Arugula Salad with Cherry Tomatoes, Chickpeas, Hard-Cooked Eggs, and Pecorino is a simple, almost no-cook dinner salad, perfect for the dog days of summer. Buy a rotisserie chicken along with some hard-boiled eggs at the supermarket and now you definitely have a “no-cook” meal.
In addition to oil and vinegar for the vinaigrette, Cook’s Illustrated made it with a combination of emulsifiers (mustard and mayonnaise) and a stabilizer (molasses), which help the emulsion form and hold for several days. We had some concerns with adding molasses, but it worked perfectly without any overpowering emphasis.
The dressing template is adaptable to a variety of oils and acids, as well as aromatics and fresh herbs, so feel free to experiment. For instance, switch out lemon juice in place of wine vinegar; or replace the baby arugula with watercress and baby spinach. You could also substitute toasted hazelnut or walnut oil for the extra-virgin olive oil.
Simply simple.
Arugula Salad with Cherry Tomatoes, Chickpeas, Hard-Cooked Eggs and Pecorino
Ingredients
- 10 ounces (10 cups) baby arugula
- 12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
- ¼ cup Make-Ahead Vinaigrette
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 3 hard-cooked large eggs, quartered
- 2 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, shaved
Directions
- Toss arugula, tomatoes, and chickpeas with 3 tablespoons vinaigrette in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to serving platter.
- Add chicken to now-empty bowl along with remaining 1 tablespoon vinaigrette and toss to combine.
- Arrange chicken over arugula, followed by eggs.
- Sprinkle with shaved Pecorino and serve.
Make Ahead Vinaigrette
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ cup wine vinegar
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
Regular or light mayonnaise can be used in this recipe; but DO NOT use blackstrap molasses.
Directions
- Combine mayonnaise, molasses, mustard, and salt in 2-cup jar with tight-fitting lid. Stir with fork until mixture is milky in appearance and no lumps of mayonnaise or molasses remain.
- Add vinegar, seal jar, and shake until smooth, about 10 seconds.
- Add ¼ cup olive oil, seal jar, and shake vigorously until thoroughly combined, about 10 seconds.
- Repeat, adding remaining ¼ cup olive oil and vegetable oil in 2 additions, shaking vigorously until thoroughly combined after each addition. (After third addition, vinaigrette should be glossy and lightly thickened, with no pools of oil on its surface.)
- Refrigerate for up to 1 week. Shake briefly before using.
Recipes adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
Accounting for Taste 