Chopped Salad with Buttermilk Garlic Dressing and Golden Buttery Panko Breadcrumbs
This just might be the salad of the summer
The last time I lived near a Hillstone restaurant was pre-pandemic. And that, my friends, is very sad.
I grew up on Hillstone (aka Houstons). I swear it feels like my family went there once a week growing up. Then my sister worked there for years when we both lived in New York so I would visit her there all the time. Their ability to consistently serve delicious comfort food is something I will always admire.
They’re well known for their salads, and their traditional house salad, that this recipe is inspired by, has been on their menu for like 25+ years. And for good reason. Its a wonderful balance of texture and flavor with hard-boiled eggs, crispy bacon, buttery breadcrumbs, and a creamy, garlicky dressing.
This salad is a quintessential summer dish, striking that perfect balance between feeling light and yet undeniably filling. I think you’re going to love it.
I am having a bit of a Sabrina Carpenter moment and that feels like a perfect pairing with this salad. Like I imagine you standing in your kitchen eating this salad shaking your hips to nonsense and sipping a glass of wine. That’s the dream.
(Click to shop) Big Ass Mixing Bowl | Teak Cutting Board | Tongs | Nakiri Knife
This salad could be eaten for dinner OR lunch so I think a rose from Provence is the perfect pairing. Because if it’s summer and I’m ordering a glass of wine with a salad, that’s what I’m drinking. It’s light-bodied and crisp and exactly what I want in summer.
I really started to understand “body” in wine during my wine class in culinary school. I think the easiest way to explain it is to think of milk — skim, 2%, or whole milk. Light-bodied wines feel more like skim milk, while full-bodied wines feel richer and thicker like whole milk. When I think of a rose to drink in the sun, I immediately think of a light-bodied rose. Hope that’s helpful!
Chopped Salad with Buttermilk Garlic Dressing and Golden Buttery Panko Breadcrumb
Ingredients
For The Salad
5 hard boiled eggs, chopped
¾ cup tomatoes, diced
8 Bacon slices, cooked until crispy & diced
1 large head of romaine, chopped
1.5 cups rotisserie chicken, cubed
4 Tbsp butter
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
For The Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
2/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon (about 1 small clove) finely minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Once the butter is melted and frothy, add the bread crumbs and stir. Continue stirring until the bread crumbs are evenly golden brown, about 5 minutes. Don’t walk away -- they can burn easily if forgotten. When they’re done, put them aside until later.
In a medium bowl, add all dressing ingredients and whisk until they’re combined and the texture is smooth and creamy.
In a separate large bowl, add all of the salad ingredients (minus the breadcrumbs) and toss in dressing a few tablespoons at a time using tongs until the dressing amount is to your liking. I like this salad to lean on the side of more heavily dressed because it balances out well with the breadcrumbs.
Serve the salad on plates and sprinkle with a generous amount of the panko bread crumbs. Enjoy!
If you wanted to add a little extra protein, you could sub some of the sour cream for greek yogurt
You can add more butter to the panko breadcrumbs if you feel like yours are dry
If you want to make this salad easier, buy pre-cooked hard boiled eggs and pre-cooked bacon. Obviously I would prefer you to make it all, but it’s truly not the end of the world if you want to make it faster!
If you are sensitive to a garlic kick, consider adding the garlic a little bit at a time. The clove I used had quite a bite to it!
Make sure to let the sugar crystals dissolve before dressing your salad. This should happen pretty quickly (within 5 minutes) while you’re prepping the rest of your ingredients. You can usually hear/feel them when you’re stirring so once it’s smooth, you’re good to go!
Thanks so much for being here. Love you — mean it.
Cheers,
Jessie
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