In The Wild Heart Kitchen

Chopped Salad with Feta & Crunchy Chickpeas is filled with cucumbers, radish, avocado, herbs, and fennel and tossed in a tangy lemon vinaigrette.

I have a secret to tell you.

Salads are all about texture.

And this salad, is no different.

I brought my Chopped Salad with Feta & Crunchy Chickpeas to a dinner potluck last week and people couldn’t get enough of it. Just like my My Ultimate Summer Salad, this salad is all about the thinly sliced lettuce and veggies. How you cut the veggies for salad is what transforms a good salad in to a fantastic one!

Slicing lettuce and vegetables thinly allows all the ingredients to mingle together in every bite, so you get every flavor and texture. It also gives the vinaigrette a chance to fully incorporate into the salad.

Chopped Salad with Feta & Crunchy Chickpeas is so delicious!

This is the summer dinner salad of the season! The foundation of my Chopped Salad with Feta & Crunchy Chickpeas is filled with chopped baby lettuce because it’s crisp, tender, and light. It’s neutral flavor is the the canvas of this salad without overwhelming and competing in flavors. Thinly shaved cucumbers, radishes, sugar snap peas, and fennel (yes! fennel, do it!) mingle with creamy avocado bits, chopped herbs, and an easy zippy lemon vinaigrette that comes together in seconds.

The secret is in the crunchy chickpeas….

With dinner, I love nothing more than a huge herbaceous salad filled with protein and bright flavors. The crunchy chickpeas in this salad gives your meal a boost of vegan protein as well as an addictive crunch that replaces croutons. I love these Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas as a tasty snack, scattered on top of my Spiced Lentil Spare Rib Soup, or the final flourish to any salad.

My kids love to eat these Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas right off the baking tray because they are so delicious and satisfying; replacing the need for potato chips or snack foods. Give them a try!

Serve this salad for an easy weeknight side dish or even as a main meal with some crusty bread! Bring it to your next summer potluck or dinner party!

I hope you love this salad as much as I do! Leave a comment below!

Print Recipe

Chopped Salad with Feta & Crunchy Chickpeas

Chopped Salad with Feta & Crunchy Chickpeas is filled cucumbers, radish, avocado, herbs, and fennel and tossed in a tangy lemon vinaigrette.

Course: Appetizer, Brunch, Dinner, Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, European

Keyword: chickpeas, feta, herbs, lemon, olive oil, salad, summer

Servings: 8 people

Author: wildheartkitchen

Ingredients

For the salad:

• 6-8 oz. baby lettuce greens thinly chopped
• 1 small fennel bulb outer layer discarded, fronds reserved
• ½ large English cucumber thinly sliced
• fresh basil leaves thinly sliced
• fresh mint leaves thinly sliced
• 1 avocado small pieces
• 3 radishes thinly sliced
• 7 oz. sugar snap peas thinly sliced on a bias
• 7 oz feta cheese crumbled
• 1 crunchy chickpeas recipe see attached recipe in notes

For the dressing:

• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 teaspoons honey
• good pinch Kosher salt
• 3 few cracks freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake well until emulsified. Set aside.
• In a very large bowl, combine all salad ingredients except for the crunchy chickpeas and toss well to combine.
• Right before serving, toss the crunchy chickpeas through the salad. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss for one minute until the dressing has worked its way through the salad.
• Serve immediately.

Notes

Note: Once this salad is dressed and the chickpeas are added, I do not recommend storing it in the fridge as the chickpeas will soften once they are exposed to the moisture of the salad.

Here is the recipe for the Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas