Chicken and Kidney Bean Salad

This chicken and kidney bean salad is the kind of meal I want to eat all summer. Loaded. Colorful. Actually fills you up. Once the chicken is baked (I do mine ahead of time), the rest is just chopping and tossing.

The honey garlic dressing is almost stupidly good, and the whole salad takes about 25 minutes to pull together. I've made this on evenings where I had absolutely nothing left in me and it saved dinner.

Why I Keep Making This Salad

I'm not someone who makes a recipe once and moves on. If something earns a spot in my rotation, it's because it actually works on a random Tuesday when I'm tired, and the kitchen is already a mess. This salad is that recipe.

It started as a summer thing. I wanted something that felt big and satisfying but didn't involve turning the oven on for an hour. The chicken gets baked ahead of time (here's my oven-baked chicken breast recipe). After that. Just knife work and a whisk. Twenty-five minutes and dinner is done.

What keeps me coming back is the dressing. This ridiculous honey garlic situation that's sweet and tangy and a little spicy all at once. I could just eat it with a spoon. When you drizzle it over the chicken and the beans and all those crunchy fresh veggies, everything clicks.

And then there's the hazelnut and raisin thing. I know it sounds weird. Nuts and dried fruit on a savory salad. But the crunch from the hazelnuts against the soft avocado, and the little bursts of sweetness from the raisins next to the peppery basil. It caught me off guard the first time I tried it.

Nothing wilts. That's the other thing. You can make this and eat it two hours later, and it's still good. The iceberg holds up. The beans hold up. Even the avocado stays decent if you toss it in the dressing right away. One of those salads that gets better as it sits because everything soaks up that dressing.

Ingredients

For the Dressing:

• Olive oil
• Apple cider vinegar
• Honey
• Crushed garlic
• Fresh lemon juice
• Sesame seeds
• Red chili flakes
• Salt

For the Salad Base:

• Baked chicken breast
• Red kidney beans
• Iceberg lettuce
• Bell peppers (red, yellow, and orange)
• Cherry tomatoes
• Cucumber
• Avocado
• Hazelnuts
• Raisins
• Basil leaves

Let's Make Chicken and Kidney Bean Salad

Whisk the dressing. Go at it until the honey fully dissolves and the whole thing looks smooth and blended. Then set it aside.

Shred or slice the chicken into small pieces. I use my hands or two forks for this. Get the kidney beans on a separate plate so they're ready to go.

Now chop everything. Shred the lettuce thin. Slice panels off each bell pepper along their natural lines and chop those into small squares. Don't forget to pull the seeds out. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Chop the cucumber into small pieces. Dice the avocado. Chop the basil finely or leave the leaves whole, your call.

Spread the lettuce across a big serving platter. That's your bed. Scatter the peppers, cucumber, avocado, cherry tomatoes, and kidney beans over the top. Layer the chicken on. Sprinkle the hazelnuts and raisins everywhere. Give the dressing one last whisk, drizzle it over the whole thing, throw the basil on, and toss gently. Done.

Try These Salads Next:

• Roasted Black Chickpea Egg Salad (High Protein)
• Newk's Chicken Salad (Without Celery)
• Healthy Papaya Salad

Tips for the Best Chicken and Kidney Bean Salad

• Use a mix of bell pepper colors if you can. You don't need the whole pepper from each. Slice off a few panels, chop them up, save the rest for something else during the week.
• No fresh garlic? Garlic powder works. But use way less. A teaspoon is plenty since it's more concentrated.
• Chili flakes are optional.
• I boiled red beans at home. You can absolutely use tinned. Rinse and drain them and you're sorted.
• Basil can be fresh or frozen. Both work. I've done it both ways and couldn't tell the difference once everything was tossed together.
• Use a big platter. Bigger than you think you need. The tossing gets a little wild and you want room so the dressing actually hits everything.