Chopped Salad with Chicken and Lemon Oregano Dressing

On evenings when I’m short on dinner inspiration, I typically solicit suggestions. I’ll poll whoever is lingering in the kitchen or shoot a quick note to the family group text. “What do you want for dinner?” I’ll ask. Often the reply is a single word: fresh. As in “I don’t care what we eat, I just want fresh.” We have a common understanding of what this means — the sort of lighter, brighter dishes that we collectively crave after an indulgent weekend, family vacation, or when the weather turns warm. Starchy casseroles, creamy pastas, and heavy meat dishes are out. Vietnamese spring rolls, sushi with veggie sides, and anything built on bed of greens is more the order of the day. This Chopped Salad with Chicken and Lemon Oregano Dressing qualifies. Indeed, it’s just the thing to pull out when the troops demand “fresh”.

Dressing Doubles as Marinade

If you take a gander at the recipe, it looks like a lot of ingredients. Don’t let that scare you. It’s mostly just because I love to pack salads with variety for color, crunch, and nutrition. I simplified the method by making one dressing that doubles as a marinade for the chicken. The dressing is infused with flavor from the oregano and lemon, along with a kick of heat from crushed red pepper flakes. I like to keep the garlic cloves whole for a mellower flavor, but if you’re big on garlic, go ahead and grate it into the dressing.

Make this Salad Vegetarian or Vegan-Friendly

It’s easy to adapt this recipe to make it suitable for meatless eaters. Here are a few ideas to swap out the chicken:

• Add one 15-ounce can drained and rinsed chickpeas to the salad.
• Hard boil four eggs, peel, chop, and toss with the salad. You’ll find my method for hard boiling eggs here.
• Soft cook four eggs, let cool for a few minutes, then peel. Cut the eggs in half, season with salt and pepper, and serve on the side of the salad. Here’s a recipe for soft-cooked eggs.
• Cube eight ounces baked or braised tofu to toss into the salad.
• Bump up the amount of nuts and/or add toasted pumpkin or sesame seeds.

Ideas for Salad Swaps and Additions

I tinkered with this salad several times and landed on the combination I love most. That said, there’s no reason you can’t adjust the recipe to suit your personal preferences and what is in your fridge and pantry. Below are a few starter ideas:

• Add 1/2 to 1 whole diced avocado.
• Use toasted walnuts, hazelnuts, or pecans in place of almonds.
• Swap my mom’s fabulously crunchy sliced almonds for the roasted ones in the recipe.
• Use virtually any crunchy vegetable you like, including thinly sliced carrots, diced kohrabi, and celery.
• Add shaved or grated Parmesan or Pecorino, or crumbled feta or goat cheese.
• Add more fresh herbs, such as chopped mint, basil, or parsley.

Easy to Make Ahead

Although this isn’t a labor-intensive recipe, it’s nice to know you do everything ahead of time, save for tossing the salad with the dressing. Here are some make-ahead ideas you can tackle a day ahead so that dinner is a snap when the time comes.

• Make the dressing/marinade. It can sit at room temperature for a day or two. The garlic flavor will deepen as it sits.
• Marinate the chicken and store in the fridge.
• Bake the chicken and store in the fridge. It’s good warm or cold.
• Wash and chop the lettuce and all the vegetables, cover, and store in the fridge.

If you like this Chopped Salad with Chicken and Lemon Oregano Dressing you might like:

Peach, Tomato, and Corn Salad with Basil and Mint

Crunchy Asian-Style Salad with Chicken/Tofu Skewers

Fattoush Salad

Flavorful and Flexible Chopped Winter Salad

Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Lemon and Pecorino

Spring Vegetable Salad with Asparagus, Peas, and Mint