If you’ve ever visited a Portillo’s, you’re probably familiar with their famous chopped salad. It’s a refreshing and delicious mix of vegetables, meats, and cheese. All of the ingredients are chopped up into bite-sized pieces and tossed with a tangy, and slightly sweet, Creamy Italian Dressing. This hearty salad is a perfect meal for any time of day, whether you’re looking for a light lunch or a satisfying dinner. The good news is, you can easily recreate Portillo’s Chopped Salad at home using this recipe!
Of course, I had to add my own spin on the famous salad. This salad recipe can be customized to your liking. You can add or subtract any ingredients you want, making it perfect for picky eaters, or those with dietary restrictions.
INGREDIENTS FOR CHOPPED SALAD
Lettuce: In my opinion, chopped mixed lettuce in a bag worked well. Feel free to substitute with chopped Romaine.
Bacon: The crispier, the better! Pre-cooked bacon can be used in a pinch!
Vegetables: Add or subtract to your liking.
Blue Cheese: Tangy blue cheese can be substituted with gorgonzola, feta, or your favorite cheese.
Dressing: This creamy Italian dressing was the perfect way to dress this salad. Simple olive oil and vinegar would be a great substitute.
Chicken: Leave out, or substitute with grilled shrimp.
Mayo: Yogurt would be a great substitute for the mayo.
Pepita: Roasted pepitas add another level of texture. Leave out, or substitute with your favorite toasted nuts!
TIPS ON MAKING THE BEST PORTILLO’S CHOPPED SALAD
- Feta or diced provolone can be substituted for the blue cheese.
- To make this salad even healthier, eliminate the bacon and cheese. Add more vegetables like broccoli and/or cauliflower.
- If you want to make this Copycat Portillo’s Chopped Salad ahead of time, you can prepare all of the ingredients and keep them separate until you’re ready to serve. Then just toss everything together with the dressing when you’re ready to eat.
- This easy chopped salad can also be a great way to use up any leftover vegetables or meats you have in your fridge. Just chop them up and toss them in!
- If preparing this crowd-pleasing salad for meal prep, leave out the avocado until ready to serve.
- When chopping the ingredients, try to make the knife cuts as consistent, as you can. As for the red onion, I decided not to dice them. Oftentimes, a dice is just way too much of a bite. So, I sliced them very thin.
- You WILL have leftover dressing! Store in the fridge for up to a week.
- Serve with crusty bread or garlic toast!
STORING SALAD
As mentioned earlier, if you are preparing this amazing chopped salad for meal prep, store without dressing! Honestly, I tested placing the leftover dressed salad in the fridge, and it was really good. Albeit not as crunchy, but still incredible!
Seal in airtight containers for 3 to 4 days!
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Copycat Portillo’s Chopped Salad
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
If you’ve ever visited a Portillo’s, you’re probably familiar with their famous chopped salad. It’s a refreshing and delicious mix of vegetables, meats, and cheese. All of the ingredients are chopped up into bite-sized pieces and tossed with a tangy, Italian dressing. This hearty salad is a perfect meal for any time of day, whether you’re looking for a light lunch or a satisfying dinner. The good news is, you can easily recreate Portillo’s Chopped Salad at home using this recipe!
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
- 1 5 to 6-ounce boneless chicken breast
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 3/4 cup ditalini pasta
- 4 cups mixed lettuce in a bag
- 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
- 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 3 mini cucumbers, halved and sliced thin
- 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 avocado, diced
- 2 tablespoons roasted pepitas
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
FOR THE DRESSING:
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons Herb de Provence or Italian seasoning
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Start frying the diced bacon.
- As the bacon is frying, combine all of the ingredients for the dressing in a jar. Shake.
- Season the chicken breast with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and black pepper on both sides.
- Cook the pasta to al dente, drain.
- Once the bacon is crisp, remove from the pan and allow the excess fat to drain on paper towels.
- Remove all but about two tablespoons of the bacon fat from the pan. Add the chicken breast.
- While the chicken is cooking, prep the remaining salad ingredients.
- Once the chicken is fully-cooked and browned on both sides, remove from the pan and chop into small pieces.
- Add the lettuce to a large bowl, along with the chicken, pasta and remaining ingredients.
- Dress the salad to your liking.
- Toss and serve in large bowls with crusty or garlic bread.
Notes
- Don’t forget to salt the water for the pasta.
- Chopped Romaine lettuce can be substituted for the bagged salad.
- Add or Delete any of the salad ingredients based on your liking.
- Salad yields 6 servings.
- See post for more Tips and Notes!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Meal Prep
- Method: Easy
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
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