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Home Recipes Salad Recipes

Easy Chicken Chopped Salad

Published: Jun 27, 2022 · Modified: Jul 10, 2023 by Sandi Gaertner · 20 Comments · This post may contain affiliate links

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pinterest collage photo of the chopped salad

You will be hooked with one bite of this savory chicken chopped salad! Grilled chicken, romaine lettuce, beets, tomatoes, pomegranate, feta, and sprouts combine with a pomegranate vinaigrette to make the best lunch salad. Make it in about 20 minutes!

The top view of a chopped salad before it is mixed.
Jump to:
  • Why This Recipe Is Great:
  • Ingredient Notes:
  • Mix-In Ideas:
  • Tips For Sucess:
  • Recipe Step-By-Step Directions:
  • Pomegranate Vinaigrette Recipe:
  • Recipe FAQ:
  • More Easy Chicken Recipes:
  • 📖 Recipe
  • Fearless Dining
  • 💬 Comments

(*This post was sponsored by Foster Farms. All delicious opinions are my own.)

If you have been following my blog for a while, you already know my love affair with Foster Farm's organic chicken. Their chicken is fresh, never frozen, and you can taste the difference every time you cook! This is the chicken I feed my family every week.

If you love quick and easy chicken recipes as much as we do, you will want to check out my mouthwatering Gluten Free Chicken recipes.

Why This Recipe Is Great:

  1. If you are looking for a new salad recipe, this chopped salad with chicken is filled with all the good stuff. It is one of my favorite recipes using chicken.
  2. This salad is an easy meal the whole family will love. It is easy to make with chicken you grill or leftover chicken you already have in the refrigerator.
  3. This chopped vegetable salad makes the perfect healthy salad recipe. It is made with simple, easy-to-find ingredients.
  4. My chopped salad recipe differs from a classic chopped salad because I include fruits and vegetables.

Foster Farms Fresh & Natural Chicken is raised locally in California and the Pacific Northwest. Me, I love that their chicken is always fresh and never frozen. You can taste this difference in every bite. Foster Farms chickens are raised cage-free, which is very important to me. 

Whether you need a chopped salad for lunch, dinner, a cookout, or a picnic, this deliciously easy chopped salad with chicken recipe will be your new go-to salad recipe!

Serve my homemade Gluten Free Ranch Dressing with this salad.

Ingredient Notes:

Photos of the chopped salad ingredients.
  • Feta Cheese- You can also use blue cheese or gorgonzola cheese. They all add delicious flavor!
  • Chicken - Breasts are leaner, but you can use any cut.
  • Lettuce - I used romaine, but you can use any lettuce, like a spring mix or butter leaf.
  • Beets - Any color of beets will taste delicious. Steam or roast them.
  • A chopped salad tool helps cut your lettuce into the perfect chopped salad!

Mix-In Ideas:

The beauty of this salad is the sky is the limit on ingredients you can use. Use any vegetables, fruits, cheeses, and nuts that you have on hand! It is a great way to use leftover chicken too!

Add tomatoes, pomegranate seeds, feta, or anything you want to put in your chopped chicken salad. I love how colorful this salad is. You will love how easy this chopped chicken salad recipe is to make!!

Tips For Sucess:

  • Let the chicken cool before adding it to the salad. This will prevent the lettuce leaves from wilting.
  • For best results, dress the salad 15 minutes before you are ready to serve the salad. This will allow the dressing flavor to soak into the chicken.

Recipe Step-By-Step Directions:

This chopped chicken breast recipe is great if you want to eat more healthfully! The first thing you need to do is determine how you want to cook the chicken for a salad:

  • Roast your chicken in your oven
  • Pan-fry your chicken
  • Sous-vide

I will share grilling directions but feel free to cook your chicken in any way you like. If you are short on time, you can use leftover or pre-cooked chicken in this chopped salad recipe.

Photos of the seasoned chicken breasts on a plate.

Step 1: For best results, season both sides of your chicken with salt, pepper, and olive oil. I don't use any other seasonings because I want the true flavors of the chicken to shine through in this salad recipe.

