Lemon Garlic Chicken Dense Bean Salad

Ingredients

Salad

• 3-4 persian cucumbers, chopped
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cups roasted red peppers, chopped
• 1 cups artichoke hearts, chopped
• 2 avocados, diced
• 1 cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cups pine nuts (optional)
• 1/2 cups feta cheese, crumbled
• fresh parsley, chopped
• marinated and cooked chicken

Chicken Marinade

• 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 garlic, minced
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Shallot Dressing

• 1 shallot, minced
• 1/2 cups olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp honey
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Prepare the Chicken Marinade: In a bowl, combine 1/2 cup EVOO, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, smoked paprika, and minced garlic. Place the chicken thighs in the marinade and let sit for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours in the fridge).
2. Chop the Vegetables: While the chicken marinates, chop the cucumbers, roasted red peppers, shallot, artichoke hearts, and halve the cherry tomatoes.
3. Cook the Chicken: Heat a skillet over medium heat. Cook the marinated chicken for about 7 minutes on each side, or until fully cooked and browned. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before slicing into bite-sized pieces.
4. Make the Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the shallots, olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper.
5. Assemble the Salad: In a large salad bowl, combine the chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, artichokes, avocado, cannellini beans, chickpeas, pine nuts (if using), feta, and parsley. Add the sliced chicken and drizzle with the dressing.
6. Toss and Serve: Gently toss everything together to coat with the dressing. Divide into containers for easy lunches throughout the week, or serve immediately.

Notes

*changes for next time: different dressing that uses greek yogurt instead of olive oil and make it spicy - opted out of artichoke hearts, avocados, and pine nuts - swapped the cannellini beans for white beans - instead of marinated chicken, I used boiled chicken