Chop Salad - Large Recipe

Prepare chicken

If you don't have pre-braised chicken, braise 1 large chicken breast or two thighs: season with salt and pepper, sear in 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat until golden, add 1/2 cup chicken stock, cover and simmer 15–20 minutes until cooked through. Let rest 5 minutes then shred with two forks. Measure 2 cups shredded for this recipe.

Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans thoroughly. Shake off excess water.

Thinly slice the red onion and soak in cold water for 5 minutes if you want milder onion flavor, then drain well.

Core and seed the green bell pepper, then dice into 1/4-inch pieces. Dice the tomatoes, removing excess seeds and juices so the salad doesn't become watery.

Slice or dice the salami into short strips or small cubes. Halve or dice the mozzarella to bite-sized pieces.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the mixed salad greens (if using), garbanzo beans, shredded braised chicken, salami, mozzarella, red onion, green pepper, and tomatoes.

Season the assembled salad lightly with 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Toss gently to combine just before dressing.

Sprinkle chopped parsley over the top as a garnish if desired.

If using whole raspberries, place the raspberries in a small fine-mesh sieve and press with the back of a spoon into a bowl to extract juice and remove seeds. Alternatively, blend raspberries briefly and strain to remove seeds. You should end up with roughly 2–3 tablespoons of strained raspberry purée/juice.

In a small bowl or jar, combine the strained raspberry purée, red wine vinegar (3 tbsp), Dijon mustard (1 tsp), honey (1 tbsp), minced shallot (1 tbsp), and lemon juice (1 tbsp). Whisk or shake to emulsify.

While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the extra-virgin olive oil (6 tbsp) to form a smooth vinaigrette. Alternatively, add all ingredients to a jar, seal, and shake vigorously until emulsified.

Taste and adjust seasoning with remaining salt and pepper as needed. If the dressing is too tart, add another 1/2 teaspoon honey; if too thick, whisk in a little warm water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency.

Let the vinaigrette rest 5 minutes so flavors meld. If prepared ahead, refrigerate up to 3 days and bring to room temperature before serving; re-whisk or shake before use.

Just before serving, drizzle about 4–6 tablespoons of the raspberry red wine vinaigrette over the large chop salad (start with 4 tbsp and add more to taste).

Toss gently to coat all components evenly. Taste and adjust with additional salt, pepper, or vinaigrette as desired.

Transfer to a large serving bowl or platter. Serve immediately so the mozzarella remains tender and the greens (if used) don't wilt.