Step 2: Preheat your grill to 375º F. Be sure the grille slats are clean and debris free.

Photos of the chicken breasts cooking on the grill.

Step 3: Grill the chicken for 20 minutes flipping the chicken over with metal tongs so that both sides cook evenly. When the chicken looks fully cooked, use a digital thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken. You want it to read 165º F.

Step 4: Remove the chicken from the grill onto a plate when it is cooked. Cover the grilled chicken with foil and rest for 5 minutes.

A sliced chicken breast on a cutting board.

Step 5: Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board and slice them thinly. You can also use chicken thighs if you prefer.

Adding chopped chicken to the salad.

Step 6: Wash and thinly slice romaine lettuce and add it to a salad bowl. Add the chicken to the salad. Now you are ready to add in the rest of the ingredients!

Adding diced beets to the salad.

Add your cooked beets to the salad. Make sure to dice the beets into bite-sized pieces.

You can buy pre-cooked beets or roast fresh beets at home. I steamed my beets, but you can roast them in the oven or air fryer. I will share some tips below.

How To Cook Beets:

  • Add a steamer basket to a pot and fill it with water to the base of the steam basket. Add washed beets to the basket. Leave the peels on, as they will come off easily after the beets are cooked. Cover the pot and cook on medium heat for 25 minutes (if your beets are large) or until the beets are soft. Use a knife to scrape off the peels.
  • Wash the beets and bake in a 9x13 pan at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until your beets are soft. (Baking time will depend on the size of the beets you are cooking.
Pouring salad dressing onto the chopped salad.

The next step is to make the homemade pomegranate vinaigrette dressing and pour it over the salad.

Pomegranate Vinaigrette Recipe:

  • 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons pomegranate juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 clove of minced garlic
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • dash salt/pepper to taste

Add all of the salad dressing ingredients to a bowl and whisk to blend. Pour over the salad and toss to mix. Top with sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sprouts, or anything you like!

Recipe FAQ:

Can you make this recipe dairy-free?

You can easily make this chopped salad recipe dairy-free by using dairy-free cheese or omitting the cheese altogether. I really like the VioLife brand of dairy-free cheeses.

Can you use rotisserie chicken in this recipe?

You can use any cooked chicken to make this recipe. You can also use beef or seafood.

Can you make this salad ahead of time?

I would not recommend making this salad ahead for more than a day. The moisture from the beets and chopped tomatoes will turn the salad brown if you make it too far ahead. If you want to make it ahead, store the chicken, beets, tomatoes, and cheese separately, then assemble them when ready.

How do you store chopped salad with chicken?

Once the salad and dressing are assembled, it will not keep long without the salad turning brown. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I wouldn't store it for more than two days.

You may also love this easy Curry Chicken Salad with grapes!

Servings of the chopped salad on white plates.

More Easy Chicken Recipes:

  • Gluten Free Fried Chicken
  • Grandma's Homemade Chicken Soup
  • Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks
  • Instant Pot Gluten Free Chicken Stew

📖 Recipe

The top view of a chopped salad before it is mixed.

Easy Lunch Time Chicken Chopped Salad

Sandi Gaertner
A delicious chicken chopped salad with roasted beets, feta, tomato, and pomegranate
5 from 10 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 35 minutes mins
Course Gluten Free Salad Recipes
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 230 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound Chicken Breasts
  • 2 beets roasted
  • ¼ cup feta cheese
  • 2 heads romaine lettuce
  • ⅓ cup chopped tomatoes
  • ¼ cup pomegranate seeds
  • 3 tablespoons sunflower seeds

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the grill on medium heat.
  • Remove the chicken from the packaging and put on a plate.
  • Sprinkle olive oil over the chicken, then season with salt and pepper.
  • Cook on the grill for 20 minutes until cooked thoroughly.
  • Remove the chicken from the grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes on a plate.
  • Place the chicken on a cutting board and slice thinly.
  • Add lettuce and all of the salad ingredients to a large salad bowl and mix.
  • Top with the homemade vinaigrette dressing.

