Lemony Leftover Chicken and Farro Salad

Here’s a hearty, healthy chicken salad recipe the whole family will love. Use leftover chicken (leftover rotisserie chicken is my go-to) chewy, nutty farro and a bevy of Mediterranean flavors for a bright, delicious farro salad that’s great for picnics and easy summer eating.

Why You’ll Love Lemony Leftover Chicken and Farro Salad

I’ve been making versions of healthy chicken salad like this for years.  I love it because it doesn’t get weighed down with goopy mayonnaise or creamy dressings that can become a petri dish of biohazards when sitting out on a hot summer day. Instead, it’s loaded with big identifiable chunks of chicken and fresh vegetables and simply dressed with a lemony vinaigrette.

Since we spend many weekends visiting my parents in the Florida Keys (where it’s perpetually 95° and balmy), we’d rather be boating, swimming or crooning to Jimmy Buffett instead of slaving away in the kitchen. Therefore, I make this leftover chicken farro salad the day before and bring it out the next day at lunchtime along with ice cold drinks and chilled wedges of pineapple and watermelon for an easy, breezy picnic lunch under the chickee hut. (That’s the chickee hut above — and you can’t really see it in this shot, but there is a picnic table under there.)

Ingredients For Leftover Chicken Farro Salad

You can actually take this salad in many different directions depending on what you mix it with, but for this particular rendition, I’m sticking with Mediterranean flavors.

• Leftover Chicken Breast Meat
• Cooked Farro
• Chick Peas 
• Red Onion
• Grape Tomatoes
• Bell Pepper (Roasted, peeled and seeded)
• Kalmata Olives
• Cucumber (I used English cucumbers)
• Feta Cheese
• Capers
• Fresh Parsley
• Mint Leaves
• Oregano

Pro Tip: The key to this salad is to cook the farro and allow it to cool to room temperature before adding to the other ingredients, otherwise it would wilt the vegetables and you want them to stay vibrant. When cooling the farro, remove the lid to allow the grains to dry out a bit as they cool.  

Best Cheese For Healthy Chicken Salad

You can use several types of cheeses in this Mediterranean farro salad. My preference is feta(either the crumbles or a whole block that’s been cut into cubes), but fresh mozzarella chunks, would be great, too. Even shaved parmesan would bring an earthy, umami flair. I usually don’t add the cheese until just before serving to keep the flavors fresh and the texture, palatable. (Not to be gross, but cheese that sits in a salad for a few days can take on a wholly unpleasant texture). 

Making Lemon Vinaigrette For Farro Salad

Tangy citrus dressing really adds a lively punch to the flavors in the leftover rotisserie chicken salad and it’s so much better than any ready-made salad dressing.

Ingredients For Lemon Dressing:

• Lemon (zest and juice
• Garlic
• Dijon Mustard
• Champagne Vinegar
• Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt
• Black Pepper

Whisk the ingredients in a small bowl until emulsified and dress the salad, tossing well to coat all the ingredients. Note: You may not need all of the vinaigrette for the salad. Add about half of the dressing and toss completely, then taste for seasoning. If it needs more, add it a tablespoon at a time, tossing after each addition.

Versatility of Healthy Chicken Salad

This simple, flavorful leftover chicken farro salad with that citrusy dose of vinaigrette and fresh herbs is an easy, delicious meal, that’s perfect for picnics, potlucks and even pack-n-go work lunches… and if you happen to be vacationing by the shore, make it ahead of time, for a no-fuss, healthy, delicious meal to fuel your fun-filled day. 

More Healthy Chicken Salad Recipes: 

• Curried Chicken Salad with Rotisserie Chicken
• Smoky Chorizo Chicken Salad
• Asian Chicken Salad
• Lemony Chicken Orzo Salad
• Mediterranean Khorasan Wheat Salad

More Farro Salad Recipes:

• Farro, Tomato and Green Bean Salad
• Chicken Kale Farro Salad with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Farro Pomegranate Kale Salad
• Grilled Vegetables with Feta and Farro
• Nicoise Farro Salad

Lemony Leftover Chicken and Farro Salad

Course: Main Course, Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baked chicken, farro, vinaigrette

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 530kcal

This salad makes a complete meal for lunch or dinner!

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For Salad

• breast meat from 1 rotisserie chicken skinned, boned, diced into 1/2" chunks
• 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes halved
• 1/2 english cucumber sliced lengthwise and cut into thin half moons
• 1/2 red onion finely diced
• 1 red yellow or orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped into bite size chunks
• 1 cup farro prepared according to manufacturers instructions
• 1 8- ounce can garbanzo beans chick peas, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 c kalamata olives seeded, halved lengthwise
• 2 T capers drained
• 1 cup feta cheese drained and cubed
• 1/2 cup italian parsley leaves fresh chopped
• 1 tablespoon mint leaves optional, chopped
• 1 tablespoon oregano fresh optional, chopped

For Lemon Vinaigrette

• 1 lemon zested and juiced
• 3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
• 2 T dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon champagne vinegar or other wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

Instructions

• For salad: In a large bowl toss all salad ingredients together.
• For vinaigrette: Add the lemon juice to a glass measuring cup. Add enough vinegar to the lemon juice to equal 1/4 cup liquid. Add remaining ingredients and whisk until dressing is emulsified.
• Drizzle dressing over the chicken salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Notes

If you're not serving the salad immediately, wait to add the herbs just before serving for brighter, and fresher flavors.

Nutrition

Calories: 530kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 2261mg | Potassium: 743mg | Fiber: 17g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1005IU | Vitamin C: 15.8mg | Calcium: 333mg | Iron: 5.3mg

Pin “Lemony Leftover Chicken and Farro Salad” For Later!