Salad Dressing | March 30, 2019

The Original Chopped Salad

Name: The Original Chopped Salad
Prep time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1/2 cup *smoked salmon, chopped or broken apart and flaked; 2/3 cup freeze dried corn; 2/3 cup chopped arugula; 2/3 cup cooked Israeli couscous*; 1/2 cup diced tomato (Romas); 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1/4 cup black currants*; 1/4 cup toasted and salted pepitas (pumpkin seeds); 3 tablespoons ground Asiago cheese*; 1 cup Best Foods mayo; 1/4 cup buttermilk, shaken; 1 tablespoon grated Romano cheese*; Juice of one lemon; 12 basil leaves, about 1/2 cup very loosely packed; 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic; fresh ground sea salt and pepper

The Original Chopped Salad, made famous at Citizen Public House and also at The Gladly restaurant in Phoenix, AZ is easy to make at home! A unique blend of veggies- fresh and dried, sweet currants, salty pepitas and creamy dressing make this salad a hit with everyone. The Original Chopped Salad recipe is one you will make over and over again.

Arizona State Salad

A few weeks ago, my daughter Brooke, aka Female Foodie , texted me and said “Mom you NEED to make this salad, it is one of the best salads I have ever eaten!” When your daughter (who has a food blog and eats out every day) says this is one of the best salads she has ever eaten, you know it has to be good! The Gladly restaurant in Phoenix, AZ features this salad as one of their signature dishes.

Photo credit Brooke Eliason Femalefoodie.com The Original Chopped Salad at The Gladly, Phoenix,AZ

The Phoenix Business Journal reported the salad was sold 75,000 times in one year. The Original Chopped Salad is also served at a sister restaurant to The Gladly; Citizen Public House (only open for dinner) in Scottsdale, AZ. There are many sources who report the (original) Original Chopped Salad was served at a Scottsdale establishment, Cowboy Ciao, (now closed). Tracing the origin of this salad is similar to tracing my family history! Anyhow, many identify this salad as the Arizona state salad. Do you know states not only have official flags, flowers and birds, but also SALAD?? I’m not sure this is official, but I do know Arizona residents love this salad!

This salad is everything. yes, everything. And all the things.

With thousands of salad recipes floating around online, what makes this salad so special?? The perfect salad has just the right blend of textures, flavors, colors and the Original Chopped Salad includes ALL THE THINGS!!

The “trail mix” consists of roasted pepitas, currants and grated cheese

The recipe from the chef at the Gladly includes: smoked salmon, Israeli (pearl) couscous, fresh arugula, freeze dried corn, and a homemade “trail mix” that includes currants, pumpkin seeds, and Asiago cheese. The salad also celebrates tomatoes marinated in balsamic and olive oil. It’s almost too good to be true. All topped with a fresh cheese and herb dressing. The dressing by itself is worthy of post!

From Arugula to Trail Mix

This salad has multiple components, and the first time I made it, it took me a minute to wrap my head around all of the different ingredients. Mastering the making of the Original Chopped Salad is easy, it just takes a few steps. The first (and most time consuming) step is gathering the ingredients.

Israeli Couscous aka Pearl Couscous- found this at Trader Joe’s

Smoked salmon is found in most grocery stores. If you’re lucky enough to live on the west coast, you have easy access to freshly smoked salmon. Take advantage and buy from a local source! I found a good organic smoked salmon at Costco. If you aren’t a fan of fish, or smoked salmon, you could use chicken breast or bacon as a suitable substitute. That said, I believe the smoked salmon gives this salad a unique flavor not to be missed!

The freeze dried corn is a little tricky to find. I made several stops at grocery stores and finally found it at Whole Foods and Harmons (a local Utah grocery store). I wanted to make the salad before I found the freeze dried corn at a grocery store, so I opted to empty a bag of corn onto a jelly roll pan and turn the oven to the “dehydrator” setting, which means cooking low and slow at 135 degrees convection. I left the corn in the oven for about 6 hours. After 6 hours, it was crunchy and still sweet and a decent substitute for freeze dried corn. Making your own dried corn substitute at home is less expensive and less of a hassle to find than freeze dried corn, but not quite as pretty in the salad!

Original Chopped Salad for 1,2 or 4

This recipe for Original Chopped Salad serves one hungry person, two people with a baguette on the side, or 4 people as a side dish or side salad. When serving this salad, make sure to plate and serve with the dressing in a small container on the side. The salad may then be tossed with dressing. I’d love to hear your thoughts about the Original Chopped Salad in-restaurant or after making it at home!

5 from 4 votes