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The Best Italian Chopped Salad with Crispy Chickpeas

This Italian Chopped Salad with Crispy Chickpeas is crunchy, tangy, salty, cheesy, and full of deli-style flavor. It’s made with crisp romaine, hard salami, provolone, pepperoncini, tomatoes, crispy chickpeas, croutons, freshly grated Parmesan, and a homemade Italian dressing with lemon, white wine vinegar, herbs, garlic, Dijon, and honey. It’s hearty enough to serve as a meal, but also perfect as a fresh side for pizza, pasta, sandwiches, or grilled chicken.
Print Recipe
The Best Italian Chopped Salad with Crispy Chickpeas
Prep Time:15 minutes
Total Time:15 minutes

Ingredients

Homemade Italian Dressing

  • 3/4 cup avocado oil
  • 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 garlic clove grated or minced
  • 3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • Heaping 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese grated

Salad

  • 1 head romaine chopped
  • 4 oz hard salami sliced into small squares
  • 4 slices provolone chopped
  • 6 pepperoncinis sliced, about 1/4 cup
  • 2 tomatoes diced
  • Croutons
  • Freshly grated Parmesan for serving

Crispy Chickpeas

  • 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
  • Avocado oil for coating the pan and tossing
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and coat lightly with oil.
  • Make the dressing. In a jar or small bowl, combine the avocado oil, white wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice, parsley, honey, oregano, garlic, Dijon mustard, dried thyme, sea salt, black pepper, and Parmesan cheese, if using. Shake or whisk until well combined. (I usually do this early in the day or the day before, i like my dressing to have a little time to meld)
  • Add the drained and rinsed chickpeas to the prepared baking sheet. Toss with oil and salt until lightly coated. Bake the chickpeas for 15 minutes, stir, then bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until golden and slightly crispy.
  • Chop the romaine, i like to let it soak in an ice bath then thoroughly rince, I find this removes any bitter flavors. Just be sure to thoroughly dry it. Add it to a large salad bowl.
  • Add the hard salami, provolone, pepperoncinis, diced tomatoes, chickpeas, and croutons.
  • Pour the dressing over the salad a little at a time, then toss until everything is evenly coated. Add more dressing as needed.
  • Top with freshly grated Parmesan and serve right away.

Notes

For the best texture, chop everything into smaller bite-sized pieces so every forkful gets a little bit of everything.
The crispy chickpeas are best served fresh and warm. Add them close to serving so they keep their crunch.
Add the croutons right before serving so they do not get soggy.
The dressing can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator. If it thickens or separates, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes and shake well before using.
To prep ahead, chop the salad ingredients and make the dressing in advance, but wait to toss everything together until just before serving.
Servings: 4