Lemon Parmesan Salad with Chickpeas & Chicken

episode #62 of 30-minute budget meals

Hello from Atlanta! I’ve been all over the place lately, but now, we are at Grant’s parents’ house for a long weekend. We’re having a baby shower here to celebrate with Grant’s side of the family and everyone else who lives closer to here than LA, and I’m so excited! I’m about to enter my third trimester, which is wild, but I feel like I’m thriving right now! I know, I know, ask me how I feel in a few weeks, but I’m soaking it up while I can.

I made this recipe coming off the throws of New York City, where I was eating lots of good food but not a ton of salads. It was a good, hearty meal that helped assure I got some of my greens in.

For me, a quick meal is almost always a salad, but I know the chopping can get annoying, and if you don’t have a bunch of options laying around at home, it sometimes requires you buy a lot of ingredients.

But not this salad!

This salad is more like a 20-minute meal than a 30-minute meal (yay!), and it only requires a smidge of chopping. This is one of those refreshing and light crunchy salads with hints of Italian energy, not quite authentic but something you’d imagine eating at a bougie lunch cafe. The base is romaine, and everything is tossed in a bright, lemony dressing and tied together with lots of finely grated Parmesan.

The best part, though, is the ample amount of protein in this salad, at a minimal cost. This is thanks to canned ingredients — chickpeas and chicken — that allow you to meet your macro goals with minimal time and minimum spending. I also threw in some artichoke hearts, shallots, and basil for even more freshness!

If you don’t like the idea of using canned chicken, you can always roast a chicken breast yourself, shred it, and add it to this salad! Alternatively, if you’re a vegetarian, skip it, and just use the chickpeas! Feel free to add a can of white beans or kidney beans if you want to double up the protein.

RECIPE!

Lemon Parmesan Salad with Chickpeas & Chicken

Ingredients (serves 2-3)