Notes

  1. Feel free to substitute any vegetables you have on-hand in this salad recipe.
  2. You can use chicken breast or another part of the chicken including leftover rotisserie.
  3. I do not recommend making this salad ahead unless you keep the prepped ingredients separate. Wet ingredients like the beets and tomatoes will turn the lettuce brown if it sits too long.
To Make the Pomegranate Vinaigrette Dressing:
  • 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons pomegranate juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • dash salt/pepper to taste
Add all of the salad dressing ingredients to a bowl and whisk to blend. Pour over the salad and toss to mix. Top with sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sprouts, or anything you like!

SPECIAL NOTE

Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn't test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 230kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 28gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 81mgSodium: 299mgPotassium: 698mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1330IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 75mgIron: 2mg
Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @FearlessDining or tag #FearlessDining!

Nutrition Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.

This recipe was updated from an old May 2019 post with more information.

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    Recipe Rating




  1. REESA LEWANDOWSKI

    May 10, 2019 at 1:38 pm

    I love a good chopped salad! There's so much flavor and crunch!!!!

    Reply
    • Sandi Gaertner

      May 13, 2019 at 6:57 pm

      I am so glad you like this Reesa 🙂

      Reply
  2. Laura

    May 08, 2019 at 12:58 pm

    This is totally my kind of salad! So hearty and delicious - thank you!

    Reply
    • Sandi Gaertner

      May 08, 2019 at 4:40 pm

      I am so glad Laura, thank you 🙂

      Reply
  3. Sandra Shaffer

    May 06, 2019 at 8:59 pm

    I'm always looking for new salad ideas since I eat them for my lunch regularly. This is perfect amount of texture and protein from the chicken and that dressing...drooling over that! Thank you for a great recipe.

    Reply
    • Sandi Gaertner

      May 07, 2019 at 5:09 pm

      I am so glad you like this recipe, Sandra.

      Reply
  4. Beth

    May 06, 2019 at 12:39 pm

    Love your version of the pomegranate dressing using apple cider vinegar. You know I'm a pomegranate fan!

    Reply
    • Sandi Gaertner

      May 07, 2019 at 5:07 pm

      Thank you so much Beth 🙂

      Reply
  5. Jade

    May 06, 2019 at 10:54 am

    I love pomegranate and sunflower seeds so this was perfect for me! Thanks for the easy lunch idea!

    Reply
    • Sandi Gaertner

      May 06, 2019 at 12:22 pm

      I am so glad you liked it 🙂

      Reply
  6. Lizet Flores de Bowen

    May 06, 2019 at 10:10 am

    I love salads like this one. Full of flavors and textures. Not boring at all! Delicious!

    Reply
    • Sandi Gaertner

      May 06, 2019 at 10:11 am

      Thank you so much Lizet 🙂

      Reply
  7. Michelle

    May 06, 2019 at 9:49 am

    Loving all the textures in your salad Sandi, especially the pomegranates seeds and sunflower seeds, pinning!

    Reply
    • Sandi Gaertner

      May 06, 2019 at 10:11 am

      Thank you so much Michelle :-).

      Reply
  8. jenni

    May 06, 2019 at 9:37 am

    Oh, Sandi, I love this flavor combination! The beets and pom and all that chicken...! Fabulous!

    Reply
    • Sandi Gaertner

      May 06, 2019 at 9:44 am

      Wow, thank you so much Jenni. This salad definitely has all of our favorite flavors.

      Reply
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Welcome to my blog! I am so glad you are here. If you have Celiac Disease, are gluten intolerant, or have a wheat allergy, you've come to the right place. With years of extensive experience in recipe development, I am dedicated to assisting you on your gluten free journey. As a seasoned gluten free cookbook author and recipe developer, I specialize in creating easy, family-friendly recipes that rival their gluten-filled counterparts. Rest assured, my recipes undergo rigorous testing and refinement, ensuring foolproof results every time.

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