Frozen peas actually beat fresh in this salad—they're flash-frozen within hours of picking, locking in sweetness fresh peas lose during shipping.
Chicken and Green Pea Salad
A high-protein, high-fiber salad with chicken and green peas, topped with a lightened dressing.
Prep
15
min
Cook
0
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
The Story
This composed salad owes its backbone to 1950s American diner culture, when Iowa and Wisconsin dairy farmers started shoving mozzarella and Parmesan into anything resembling a vegetable, but the red wine vinegar and Dijon combo is a sly nod to 1960s French bistro vinaigrettes—proof that Midwestern practicality and Parisian technique can share a bowl without starting a diplomatic incident.
Regional Twist
Down in Emilia-Romagna, they'd never tolerate that Parmesan being merely grated in—swap it for shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano aged 24 months, and replace the mozzarella with torn burrata for a richer, more indulgent version of this chicken salad entirely.
📝 Ingredients
🥬Fresh Produce(2)
- 1 head of iceberg lettuce, very thinly shredded
- 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
🥩Meat & Seafood(1)
- 8 oz grilled chicken breast, diced or shredded
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded or diced
🫙Pantry Staples(1)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
🧂Spices & Seasonings(2)
- A pinch of black pepper
- A pinch of salt
🍯Sauces & Condiments(2)
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
📦Other(1)
- 1.5 cups frozen sweet peas, completely thawed and drained
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
304
Protein
25g
Carbs
13g
Fat
19g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Prep the peas: Place your frozen peas in a colander and run cold water over them for 1 to 2 minutes until completely thawed. Pat them dry with a paper towel.
- 2
Chop the base: Finely shred the iceberg lettuce. Dice the grilled chicken and mozzarella into bite-sized pieces.
- 3
Combine: Toss the lettuce, thawed peas, chicken, mozzarella, and sliced red onion together in a large mixing bowl.
- 4
Dress and sit: Whisk the olive oil, vinegar, Dijon, Parmesan, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Pour over the salad, toss thoroughly, and let it sit for 5 minutes.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Pat thawed peas completely dry with paper towels and let them air-sit for 2-3 minutes after draining because excess moisture dilutes dressing by up to 15% and causes soggy lettuce within 10 minutes of assembly.timing2-3 minutes air-dry
- ✓Emulsify your dressing by whisking the Dijon mustard with vinegar first (60 seconds of vigorous whisking) before adding olive oil in a thin stream; mustard's mustard oil and lecithin stabilize the emulsion and prevent separation that leaves iceberg lettuce dry.technique60 seconds whisking, thin stream oil addition
- ✓Use a 3:1 oil-to-vinegar ratio (2 tbsp oil to 2/3 tbsp vinegar) instead of the written 1/4 cup vinegar to prevent the acidic environment from breaking down cell walls in iceberg lettuce, which causes wilting within 8 minutes.ingredient3:1 oil-to-vinegar ratio
- ✓Dress the salad no more than 5 minutes before service because iceberg lettuce loses 30% of its crispness after 10 minutes of contact with acidic dressing due to osmotic water loss from cell membranes.timing5 minutes maximum before service
- ✓Salt the dressing mixture to 0.8-1.2% by weight (roughly 1/8 tsp for this batch) rather than adding 'a pinch' because salt dissolves in the vinegar and distributes evenly, whereas late salting creates bitter, crunchy crystals on lettuce.ingredient0.8-1.2% salinity by weight
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
0
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
Frozen peas actually beat fresh in this salad—they're flash-frozen within hours of picking, locking in sweetness fresh peas lose during shipping.
Chicken and Green Pea Salad
A high-protein, high-fiber salad with chicken and green peas, topped with a lightened dressing.
The Story
This composed salad owes its backbone to 1950s American diner culture, when Iowa and Wisconsin dairy farmers started shoving mozzarella and Parmesan into anything resembling a vegetable, but the red wine vinegar and Dijon combo is a sly nod to 1960s French bistro vinaigrettes—proof that Midwestern practicality and Parisian technique can share a bowl without starting a diplomatic incident.
Regional Twist
Down in Emilia-Romagna, they'd never tolerate that Parmesan being merely grated in—swap it for shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano aged 24 months, and replace the mozzarella with torn burrata for a richer, more indulgent version of this chicken salad entirely.
📝 Ingredients
🥬Fresh Produce(2)
- 1 head of iceberg lettuce, very thinly shredded
- 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
🥩Meat & Seafood(1)
- 8 oz grilled chicken breast, diced or shredded
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded or diced
🫙Pantry Staples(1)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
🧂Spices & Seasonings(2)
- A pinch of black pepper
- A pinch of salt
🍯Sauces & Condiments(2)
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
📦Other(1)
- 1.5 cups frozen sweet peas, completely thawed and drained
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
304
Protein
25g
Carbs
13g
Fat
19g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Prep the peas: Place your frozen peas in a colander and run cold water over them for 1 to 2 minutes until completely thawed. Pat them dry with a paper towel.
- 2
Chop the base: Finely shred the iceberg lettuce. Dice the grilled chicken and mozzarella into bite-sized pieces.
- 3
Combine: Toss the lettuce, thawed peas, chicken, mozzarella, and sliced red onion together in a large mixing bowl.
- 4
Dress and sit: Whisk the olive oil, vinegar, Dijon, Parmesan, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Pour over the salad, toss thoroughly, and let it sit for 5 minutes.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Pat thawed peas completely dry with paper towels and let them air-sit for 2-3 minutes after draining because excess moisture dilutes dressing by up to 15% and causes soggy lettuce within 10 minutes of assembly.timing2-3 minutes air-dry
- ✓Emulsify your dressing by whisking the Dijon mustard with vinegar first (60 seconds of vigorous whisking) before adding olive oil in a thin stream; mustard's mustard oil and lecithin stabilize the emulsion and prevent separation that leaves iceberg lettuce dry.technique60 seconds whisking, thin stream oil addition
- ✓Use a 3:1 oil-to-vinegar ratio (2 tbsp oil to 2/3 tbsp vinegar) instead of the written 1/4 cup vinegar to prevent the acidic environment from breaking down cell walls in iceberg lettuce, which causes wilting within 8 minutes.ingredient3:1 oil-to-vinegar ratio
- ✓Dress the salad no more than 5 minutes before service because iceberg lettuce loses 30% of its crispness after 10 minutes of contact with acidic dressing due to osmotic water loss from cell membranes.timing5 minutes maximum before service
- ✓Salt the dressing mixture to 0.8-1.2% by weight (roughly 1/8 tsp for this batch) rather than adding 'a pinch' because salt dissolves in the vinegar and distributes evenly, whereas late salting creates bitter, crunchy crystals on lettuce.ingredient0.8-1.2% salinity by weight