This chopped salad is a mix of grilled chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers, bacon, chickpeas and fresh mozzarella cheese, all tossed together in a homemade vinaigrette. A delicious blend of flavors and textures that makes for the perfect lighter meal.
I love a good salad for lunch, some of my favorites include brussels sprout salad, ramen noodle salad and this fresh and colorful chicken chopped salad.
I love to get really big salads when I go to restaurants, and for some reason, they never quite seem to taste as good when I make them at home. All that has changed now that I’ve created this chopped salad. It’s loaded with all kinds of veggies, creamy avocado, fresh mozzarella and crispy bacon. I’ve had multiple people tell me it’s the best salad they’ve ever had!
How do you make chopped salad?
You can really add so many different ingredients to a chopped salad, the possibilities are endless! For this particular salad, I chose to use romaine lettuce, grilled chicken, cubes of fresh mozzarella cheese, cucumber, tomato, bacon and avocado. The dressing is a simple blend of Dijon mustard, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, herbs and spices. Toss everything together and you’re ready to eat!
How do you keep chopped salad fresh in the fridge?
The best way to keep your salad fresh is to cut up all the components and store them separately in the refrigerator. You can also prepare the dressing up to 3 days before you plan to use it. When you’re ready to eat, simply put everything in a bowl, add the dressing, then toss to combine. I recommend adding the avocado at the last minute so that it doesn’t turn brown.
How long does chopped salad last?
Chopped salad with dressing has a short shelf life – within a few hours, the lettuce will start to wilt from the acid in the dressing. That being said, as mentioned above, you can store all the components separately in the fridge, then mix everything together when it’s time to eat. The separate components can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Tips for Chopped Salad
- Chop all your ingredients into similar sized pieces, I typically cut everything in 1/2 inch sized bites.
- This salad is a great way to use up leftover cooked chicken, or you can even use rotisserie chicken to save on prep time.
- I prefer to use English cucumber for this salad, which is the long, plastic wrapped cucumbers that you see in your local produce department.
- The dressing for this salad calls for minced shallot, which tastes like a cross between onion and garlic. You can substitute a smaller amount of minced garlic if you prefer.
Chopped Salad Variations
While I love this particular flavor combination, you can absolutely swap our ingredients to make this dish your own.
- Protein: Use cooked shrimp or steak instead of chicken.
- Cheese: Try cubed fontina, aged white cheddar or feta instead of mozzarella.
- Vegetables: Other great vegetable options include bell peppers, roasted beets, marinated artichokes, fennel or celery.
- Nuts: You can add toasted pine nuts, almonds or walnuts to your chopped salad.
Can I just tell you how much I love this salad? It’s the perfect blend of flavors and textures and is packed with protein to help you stay full. You’ll find yourself making chopped salad on a regular basis!
More great salad recipes
- Watermelon Cucumber Salad
- Black Bean and Corn Salad
- Greek Chopped Salad
- Cucumber Feta Salad
- Cherry Tomato Salad
Chopped Salad with Chicken
Ingredients
For the salad
- 3 cups romaine lettuce coarsely chopped
- 1 cup cooked chicken breast chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh mozzarella cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup tomato chopped
- 3/4 cup cucumber chopped
- 1 cup chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup cooked crumbled bacon
- 1 avocado peeled, pitted and diced
- 1/4 cup chives thinly sliced
For the dressing
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons finely minced shallot
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/3 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Place the lettuce, chicken, mozzarella, tomato, cucumber, chickpeas, bacon, avocado and chives in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, granulated sugar, shallot, oregano, parsley and olive oil.
- Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients. Toss to coat. Serve immediately.
The dressing is fabulous. I did a chopped chicken bowl with wild rice pilaf and chicken breast that I had leftover and a variety of veg with a romaine base. Perfect cold dinner for a hot summer evening.
I love this salad and it’s still good the next day!