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Fresh and flavorful Italian Chopped Salad mixes crisp lettuce with savory chicken, beans, tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, and shredded cheese. It’s dressed in a homemade lemon vinaigrette for bright, zesty goodness in every bite. Adaptable and versatile!
Why You’ll Love This Chopped Salad Recipe
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: Italian-inspired
- Primary Cooking Method: No-cook
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free, Dairy-free option
- Skill Level: Easy
This customizable and refreshing Italian chopped salad is an excellent way to use up any leftovers in your fridge, saving you both time and money. It features a combination of fresh iceberg lettuce, juicy chicken and protein-packed garbanzo beans, plus a medley of vibrant vegetables. Even better? Chopped Italian salad is flexible, and you can tailor it exactly to your liking. It’s also a great way to clean out the fridge!
Feel free to swap ingredients, add the veggies that you and your family love, or adjust the protein to make it truly your own. The possibilities are nearly endless which makes this a go-to salad for weekday lunches. You can also make a double batch and bring it to a potluck or summer BBQ.
Whether you’re craving a wholesome lunch or a satisfying dinner, my Italian chopped salad is a versatile and flavorful option that’s sure to please. I know you’ll love this salad as much as I do! A few more highlights include:
- That dressing. The secret weapon that ties everything together is the zesty lemon vinaigrette. This light and citrusy dressing adds a refreshing kick that enhances the rest of the salad components.
- Satisfying and packable. This is a sturdy salad, making it a great choice to pack up and bring for office lunches, or picnics! Add a side of gluten free bread and it makes for a filling meal.
- Adaptable. As mentioned you can swap ingredients in and out depending on what you have on hand. Leftover turkey? Use it in place of the chicken. Need more protein? Add a few hard-boiled eggs. Need to use store-bought dressing? Easily pick up a bottle of Italian dressing. You do you!
What You’ll Need
Here’s a look at the ingredients in chopped Italian salad, including the Italian Dressing. Check the recipe card at the end of this post for the full ingredient amounts.
For the Salad
- Iceberg Lettuce: Iceberg lettuce adds a satisfying and refreshing crunch, but you can swap it for Romaine, or any other lettuce you like.
- English Cucumbers: I love using English cucumbers because they are seedless, but you can use regular cucumbers.
- Garbanzo Beans:
- Artichoke Hearts:
- Roma Tomatoes: Or use any variety of tomatoes you prefer.
- Onions: My choice is red onions for a bit of juicy crunch.
- Olives: Use pitted black or kalamata olives.
- Pepperoncini: If you don’t want the heat of pepperoncini, try roasted red peppers for a touch of sweetness.
- Mozzarella Cheese: Mozzarella is a favorite for its creamy, indulgent flavor. However, the sharpness of Parmesan also provides a nice contrast so you can do a mixture of the two or substitute Parmesan for the mozzarella.
- Chicken: I use chicken breast for this salad, but you can use any leftover chicken or any type of chicken you prefer as long as it equals about one pound of chicken. You can even try it with crunchy breaded chicken tenders.
For the Dressing
- Olive Oil: I use extra virgin olive oil in my recipes.
- Lemon Juice: Fresh lemon juice is best, but you can use bottled juice in a pinch.
- Dijon Mustard: French mustard adds a little creaminess and spice.
- Honey: A touch of sweetness balances the acidity of the vinaigrette. Substitute maple syrup if you wish.
- Salt and Pepper
- Dried Seasonings: Garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper flakes (omit the pepper if you don’t like much spice).
How To Make Italian Chopped Salad
I’ve given you an idea of how to make this salad through the photos below. Find the detailed instructions in the recipe card lower down.
- Start to assemble the salad. Have your ingredients ready to go, then add a layer of lettuce to a large bowl.
- Add cucumber. Arrange a pile of cucumber on top of the lettuce.
- Add more ingredients. Now layer on the garbanzo beans, artichoke hearts, and tomatoes.
- Finish with remaining ingredients. Add the red onions, black olives, pepperoncini, cheese, and chicken.
