Grilled chicken salad with orange & chickpeas
Olive oil, fresh orange juice, honey, and a pinch of cinnamon. That is the entire dressing, and it is doing more work than you would guess. Poured over a bowl of chickpeas, grilled chicken strips, carrot ribbons, orange segments, cucumber, raisins, and crumbled feta, it turns a pile of ingredients into something you will actually look forward to eating.
Two slices of whole wheat bread on the side bring the total to 987 calories and 55 grams of protein from both plant and animal sources, with 22 grams of fiber. Five minutes of assembly. Nothing cooked.
Ingredients
- chickpeas 5 ounces
- carrot 1
- cucumber 0.5
- scallion 1
- orange 1
- grilled chicken strips 3 ounces
- raisins 1 ounce
- feta cheese, crumbled 2 ounces
- olive oil 1.5 tablespoon
- honey 0.5 tablespoon
- cinnamon 1 pinch
- bread, whole wheat 2 slices
Method
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Rinse the chickpeas in a colander with cold water and let them drain.
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Wash the carrot and use a vegetable peeler to create thin strips. Slice the cucumber into thin strips and cut the scallion into rings.
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Peel the orange and cut the segments into pieces. Set aside 1 tablespoon of orange juice.
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Place the chickpeas, carrot, cucumber, scallion, orange, grilled chicken and raisins in a bowl. Crumble the feta over the top.
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In a small bowl, make the dressing by mixing the oil, orange juice, honey and cinnamon.
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Pour the dressing over the salad and toss everything together. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with the (toasted) bread.
Pack this in a sealed container for a no-prep lunch anywhere. Keep the dressing separate and pour it on right before eating. The olive oil, orange juice, honey, and cinnamon emulsify best when freshly mixed, and the carrot ribbons and cucumber stay crisp when they are not sitting in liquid.
Why This Works
Behind this recipe
Why combine chicken AND chickpeas in the same salad?
Two reasons. First, the combination brings this salad to 55 grams of protein from both animal and plant sources in a single sitting. Grilled chicken carries a full amino acid profile, while chickpeas add protein alongside fiber and complex carbs. Second, research pooling multiple studies on muscle outcomes found that the total amount of protein matters more than whether it came from animals or plants. This bowl covers both bases without needing a second meal to balance anything out.
Read the full evidence reviewIs 55 grams of protein too much for one meal?
No. The widely repeated 30-gram-per-meal cap came from studies that stopped measuring protein synthesis too early, before the body finished processing the full dose. Dose-response research using longer measurement windows found that your body keeps processing and using protein far past that number. This salad's 55 grams from chicken and chickpeas is within what the evidence shows the body can use in a single sitting.
Read the full evidence reviewCan I make this the night before?
Yes, and it is one of the better make-ahead lunches in the library because nothing needs cooking or reheating. Pack the chickpeas, chicken, carrot ribbons, cucumber, scallion, and raisins in a sealed container. Keep the feta and dressing separate until you eat. The vegetables stay crisp and the feta does not absorb moisture overnight.
What does cinnamon do in a salad dressing?
It bridges the sweet and savory elements. The honey provides sweetness, the olive oil provides body, and the orange juice provides acid. Cinnamon ties them into a warm, slightly spiced flavor that works with both the feta's saltiness and the raisins' sweetness. It is a North African and Middle Eastern combination. Start with the pinch the recipe calls for and adjust from there.
