Description
A Mediterranean-inspired dense bean salad featuring a vibrant mix of chickpeas, navy beans, kidney beans, and tender chicken, tossed with fresh vegetables and tangy feta cheese in a flavorful olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing. This refreshing dish is perfect as a main course, side, or wrap filling, ready in just 10 minutes.
Ingredients
Dressing
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Salad
- 1 (15-ounce) can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-ounce) can of navy or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-ounce) can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups cooked chicken, diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
- 1 cup cucumber, diced
- ¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
- ½ cup roasted red peppers, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Make the Dressing: In a very large bowl, whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, kosher salt, and black pepper until the mixture is smooth and well combined, forming a flavorful dressing base for the salad.
- Prepare the Salad: To the same bowl with the dressing, add the drained and rinsed chickpeas, navy or cannellini beans, kidney beans, diced cooked chicken, halved or quartered cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, finely chopped red onion, chopped roasted red peppers, chopped fresh parsley, and crumbled feta cheese. Toss everything gently but thoroughly to combine all ingredients evenly with the dressing. Taste the salad and adjust seasoning if desired.
- Chill and Serve (Optional): For the best flavor, refrigerate the salad for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight to allow the flavors to meld together. Serve this dense bean salad as a satisfying main dish, a hearty side, or use it as a filling for wraps.
Notes
- Use freshly cooked chicken or leftover roasted chicken for convenience and better flavor.
- Chilling the salad is optional but enhances the melding of flavors.
- Feel free to swap navy beans with cannellini beans depending on availability.
- Adjust salt and pepper to your taste preferences.
- This salad stores well and can be enjoyed for up to 3 days refrigerated.
