Skip to main content

Chopped Dinner Salad With Crispy Chickpeas

Image may contain Plant Food Vegetable Salad and Lettuce

This salad is a real winner, but the combo of crunchy veg + lettuce + creamy cheese + pulled protein + crispy topping is universally delicious—make it your own by swapping in whatever odds and ends you have lying around. And that all-purpose vinaigrette is delicious on pretty much any salad, be it the main event or a simple side dish.

All products featured on Epicurious are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

What you’ll need

Recipe information

  • Yield

    6 servings

Ingredients

1 15-oz. can chickpeas
2 Tbsp. plus ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 small rotisserie chicken
1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 Persian cucumbers
1 6-oz. block feta cheese in brine
½ cup jarred peperoncini
1 small garlic clove
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. sugar
2 romaine hearts

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Pour 15 oz. chickpeas into a colander, rinse, and shake off excess water. Pat chickpeas dry on paper towels. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a medium skillet over medium-low.

    Step 2

    Add chickpeas; season with salt and pepper. Cook, shaking skillet often and reducing heat if chickpeas are browning too quickly or popping all over the place, until golden and crispy all over, 10–15 minutes. Let cool.

    Step 3

    While chickpeas are sizzling away, move on to your salad prep. Using clean hands, remove skin from 1 rotisserie chicken; discard. Pull meat from bones and shred into bite-sized pieces. Keep going until you have about 4 cups; save any leftover chicken for another use.

    Step 4

    This is going to require a lot of chopping, so start your engines! First, slice 1 pint tomatoes in half lengthwise.

    Step 5

    Slice 2 cucumbers in half lengthwise, then place on flat sides on cutting board and slice crosswise into thin half moons.

    Step 6

    Cut 6 oz. block of feta into small cubes.

    Step 7

    Thinly slice ½ cup peperoncini.

    Step 8

    Peel and finely grate 1 garlic clove into a large bowl. Add 3 Tbsp. vinegar, 1 tsp. oregano, and ½ tsp. sugar and whisk to combine. Season generously with salt and pepper.

    Step 9

    Slowly drizzle in remaining ⅓ cup oil, whisking all the while, until a thick dressing forms.

    Step 10

    Add chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, and peperoncini to bowl and toss to combine.

    Step 11

    Slice 2 romaine hearts crosswise into 1" pieces and add to bowl. Season with more salt and pepper and toss again to combine (clean hands make the best salad tossers!).

    Step 12

    Scatter crispy chickpeas over top of salad and serve.

Read More
Who says ground chicken is boring? Two whole bunches of mint and some aromatics give these chicken meatballs their bracingly herby flavor.
Juicy steak, crisp lettuce, and a blender dressing come together for a breezy summer dinner.
Herby chickpea falafel gets the veggie burger treatment with harissa mayo and pickled onion.
Buffalo chicken dip, but make it dinner.
In this one-pan dinner, flaky cod is finished in a chorizo-spiked sauce, alongside wilty greens and chickpeas—some tender, some crispy.
A blended soup for kids who don’t want to “see” their vegetables—or anyone else looking for a steamy bowl of chicken soup comfort.
Charred chicken breasts coated in a tangy dry rub sit atop a fresh salad of tomatoes, cucumber, and onions.
Stable enough to last days in the fridge (and hearty enough to sate a breastfeeding mom).