Crunchy Chickpea Salad with Creamy Greek Yogurt Herb Dressing
This crunchy chickpea salad is crisp, bright, and loaded with fresh herbs. Shredded cabbage, cucumber, and Granny Smith apple are tossed in a zesty Greek yogurt dressing made with lime, jalapeño, cilantro, dill, and parsley, then topped with salty feta and oven-roasted chickpeas for crunch. It’s easy to prep in pieces, and the dressing, chickpeas, and veggies can all be made ahead. Just toss everything together right before serving so it stays crisp instead of turning into a wet slaw.
Turn it into a slaw. This recipe works just as well as a slaw as it does a salad. If the salad sits in the dressing for a while, the cabbage and cucumbers soften and release a little liquid, and you end up with a creamy, tangy herb slaw. Skip the chickpeas and feta at that point, since they’ll lose their crunch and get soggy, and enjoy it as a topping instead. Pile it on tacos, tuck it into a pulled chicken sandwich, or serve it alongside BBQ or crispy fried chicken. The lime, jalapeño, and fresh herbs add brightness and cut through rich, smoky flavors, so it’s a great make-ahead side for cookouts and weeknight dinners.
Crunchy Chickpea Salad with Creamy Greek Yogurt Herb Dressing
Equipment
- 1 Blender Can finely chop herbs if you do not have a blender
Ingredients
Crunchy Chickpeas
- 1 can 15 oz chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and patted dry
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Creamy Herb Dressing
- 2 garlic cloves
- Juice of 3 limes plus zest of 1 lime
- 1 tbsp honey
- ¾ cup Greek yogurt
- ½ jalapeño seeds removed
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- ¼ cup fresh dill
- ¼ cup fresh parsley
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Salad Base
- 2½ cups sliced green cabbage about ½ medium head
- 2 large cucumbers cut into matchsticks
- 1 large Granny Smith apple cut into matchsticks (unpeeled)
- 1 bunch green onions sliced diagonally
- ½ cup whole cilantro leaves
- ½ cup whole parsley leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Roast the chickpeas. Heat the oven to 400°F. Toss the chickpeas with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for about 30 minutes, or until as crunchy as you like. Transfer to a paper towel and let cool completely.
- Make the dressing. Add all the dressing ingredients except the olive oil to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Whisk in the olive oil by hand. (Blending the oil at high speed can make it taste bitter.)
- Prep the vegetables. Combine the cabbage, cucumbers, apple, green onions, cilantro, and parsley in a large bowl.
- Dress and serve immediately. Toss the salad with the dressing right before serving, then top with the feta and crunchy chickpeas.
Notes
- Dress at the last minute. If the salad sits in the dressing, the cabbage and cucumbers release water and it turns into a wet coleslaw.
- Storing and meal prep: Keep the dressing, chopped vegetables, and crunchy chickpeas in separate containers, and add the feta when serving. Combining them early will make the chickpeas lose their crunch.
- Leftovers: Once dressed, the salad becomes more of a slaw. It’s still delicious, but skip the feta and chickpeas on leftovers and just enjoy it as a slaw.
