pepper
Spiced Chickpeas
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
Salad
- 2 romaine hearts chopped
- 1 English cucumber seeded and sliced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/3 cup kalamata olives halved
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley
- 3/4 cups crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- To make the dressing: Whisk together ingredients in a small bowl. Add 2 Tablespoons of water to thin out.
- To make the chicken: Add chicken to a plastic bag. Whisk together oil, zest, juice, garlic, oregano, mint, salt and pepper. Let marinate for 15-20 minutes. Add pieces to a saute pan over medium-high heat. Brown and cook through. Transfer to a plate until ready to eat.
- To make the chickpeas: Mix together the spices and salt. Pat the chickpeas dry with a paper towel. Put them in a gallon size plastic bag with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Seal the bag and shake to coat with oil. Add the spice mixture, seal the bag, and shake to coat with spices.
- Heat a non-stick pan with the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chickpeas and saute, shaking occasionally until they are brown and crispy.
- To make the salad: Toss together salad ingredients. Drizzle with dressing, top with chicken and chickpeas.
**Full disclosure, Andie did send me a copy of her book. But she didn’t need to, I had already pre-ordered it and gave my other copy to a friend. 🙂 **