Crispy Chickpea Chopped Salad.
About to make this crispy chickpea chopped salad your new favorite thing!
How is that for alliteration? Because a good salad is better with alliteration.
This salad came from two places.
Err, let me say that again. This idea came from two other salads that I make all the time. My favorite greek salad and my howsweeteats house salad. They are probably the salads I make the most often in this house – the salads that I make when we need a salad on the side or as a starter.
It’s no secret that I make a TON of other salads, but they tend more towards “entree salads” now don’t they? They do! Not only because most have chicken or meat or another protein, but it’s because they are enormous.
The greek salad and the house salad are great for a salad course or on the side. Sure, you can add a protein of some sorts to them, but they are simple and fantastic on their own.
I’ve wanted to another salad where chickpeas are the star – this panzanella with chimichurri and chickpeas is incredible, but I wanted something… easier.
Something chopped. Because a chopped salad is basically my love language. Chopped salads are how I really learned to love salads – all the flavors in one big bite of salad, since everything is chopped small. It’s so much more enjoyable for me!
So this chopped salad.
First, we start with some super crispy chickpeas. These are best made right before eating, but if you follow me on instagram, you know I make them ahead of time ALL the time. Sure, they lose a little crunch as the days go on. But they still have tons of flavor.
Into the big bowl goes:
Lots of butter lettuce, chopped up.
Tomatoes and cucumbers, for a somewhat greek salad feel, even though this isn’t a greek salad at all.
Torn castelvetrano olives. I am a briney olive freak and if you are too, raise your hand! Or skip the olives if you hate them.
Lots of creamy, dreamy goat cheese. Big hunks of it!
See? Embarrassingly easy!
The dressing is a shallot vinaigrette and I love this for a few reasons. First, I love any sort of vinaigrette (see my briney love above). Second, with the shallots sitting in the honey with some salt and pepper and red wine vinegar, they soften and lose some of that sharp taste. It’s a great way to add raw onion and flavor to your salad without actual pieces of raw onion straight from the… onion. This is more like marinated onion!
Then mix the whole thing up! Bite after bite is perfect and flavorful.
This is a salad for, frankly, whenever you want it! Need something lighter for lunch? Go for it. Want a side for dinner? This is it. There is tons of flavor, lots of texture and all this green stuff which apparently is super good for us!
Crispy Chickpea Chopped Salad
Crispy Chickpea Chopped Salad
Ingredients
- 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 8 cups butter lettuce, chopped
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, chopped
- ⅔ cup chopped cucumber
- ½ cup castelvetrano olives, pitted and torn
- 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
shallot vinaigrette
- 1 small shallot, diced
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the chickpeas on a towel and lightly towel dry them so they aren’t wet from rinsing. You can remove any loose skins at this time too. Place the chickpeas on a baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss to coat, then sprinkle with the paprika, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Shake the pan a few times to distribute the seasoning. Roast the chickpeas for 15 minutes, then toss and roast for 10 to 15 more.
- To make the salad, chop the lettuce and place it in a large bowl. Top with the chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, olives and goat cheese. I like to drizzle the dressing on now, so it doesn’t take lots of crisp away from the chickpeas. Toss the salad then top with the chickpeas and eat!
shallot vinaigrette
- In a bowl or jar, whisk together the shallot, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Stream in the olive oil until emulsified and combined. This stores great in the fridge for a few days.
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Chomp chomp.
18 Comments on “Crispy Chickpea Chopped Salad.”
Yes! I make some variation of a Greek or chopped salad at least once a week. Can’t wait to try this spin on it!
I live for a good chopped salad and this one looks absolutely perfect! I am especially excited about the addition of olives! ;) Cannot wait to try!
This salad recipe looks amazing! I totally need to make this for lunch today! I love anything with chickpeas!
Paige
http://thehapyflammily.com
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Any suggestions for an olive substitute if I don’t have castelvetrano olives? Would manzanilla work?
Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious. Loved how the saltiness of the olives, sweetness of the dressing, crunch of the chickpeas, creaminess of the goat cheese and freshness of the cucumbers and tomatoes all worked together! Great recipe!
This salad is so good! I have been eating the chickpeas as a snack. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
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This was surprisingly different and delicious for a weeknight dinner. It had a flavor profile I’m not used to and it was easy to make. If Chopt had this I would order it all the time, they should take some notes.
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This salad is delicious!!! The crispy chickpeas are really good and actually almost taste like bacon. Very filling and fresh, I’ll be adding it to our rotation!
I had to come on here and comment. I have been making this bascially since it posted and bring it to events where salad is my responsibility. Everyone loves it and I am still obsessed. THANK YOU!
I have to say that I LOVE this salad! I have been eating every day for a week. I don’t like the olives so I don’t add them but the rest is so good. I do add rotisserie chicken to make it a meal. I had to throw out a tip for anyone that wants to save time- I roasted the chickpeas as instructed and they came out way too chewy and dry for my liking. So I have been roasting them in my air fryer at 400 for 6 minutes and they are perfect. I don’t have to heat up my oven for one can of chickpeas, bake for 20 minutes. In the air fryer they are crispy but not dry.
Thanks so much for all of your amazing salad recipes!!!
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