This chicken chickpea salad recipe is bright, fresh, herbaceous and so good! Perfect to meal prep for a healthy lunch, this Mediterranean chickpea salad has high protein chicken and chickpeas along with crunchy cucumber, fresh herbs, bursts of juicy cherry tomatoes, flavoursome Kalamata olives, red onion and feta, all drizzled in a zesty dressing.
This salad is a delicious, high protein take on a Greek salad and is the perfect salad for warmer weather. Dressed in our Lemon Herb Dressing, my crunchy Chickpea Chicken Salad can be served as a main dish or side dish.
For more delicious salads you might like to try my Roasted Sweet Potato Avocado Salad or my Kale Salad with Tahini Dressing. For those cooler days then I definitely recommend my Roasted Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad.
What You’ll Love About This Salad
There is so much to love about this amazing salad! I’m obsessed with it and I think you will be too.
- perfect for meal prep – make a big batch for lunches for a couple of days ahead.
- this salad is high protein, with xx grams of protein per serve.
- topped with an easy to make, tasty homemade, simple dressing.
- bursts of flavour in every mouthful.
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
I love this recipe because it’s made with easy to find ingredients, all available from the grocery store (depending on the season of course).
Main Ingredients
- Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) – I have used canned chickpeas, however you can use dry chickpeas and cook them as per the packet instructions if you have the time. You could also swap the chickpeas for white beans, such as cannellini beans, if desired.
- Chicken breast – you could also use chicken thigh. To make this salad vegetarian you can leave out the chicken.
- Cherry tomatoes – I have used mixed red and orange baby Roma tomatoes. You can use any variety of cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes here or use heirloom tomatoes and thinly slice.
- Lebanese cucumber – if you can’t get cucumber you can swap for other crunchy veggies like capsicum (red pepper).
- Greek feta cheese – you can use any harder feta cheese that can be sliced. Danish feta or soft goat cheese would be too soft for this recipe.
- Kalamata olives – you can use any variety of black olives for this recipe. Or swap the olives for capers, delicious!
- Fresh Dill and Thyme – swap for other fresh herbs of choice like parsley, marjoram or basil.
Salad Dressing Ingredients
- Lemon juice
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Fresh chopped parsley
- Honey
- Dijon mustard
- Sea salt
Find ingredient quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Optional Add-Ins
I have always been and will always be a lover of mayonnaise. It goes with just about anything in my opinion and this salad is no different. Dollop some mayo on top for an extra boost of flavour or serve alongside warm pita bread and hummus. If you like a little spice then add some red pepper flakes (chilli flakes).
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How to Make Chicken Chickpea Salad + Process Images
This salad really is so easy to make, making dinner time low fuss! Which is what we all need right? Follow these step-by-step instructions for a healthy and easy dinner or lunch.
Poach the Chicken Breast
Now I know that to someone who hasn’t poached chicken before this might sound a little daunting. Well I assure you that it isn’t. Poaching chicken is as simple as popping the chicken breasts into a large pot of water and allowing to simmer until cooked through. For chicken that is cooked through, the internal temperature should be 75°C or 165°F. Once the chicken is cooked through, place on a chopping board and use two forks to roughly shred the chicken.
Prepare the Vegetables & Feta
Slice all of the cherry tomatoes in half and thinly slice the cucumber into rounds. I like to slice them as thin as possible. You can use a mandolin for this. Slice the red onion in half and then thinly slice width ways. Slice the feta in half lengthways and then slice thinly width ways. Remove the thyme and dill leaves from the stems.
Prepare the Dressing
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, finely chopped parsley, honey, dijon and sea salt. Slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking.
Assemble the Chickpea Salad
Assemble the salad by adding the thinly sliced cucumber and red onion, halved cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, prepared herbs, shredded chicken and the chickpeas to a large bowl. Drizzle with the lemon dressing and toss to combine. Add the feta and carefully toss through so it doesn’t break up too much.
Styling Tip: If you are making this salad to take to an event, I would recommend assembling it by doing a layer of cherry tomatoes, feta, olives, chicken, chickpeas and herbs, then another layer and another layer until all of the ingredients are used. Then drizzle with the dressing. This salad presents very nicely in a deep platter.
Storage + Meal Prep Tip
- Storage – store any leftovers in a glass airtight container in the fridge. Consume within 2-3 days.
- Meal prep tip – assemble the salad but leave off the salad dressing. Divide the salad between 4 glass containers. Add the salad dressing the day of consuming. The salads keep well undressed for 4 days.
Chickpea Chicken Salad with Lemon Dressing
Equipment
- 1 Large Pot or saucepan
- Chopping Board
- Sharp knife
- large bowl or deep serving platter
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 400 gram chickpeas, canned, drained & rinsed
- 500 grams chicken breast
- 400 grams mixed cherry tomatoes
- 450 grams Lebanese cucumbers
- 1 teaspoon thyme, leaves only
- 1 tablespoon dill, leaves only
- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives
- 1 Red onion
- 200 grams Greek feta
- 1 batch lemon herb dressing
Instructions
- To poach the chicken, half fill a large cooking pot with water. Place onto the stovetop and turn to a high heat. Add the chicken breasts and place the lid onto the pot. Bring to a simmer and then reduce to a medium heat (after around 10 minutes). Cook for a further 20 minutes or until cooked through. The internal temperature should be 75°C or 165°F.500 grams chicken breast
- Once cooked, remove the chicken from the pot and place onto a chopping board. Use two forks to shred the chicken.
- While the chicken is cooking, prepare all of your remaining salad ingredients – thinly slice the cucumber into rounds, slice the onion in half, peel and thinly slice across ways, slice all of the cherry tomatoes in half and remove the dill and thyme leaves from the stems. Slice the Greek feta in half lengthways and then thinly across ways.
- Make the lemon herb dressing by whisking together the dijon mustard, lemon juice, honey, finely chopped parsley and sea salt. Gradually pour in the olive oil while whisking until well combined.
- Assemble the salad by adding the sliced cherry tomatoes, cucumber and onion along with the shredded chicken, chickpeas, herbs and kalamata olives. Drizzle with salad dressing and then toss to combine. Add the feta to the bowl and gently toss, being careful not to break up the feta too much.400 gram chickpeas canned, drained & rinsed, 400 grams mixed cherry tomatoes, 450 grams Lebanese cucumbers, 1 teaspoon thyme leaves only, 1 tablespoon dill leaves only, 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, 1 Red onion, 200 grams Greek feta, 1 batch lemon herb dressing
- Serve straight away.
Notes
Storage
- meal prep – if meal prepping this salad, prepare the salad but store the salad dressing separately. Dress the salad on the day of eating to keep it at it’s freshest. Salad made in this way will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
- how to store – if the salad has been prepared with the dressing, store the leftovers in an airtight container and consume within two days of making.
- salad dressing – store the dressing in a seperate glass jar with the lid firmly fitted, in the fridge.
Serving Suggestions
This salad is delicious as is but can also be served with hummus and warm pita bread.Nutrition
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