Italian Deli Chopped Chicken Salad

# Components:

→ Proteins

01 - 2 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped

02 - 3 oz Italian salami, chopped

03 - 3 oz provolone cheese, diced

→ Vegetables

04 - 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce

05 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

06 - 1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped

07 - 1/2 cup sliced pepperoncini

08 - 1/2 cup cucumber, diced

→ Dressing

09 - 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

10 - 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

11 - 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

12 - 1 garlic clove, minced

13 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano

14 - 1/2 teaspoon dried basil

15 - 1/2 teaspoon sugar

16 - 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

17 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

# Directions:

01 - In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, oregano, basil, sugar, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper until fully emulsified. Set aside.

02 - In a large salad bowl, combine chopped romaine lettuce, halved cherry tomatoes, finely chopped red onion, diced cucumber, and sliced pepperoncini.

03 - Add the chopped chicken breast, Italian salami, and diced provolone cheese to the vegetable mixture in the bowl.

04 - Drizzle the prepared dressing over all salad ingredients.

05 - Toss all ingredients together using salad tongs until evenly coated with dressing.

06 - Taste the salad and adjust seasoning with additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed.

07 - Transfer to serving plates immediately and garnish with additional pepperoncini or fresh herbs if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -

Everything gets chopped into bite-sized pieces, so every forkful has a little bit of everything without any awkward lettuce-leaf wrestling.
It tastes like you ordered from a fancy Italian market, but you can make it in your own kitchen wearing pajamas.
The dressing clings to every ingredient instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl, which means no sad, dry last bites.
It's filling enough to be dinner on its own, but light enough that you won't feel sluggish afterward.

02 -

Don't dress the salad until you're ready to serve, or the lettuce will wilt and turn soggy within thirty minutes.
If you're using freshly cooked chicken instead of rotisserie, let it cool completely before adding it or the heat will wilt the lettuce on contact.
Chop the salami and cheese into pieces roughly the same size as the vegetables so you get a balanced bite every time, not one forkful of just meat and another of just lettuce.

03 -