Fresh Chickpea Salad for People Who Don’t Like Salad

We were hit with a couple of unseasonably warm days over the last weeks, and I think I can speak for most people when I say that the last thing that I want to do on a 90°F evening is stand by my stove for any longer than I need to.  I wanted to make something for a side dish, and this little salad of chickpeas, herbs, and lemon juice fit the bill perfectly.  Chickpea, chicken, they just go together, y’know?

If you’ve been reading any of our previous posts, you’ll remember that I don’t like cold veggies, so a proper salad for a side was out of the question.  We had exactly two potatoes in the house, but they were reserved for another dinner, so a potato salad wasn’t happening either.  However, I found an extra can of chickpeas while going through the pantry, and figured I’d improvise a bit of something to go with the gyros.  Seriously, how much different could it be than making my least favorite salad ever, the pasta salad?

Making It

Turns out, not difficult at all.  I think I whipped this up in about 5 minutes.  The majority of my prep time was spent staring into the spice cabinet and trying to remember what I’d marinated the chicken with.

I was completely amazed at how awesome it turned out.  It was good right after I prepared it, at room temp.  It was even better after being in the fridge for a few hours before The Beard got home from work, the flavors having had a chance to mix and marry together.  Chilled and with a crumbly feta mixed in before serving, the chickpea salad made a great side dish for the two of us, but I found myself spooning some of it into the pita with my chicken and tzatziki about as often as I ate it alone.  I ate the leftovers the following day, heated up with the leftover chicken, and the combination of warm chicken and chickpeas with the cold yogurt sauce was something I could see working well for someone into weekly meal planning.

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Chickpea Salad

Served cold or at room temperature, this fresh combination of chickpeas, feta, and herbs makes a fantastic side dish for a summer meal that won't have you standing by the stove to prepare it.

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine Greek

Keyword chickpeas, feta, garbanzo beans

Prep Time 5 minutes

Servings 3

Ingredients

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 15oz can
• 3 tbsps olive oil
• 3 tbsps lemon juice
• 3 tbsps feta cheese crumbled
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried dill
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. In a small mixing bowl, combine the rinsed chickpeas, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper.  Mix well and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

2. Before serving, sprinkle with the crumbled feta cheese and mix once more to combine all ingredients.  

Recipe Notes

This dish can be served chilled or at room temperature, but is also pretty tasty warmed up with some cold tzatziki, or added to a pita with some meat.

The Tart

The Tart likes to eat, cook, and bake things.  She eats to work out, and she works out to be able to eat.