Want to take a quick trip to California without hopping on a plane? Amanda Haas' chopped salad is truly the next best thing: It's an intricately balanced, multi-textured experience that feels like a sunny afternoon on the coast.
First, you'll marinate skinless, boneless chicken breasts in an herby mixture of olive oil, rosemary, garlic, salt, and a few grinds of pepper. After a few hours, you can toss the poultry in a pan and sear to perfection, then pop the whole pan into the oven for a few minutes to finish cooking.
Toss your chicken with buttery, diced avocado, sweet cherry tomatoes, and briny olives. Hard-boiled eggs double down on the creamy element, while romaine lettuce provides a fresh base for all this fun. A deceptively simple shallot, Dijon mustard, and red wine vinaigrette ensures that each bite brings pure brightness. Haas also encourages you to add optional blanched green beans: "I cook them in salted water for 3 minutes before dropping them in ice water to stop the cooking. Then I drain them and dry them with a paper towel before refrigerating for up to a week." Whether you use the beans or not, you'll instantly agree: The Golden State never tasted so good.
California Chopped Salad Recipe by Amanda Haas
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4 people
Ingredients
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp chopped rosemary
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 Tbsp minced shallots
- 3 Tbsp red wine or sherry vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 heads of romaine lettuce, washed, dried, and finely chopped
- 1 pt. cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup pitted black olives
- 3 hard-boiled eggs, halved
- 1 ripe avocado, diced
Instructions
- For the marinade: Combine ¼ cup of olive oil with the rosemary, garlic, a teaspoon of Kosher salt, and a few fresh grindings of pepper. Place the chicken in the marinade and refrigerate for 2-6 hours.
- For the vinaigrette: Place the shallots in a small bowl and add the vinegar and a pinch of Kosher salt. Allow to sit for 5 minutes to soften the shallots. Whisk in a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, then slowly whisk in ¼ cup of olive oil into the mixture to create an emulsified vinaigrette. Taste, adding more salt and a fresh grinding of pepper if desired.
- For the chicken: To cook the chicken on the stove top, place a large frying pan over medium-high heat and preheat the oven to 375°F. When the pan is hot, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan, then add the chicken pieces. Cook until the chicken is browned on one side and releases easily from the pan, about 4-6 minutes. Check the internal temperature of the chicken. If it has not reached 160-165°F, place the chicken in the oven to finish cooking, about 8-10 minutes longer. Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
- To assemble the salad: Place the chopped romaine on a platter. Drizzle a tablespoon of the vinaigrette over the romaine so it is lightly dressed. Group the other ingredients around the platter, placing the sliced chicken in the middle. Drizzle a few more tablespoons of vinaigrette over all of the ingredients. Finish with a few turns of freshly ground pepper and serve immediately.
