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

1. 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.

2. In a medium bowl, add all dressing ingredients and whisk until they’re combined and the texture is smooth and creamy. 

3. 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. 

4. 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