Chopped Dinner Salad With Crispy Chickpeas

Step 1

Pour 15 oz. chickpeas into a colander, rinse, and shake off excess water. Pat chickpeas dry on paper towels. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a medium skillet over medium-low.

Step 2

Add chickpeas; season with salt and pepper. Cook, shaking skillet often and reducing heat if chickpeas are browning too quickly or popping all over the place, until golden and crispy all over, 10–15 minutes. Let cool.

Step 3

While chickpeas are sizzling away, move on to your salad prep. Using clean hands, remove skin from 1 rotisserie chicken; discard. Pull meat from bones and shred into bite-sized pieces. Keep going until you have about 4 cups; save any leftover chicken for another use.

Step 4

This is going to require a lot of chopping, so start your engines! First, slice 1 pint tomatoes in half lengthwise.

Step 5

Slice 2 cucumbers in half lengthwise, then place on flat sides on cutting board and slice crosswise into thin half moons.

Step 6

Cut 6 oz. block of feta into small cubes.

Step 7

Thinly slice ½ cup peperoncini.

Step 8

Peel and finely grate 1 garlic clove into a large bowl. Add 3 Tbsp. vinegar, 1 tsp. oregano, and ½ tsp. sugar and whisk to combine. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Step 9

Slowly drizzle in remaining ⅓ cup oil, whisking all the while, until a thick dressing forms.

Step 10

Add chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, and peperoncini to bowl and toss to combine.

Step 11

Slice 2 romaine hearts crosswise into 1" pieces and add to bowl. Season with more salt and pepper and toss again to combine (clean hands make the best salad tossers!).

Step 12

Scatter crispy chickpeas over top of salad and serve.