← Back to the recipe garden

🥗 Salads & bowls

Calabrian chili chicken dense bean salad

Spicy, lemony, feta-y lunch cauldron

⏱️ Time estimate: about 40 minutes

Marinated chicken, white beans, kidney beans, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, olives, and feta all get tossed with a punchy Calabrian chili dressing.

Calabrian chili chicken dense bean salad with beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, feta, olives, and chicken

Ingredients

For the marinade

  • 1/4 cup Calabrian chili paste
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 1/2 pounds chicken

For the salad

  • 1 can white beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup Kalamata olives
  • 4 Persian cucumbers, sliced
  • 2 bell peppers, diced
  • 1 block feta (5 ounces), crumbled
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 bunch parsley, minced
  • 1 shallot, minced

For the dressing

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons Calabrian chili paste
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

  1. Marinate the chicken. Whisk together the chili paste, mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and oregano. Coat the chicken, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
  2. Cook the chicken. Heat a grill pan or cast iron pan over medium-high heat and grease it well. Cook the chicken about 7 minutes per side, until well seared and cooked to 165°F. Let it rest, then dice it.
  3. Build the salad base. Combine the white beans, kidney beans, olives, cucumbers, bell peppers, feta, cherry tomatoes, parsley, shallot, and diced chicken in a large bowl.
  4. Whisk the dressing. Mix the garlic, olive oil, white wine vinegar, mayonnaise, lemon juice, Calabrian chili paste, and salt until smooth and creamy.
  5. Toss and eat. Pour the dressing over the salad, toss well, and serve.

The original import says this makes a very large batch, around 6 to 7 quarts, so this is prime meal-prep beast mode.