Chopped Salad

This chopped salad was fantastic for lunch. The crunchy greens were balanced by the creamy avocado and cheese, and although radicchio can be quite bitter, I felt that the sweetness from the apple and the vinaigrette tamed it very well. I made it the night before a busy day, with the dressing separate, and tossed it all together just before eating. It came together quickly, kept well overnight, was delicious, and kept me full all afternoon!

This chopped salad was a light and lovely lunch—a treat that serves one but it could easily be scaled up to feed more! The ingredients combine the best of two classic salads—the bacon and chicken and avocado of a Cobb salad with the apple and nuts from a Waldorf salad—and ties them all together with a lightly sweetened vinaigrette. The combined effect of all of those flavors together on one plate made me think of that famous Mae West quote, “Too much of a good thing can be wonderful!” I used regular curly kale, the Treviso variety of radicchio, and leftover chicken from a rotisserie hen. I did use the blue cheese—a mild Danish variety.

Fresh tasting and full of flavor, this chopped salad was a hit with everyone. The combination of crunch from the almonds, creaminess from the avocado, and chewy resistance from the chicken along with the slightly sweet dressing and spicy, salty blue cheese hit every flavor note in practically each bite. The kale, cabbage, radicchio, and apple added cool, crisp counterpoints to complement the other ingredients. I chose lacinato kale since the recipe didn’t specify which type to use. I had roasted chicken thighs on hand to add. This is a great salad that offers lots of flavor and leaves one feeling satisfied and even a little virtuous from all the healthy ingredients.

This chopped salad made a wonderful, quick dinner. These ingredients are usually on hand and come together in a jiff for a delicious, healthy, and satisfying salad. The colors are amazing, as are the textures. The crisp apple, the crunchy almonds, and the creamy avocado were some of the highlights of this dish. The dressing was just the right amounts of honey and mustard. The garlic kicked it up just right. I used less than half the dressing to dress my entire salad. The extra will be used for another chopped salad later this week or added to some homemade chicken salad. I chose to use grilled chicken.

The best thing about this chopped salad was how pretty it looked, though it certainly was a satisfying salad to eat as well. Plenty of crunch. Sweet. Bitter. Fatty. The dressing added a bit of sweetness. It was a generous salad for 1 but sufficed as a main dish. It would work as a side salad for 2 as well. I tried this recipe because I like all the ingredients except raw kale and figured it might change my mind. I massaged the kale a bit but it still wasn’t tender enough for me. I would say it could have used twice as much apple and a few more almonds. I used Roquefort and roast chicken breast.