- Make dressing. In a glass jar, combine the ingredients for the dressing and shake vigorously to combine.
- Dress the salad. When you’re ready to serve, drizzle the dressing over the top of the salad and toss everything together to combine.
Tips & Variations
Salad recipes are straightforward to make, and this one is no exception.
- Other beans. Garbanzo beans or chickpeas are packed with protein and fiber, but if you like, you can try other varieties. I like cannellini beans (or white beans) for a softer, more tender option.
- Use leftover chicken. To save prep time, you can use leftover chicken or pick up a rotisserie chicken to use in the salad. You can also increase the amount of chicken if you are very hungry!
- Make it vegetarian. Leave the chicken out to make this into a vegetarian Italian chopped salad, or throw in a few hard-boiled eggs.
- Another protein: Likewise, you can use this base salad recipe to incorporate other proteins. Some good options include leftover grilled steak, shrimp, or tuna.
- Add fresh herbs. Have leftover herbs from another recipe you made earlier in the week? Chop them up and toss them in. They’ll add brightness and depth of flavor to your salad. Or add them to the dressing in place of the Italian seasoning in the dressing.
- Lemon juice substitute: If you’re out of lemons you can replace them with any other citrus juice (though note that the overall flavor of the dressing will change). You can also use vinegar, such as white vinegar, red wine, or balsamic vinegar in place of the lemon juice.
- Save the dressing. You’ll likely have extra dressing. Store it in an airtight container such as a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid in the fridge for up to one week. Bring the dressing to room temperature before using it if the oil has solidified in the fridge.
Can This Be Prepared In Advance?
Yes, you can prepare chopped Italian salad in advance. Prepare the veggies and chicken ahead of time and place them in an airtight sealed container in the refrigerator for 2 days before you plan to make the salad. You can also make the dressing up to a week in advance. Then, when you’re ready to assemble the salad, transfer everything to a bowl, make the dressing or pull it out of the fridge, dress the salad, and serve.
Make It A Meal
You can enjoy chopped Italian salad as a meal by itself, or add bread and butter, soup, serve it as a side to pasta, and more. Here are a few serving suggestions for the next time you make this salad:
- With meat. Though chicken is included in this salad, if you omit it the salad is great served alongside all kinds of meat from Rosemary Balsamic Roast Chicken to similarly-flavored Italian Meatball Burgers to being a fresh side to Pesto Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner!
- Serve with pasta. Italian chopped salad is fantastic alongside gluten free pasta! Try my cheesy Gluten Free Baked Ziti, Italian Noodle Casserole, rich Gluten Free Fettuccine Alfredo, or Penne with Tomato Cream Sauce.
- Add bread. A simple, fresh loaf of bread is always a welcome side to salad! Add a little butter or cheese and you have the makings of a light yet satisfying meal. Try my Gluten Free Sandwich Bread, Gluten Free Naan, or Gluten Free Breadsticks recipes.
- A bowl of soup. Make soup and enjoy Italian chopped salad and soup for lunch! My creamy Instant Pot Tomato Basil Soup is a quick and flavorful option, or make a pot of lightened-up Cream of Mushroom Soup. A savory Cream of Potato Soup makes a heartier choice.
More Salad Recipes To Try
Italian Chopped Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 1 head iceberg lettuce, chopped
- 1 cup diced English cucumbers, diced
- 1 14-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup artichoke hearts, quartered
- ½ cup diced and seeded roma tomatoes (about 2 tomatoes)
- ¼ cup sliced red onions
- ¼ cup black or kalamata olives, halved
- ¼ cup pepperoncini
- ⅓ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs (about 1 large breast), cooked and cubed (or about 3 cups cooked, cubed chicken)
For the Dressing
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a large serving bowl, add an even layer of chopped lettuce.
- On top of the bed of lettuce, arrange piles of cucumbers, garbanzo beans, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, red onions, black olives, and pepperoncini, cheese and chicken. Set aside.
- In a glass jar, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard, honey, salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper flakes. Place the lid on the jar and shake vigorously.
- When ready to serve, drizzle the dressing on top of the salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately.
Did you make this?
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