Green Goddess Chicken Salad

This green goddess chicken salad meal prep was inspired by a recent delicious lunch I had a Sweetgreen. There are roasted sweet potatoes, slightly spicy broccoli, crunchy red cabbage, and a delicious and creamy green goddess ranch dressing.

Inspiration from Sweetgreen’s Super green goddess salad:

When I used to travel for work frequently, I LOVED eating at Sweetgreen. It was a dependable, fresh, healthy spot, and there were so many different combinations and flavors. There are several components that make up a one of their delicious bowls, and understanding the breakdown makes it easy to replicate at home and for the week:

• Fresh Cut Crunchy Veggies
  • Sweetgreen is known for it’s organic, local produce, which are typically super fresh and crunchy. The crunchy veggies used in their super green goddess salad include red cabbage and romaine.
• Roast Veggies
  • Using roast veggies in a salad is an easy way to add cooked elements into a salad and maintain that fresh flavor profile. Here, we use roast sweet potatoes and spicy broccoli. If you’ve ever heard of Salt, Acid, Fat, Heat, the roast veggies encompass the HEAT component, as the high heat cooking brings an unique and delicious flavor to the dish.
• Fresh homemade dressing with fresh herbs
  • Herbs are another easy way to add flavor and freshness to the dish. The green goddess ranch dressing has fresh herbs, lemon juice, garlic, and mayo. This element has all the SALT, ACID, and FAT components I previously talked about. The green goddess ranch is salty, tangy from the lemon juice, and creamy from the mayo.
• Roast Chicken and Quinoa
  • The warm and protein packed elements of this salad that keep you full until dinner and include more HEAT components of a fully satisfying meal. The chicken and quinoa aren’t traditional in Sweetgreen’s original salad, but I like to add these for my green goddess chicken salad.

Roasting Veggies 101

General Guidance and Tips:

1. Chop each vegetable into uniform sizes. All broccoli should be around the same size, and the sweet potatoes should also all be a similar thickness. This will determine the overall cook time, and uniform size is important in preventing having undercooked, perfect, and overcooked pieces all on the same baking sheet.
2. Coat the veggies with olive oil, kosher salt, and black pepper. Oil is needed to help cook the vegetables properly, and to prevent burning and drying out. A general rule of thumb I use is about 2 tablespoons per pound of vegetable.
3. Use high heat. I roast veggies at 425F, and this high heat brings out the best flavors of the vegetables!
4. Don’t crowd the pan. Place the vegetables comfortably on the baking sheet, with about 80% of each piece fully touching the pan. Crowding the pan causes the vegetables to steam, which eliminates the purpose of roasting (and takes longer than expected).
5. Look for golden brown edges. Delicious roast veggies have golden brown edges. These indicate the Maillard reaction has occurred, which means maximal caramelization and flavor.

FAQ

• How long will this store?
  • I prefer to prep 3 days worth on meals to ensure freshness. I also use the forth serving for dinner one evening. Since my office days are Tuesday – Thursday, I like to make this recipe Monday evening.
• What’s the best way to store the ingredients?
  • Store the cut lettuce in a plastic ziplock bag with a paper towel to absorb moisture. Dry the lettuce before you pack it up, as water is what holds bacteria and makes produce spoil more quickly.
  • Store the cut red cabbage in an airtight container and in the refrigerator.
  • Store the roast veggies also in an airtight container and in the refrigerator.
  • Store the quinoa and roast chicken it its own smaller containers. Additionally, I like to freeze these to keep them fresh (even for 3 days), defrost the night before, and heat it slightly before adding to the salad.
  • Keep the dressing in a airtight jar or bottle and this will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
• How to cook quinoa?
  • You can read more about how I make quinoa in this post here about Quinoa Meal Prep. I always cook quinoa on the stovetop and it’s one of my favorite grains!

Ingredients and Substitutions – Uncooked

Romaine Lettuce – I love to use romaine lettuce in this green goddess chicken salad because it adds a crunchy texture. Feel free to go half and half with a spring mix or arugula in addition to the romaine.

Red Cabbage – This red cabbage is a beautiful color addition as well as crunch to the overall salad. This recipe only calls for 1/4 of a head, and I try to pick half a head and use the other 1/4 head for another recipe. You could also purchase 1 cup of the pre-cut shredded red cabbage.

Herbs– The green goddess dressing uses cilantro, basil, and scallions. I like to use these 3 herbs as they can also be used with many of recipes to incorporate throughout the week.

Mayo – Mayo is the creamy element in this salad that packs flavor and texture in the homemade green goddess ranch dressing. The mayo is blended together with the fresh herbs, lemon juice, salt, and garlic, and is so delicious! If you really prefer not to use mayo, you can substitute full-fat yogurt or extra virgin olive oil.

Lemon – This acts as the acidic element in the green goddess ranch and adds an incredible freshness to the dressing!

Ingredients and Substitutions – Cooked

White Quinoa – The main grain in this dish is white quinoa. It’s packed with protein and great nutrients like magnesium, folic acid, and fiber. You can skip this if you prefer, but I like the extra protein to keep me full until dinner.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes – This is one of my favorite elements of the salad. It’s sweet, nutritious, and pairs with all the flavors and crunchy romaine and red cabbage. Feel free to substitute with regular potatoes, parsnips, or any other root vegetable.

Roast Chicken – I’m using chicken thighs, but you can easily substitute this with chicken breast, firm tofu, or even portobello mushrooms.

Spicy Roast Broccoli – These are tender, flavorful, and another delicious element in making this chicken salad super satisfying.

Video Tutorial Here: Green Goddess Chicken Salad

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Other Chicken salad Ideas

If you like chicken salads, check out these other Chicken Recipes:

• Spring Quinoa Bowl with Green Goddess Chicken and Snap Peas
• Ginger Scallion Chicken Salad with Charred Potatoes and Pickled Red Onions
• Honey Gochujang Chicken Salads with Quinoa, Edamame, quick-pickled Cucumber Strawberry Kimchi, and Sesame Vinaigrette
• Green Goddess Chicken Salad with Charred Potatoes and Balsamic Vinaigrette