With green beans, croutons, radishes and Romaine, this roast chicken chopped salad is fresh and filling dressed with lemon garlic vinaigrette.
I am constantly roasting chicken for my 7-year-old son, who it is fair to say is a picky eater.
Boneless skinless chicken breasts are pretty boring and bland on their own, so I like to jazz them up with everything from barbecue sauce to a mix of dried seasonings from my spice drawer.
Fortunately, my son is into these flavor combinations, so I am still attempting to expose him to new ingredients, but my approach is more subtle than begging him to try a bite of something.
One of the spice mixes we have on regular rotation is a Tex Mex version that I also use to marinate peppers and onions in veggie fajita bowls. When I make this with chicken for my son, he insists on squeezing lime juice over everything on his plate.
I have no idea how this started, but I appreciate his enthusiasm for citrus.
Another spice mix I like is one that’s pretty much just herby because it is incredibly versatile.
And it works really well in salads.
When I make this roast chicken chopped salad, it’s great because my son will have the chicken. Then my husband and I will end up with a substantial dinner salad, so we’re covered without having to cook two separate meals.
The salad has everything to love about a chopped salad with crunchy Romaine and plenty of veggies.
I like to think of this salad in 5 core components. They are all very simple and straightforward:
Don’t be intimidated by the length of the ingredient list. You will see that there are a bunch of ingredients that are repeated in the various components. It’s just clearest to write the recipe separated out into these main steps.
First, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Then combine the olive oil, thyme, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper in a big bowl.
You can just put the chicken breasts right into the bowl and spoon the olive oil mixture over them, so they are well coated. Place the chicken on a sheet pan or in a baking dish roast for about a half hour.
Right when you close the oven door and the chicken starts baking, toss the cubed bread with olive oil, salt and pepper on a sheet pan for the croutons. They take around 20 minutes turn golden brown and toasted.
If you time it just right, the chicken and croutons will be ready at the same time. If they aren’t, it’s no big deal.
When the chicken and croutons are out of the oven, kick up the temperature to 425 degrees F for the green beans.
Next, toss the green beans with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast them until they are tender but still have some bite.
Then let the green beans cool for a few minutes and slice them into half inch long pieces
Also, go ahead dice the chicken.
In a large bowl, toss together chopped Romaine, sliced scallions, diced radishes, crumbled feta and parsley with the chicken, croutons and green beans.
Finally, whisk together the lemon garlic vinaigrette and drizzle it over the salad.
PrintWith green beans, croutons, radishes and Romaine, this roast chicken chopped salad is fresh and filling dressed with lemon garlic vinaigrette.
This meal/salad was amazing. Next time I will try to do some of the prep earlier in the day. It took me longer than an hour – but well worth the time. Thank you for sharing a perfect salad.
★★★★★