How to Make Chopped Chicken Salad
Chopped chicken salads are blank slates. Chicken is a flavor that melds with just about anything. Dressings, oils, spices, fruits, vegetables, bean, nuts, seeds, eggs--the list of ways to prepare a chicken salad are endless. The method is virtually the same for preparing either an individual salad or a family size salad. The key factor in all chopped chicken salad recipes is the chopped chicken itself, which can be served either warm or hot atop lettuce or leafy greens. Technically all you need are the two to create a salad. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Chopped chicken breast (5 oz. for single serving)
- Lettuce or leafy greens
- Assorted vegetables
- Assorted fruits, nuts and berries
- Dressing or oils
- Salt and pepper
- Cheese
Instructions
-
-
1
Cook the chicken. It is best to use boneless chicken breast for a salad. You can begin with either frozen or fresh breasts. If frozen, thaw or defrost in the microwave before cooking. Cook the breast any way you like, either in a skillet, on the grill or bake in the oven. Just make sure it is cooked completely through.
-
2
Chop the chicken breast into bite-size pieces. Depending on the style of your salad, chop the chicken while still warm and add a heated dressing, or cool it completely in the fridge.
-
-
3
Assemble the greens. All garden salads begin with a leafy base, you can use lettuce, spinach or a mix of garden greens. Wash all of your greens before putting them in the bowl.
-
4
Chop vegetables. You can add chopped tomatoes, cucumber, green beans, corn, onion, celery, avocado, bell pepper or carrots to your salad. It all depends on what you have at hand. If you are making a warm chicken salad, cooked zucchini or summer squash work well when added warm.
-
5
Add fruits, nuts or seeds. Adding fruits and nuts adds sweetness to your salad without having to add add an overly sweet bottle dressing. Fruits such as apples, pears, raspberries, cranberries or mandarin oranges pair nicely with chopped chicken. If fruit is sparse, consider using dried fruit such as apricots or raisins. Nuts such as almonds and walnuts are perfect accompaniments to chicken as well.
-
6
Pile the chicken on top of the assembled salad and either let rest on top or mix gently to disperse throughout the bowl. If you are using warm chicken, wait until right before serving to place the chicken atop the greens or else they will wilt.
-
7
Dress with oils and spices. No matter the caliber of ingredients, if a salad is dry, it's difficult to eat. You can use any bottled salad dressing such as Italian or Greek dressing to give your salad moisture, or you could make your own by drizzling both balsamic vinegar and a little olive oil over the salad. Add a little crushed salt and pepper, gently toss to coat, and you've dressed your own salad. Sprinkle with parmesan, feta, Gorgonzola, blue or cheddar cheese. Serve with crisp bread sticks or fresh baguettes and enjoy.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
You can also add hard boiled eggs, pieces of cooked bacon or beans such as garbanzo or kidney beans to add even more protein.
