A few years ago we posted a quinoa kale salad with blueberries – something that Stacie created in the summer of 2022 based on her favorite flavor combinations. A reader commented that it was reminiscent of the “Jennifer Aniston salad”. I had never heard of that salad before, but that comment stuck in my head and led me down a path to learn more about the famous salad that Jennifer supposedly ate so often.
The internet wasn’t super clear on what the Jennifer Aniston salad was or if she really ate it or still eats it, but my research did reveal that her dream salad at one point likely contained quinoa, chickpeas, cucumbers, and pistachios. So, there were a few similarities to that blueberry kale salad Stacie posted (mostly just the quinoa and pistachios), but it was still quite different.
I started to play around with fresh ingredients to develop something delicious and loosely based on the Jennifer Aniston salad that has gone viral on TikTok. But I also wanted to put my own dietitian spin on it by boosting the lemon flavor in the vinaigrette and adding more protein, something other versions were lacking. Here’s what I came up with, and our team absolutely loves it! Whether it’s really a salad that Jennifer Aniston eats or not doesn’t really matter, because we think it’s super delicious AND nutritious at the same time.
Recipe Highlights
This salad is almost more like pilaf than a regular salad, and here’s why I love it:
- I love that this salad is more than just vegetables. It contains several food groups, and therefore it provides a wide variety of macronutrients, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. When I eat it, I feel like I’ve gotten a complete meal and not just a salad.
- The texture and quality lasts a long time. It doesn’t get soggy quickly since it’s made from a base of quinoa, chickpeas, and hearty veggies like cucumber and red onion
- The fresh herbs combined with the lemon vinaigrette give such a nice and fresh pop of flavor to every bite
- With my addition of chicken, this salad contains an impressive 27 grams of protein per serving plus 7 grams of fiber so it’s filling and good for you
- When you cook the quinoa and chicken ahead of time, the entire thing comes together in just 15 minutes
- I love to make a double batch to portion into lunch servings for me and my husband, and I also took it to a friend’s dinner party where everyone asked for the recipe!
Is This The Salad Jennifer Aniston Ate On The Set Of Friends?
The origin of Jennifer Aniston’s perfect salad seems to stem from a post she made on Instagram when she did a takeover for the @livingproofinc account. It shows a close-up of a bowl with fresh ingredients tossed together.
The caption reads, “My perfect salad – Bulgar, cucumbers, parsley, mint, red onion, garbanzo beans, feta cheese, & pistachios.”
But this isn’t the same salad that Jennifer ate on the set of Friends. Her co-star Courtney Cox has been quoted saying that she, Jennifer, and Lisa ate something reminiscent of a Cobb salad.
“Jennifer and Lisa [Kudrow] and I ate lunch together every single day for 10 years. And we always had the same thing — a Cobb salad. But it wasn’t really a Cobb salad. It was a Cobb salad that Jennifer doctored up with turkey bacon and garbanzo beans and I don’t know what. She just has a way with food, which really helps. Because if you’re going to eat the same salad every day for 10 years, it’d better be a good salad, right?”
~ Courtney Cox in an interview with the LA Times
What both of these salads reveal is that Jennifer clearly has an affection for garbanzo beans (chickpeas), and we’re here for it! Not only do they add much-needed fiber to meals, but they also contribute a delicious creamy texture, which is why we also love adding chickpeas to salad recipes.
What You Need To Make It
- Quinoa – you’ll need 2 cups; use this simple method to quinoa ahead of time; may sub cooked bulgur or brown rice
- Cooked, shredded chicken – use rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken from another meal, or use this Instant Pot method to make cooked shredded chicken quickly; may sub canned tuna or cooked shrimp
- Chickpeas – you can cook chickpeas from scratch, but I recommend using canned to save time
- Cucumber
- Red onion
- Feta cheese – may sub shredded Parmesan, or omit for dairy free
- Fresh mint
- Fresh Italian parsley
- Pistachios – may omit for nut free, or sub sunflower seeds
- Lemon – you’ll use it for both the zest and the juice
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Honey – may sub maple syrup
- Dijon mustard – can use brown mustard, if that’s what you have
- Fine salt and black pepper
Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
How To Make Jennifer Aniston’s “Perfect Salad”
I like to break down the assembly of this salad into three basic steps.
- Make the vinaigrette – you can do this step up to 3 days in advance
- Prepare the quinoa – for super flavorful quinoa, cook it in chicken broth instead of water
- Toss together the salad – when you’re ready to serve this salad, just toss everything together in a large bowl. Add the feta and pistachios last.
Get Some Prep Done Early
Whether you’re a weekend meal prepper or you just like to get some of your dinner prep out of the way in the morning hours, you won’t regret getting some things done ahead of time. I find that when I have everything ready to go, I can toss together this salad in less than 5 minutes.
- Cook the chicken ahead of time – it’s always nice to have some cooked and shredded chicken ready to go for recipes like this salad and other easy high-protein dinners
- Cook the quinoa ahead of time – it really doesn’t take long to cook quinoa, but I like to have it prepped ahead of time and chilled when I make this salad
- Chop some of the veggies – dice the cucumber and red onion up to 4 hours before you make this salad
- Prepare the dressing – you can stir together the dressing ingredients up to 3 days before you make this salad
Make It Dairy Free
Simply omit the feta cheese – this salad still tastes great without it! You could also use a plant-based feta cheese.
Make It Vegan
For a 100% plant-based version of this salad, omit the feta cheese and the chicken. And use maple syrup instead of honey in the dressing.
Make It Nut Free
You can leave the pistachios out or use sunflower seeds or roasted pumpkin seeds instead.
How To Store
I love that this salad stores well, which makes it a great option for meal prep lunches. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Video: How to Make the Jennifer Aniston Salad
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The Jennifer Aniston Salad Recipe
According to an old Instagram post she made, Jennifer Aniston loves this combination of ingredients. The salad is nutritious, and I made it even more well rounded, delicious, and higher in protein by stirring in some shredded chicken and boosting the lemony flavor of the vinaigrette.
Ingredients
For the Dressing:
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest (~1 medium lemon)
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice (juice of 3-4 lemons)
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¾ teaspoon fine salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
For the Salad:
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 2 cups shredded or chopped cooked chicken
- 1 (15-oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 small cucumber, diced (about 1 cup)
- ½ medium red onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
- ½ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley (may sub fresh curly parsley or cilantro)
- ½ cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1 cup chopped roasted pistachios
- 4 oz crumbled feta cheese (1 cup)
Instructions
- In a small bowl or a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the dressing ingredients. Whisk or shake vigorously. Dressing may be prepared up to 3 days in advance.
- Prepare quinoa according to package directions, using water or chicken broth as the liquid. Allow quinoa to cool to room temperature. Quinoa may be prepared up to 3 days in advance.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, cooked chicken, chickpeas, cucumber, red onion, fresh parsley, fresh mint, pistachios, and feta; toss to mix the ingredients.
- Re-whisk or re-shake the dressing, then pour it over the salad ingredients. Toss until well coated.
- Store leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
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Notes
Need to make shredded chicken quickly? Use our Instant Pot chicken cooking method to get fully cooked and shredded chicken breasts or thighs in 20 minutes, start to finish. You can also boil, grill, or bake the chicken, or use a rotisserie chicken.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: ⅙ of the salad (about 1 ⅓ cups)
- Calories: 475
- Fat: 25 g
- (Sat Fat: 6 g)
- Sodium: 560 mg
- Carbohydrate: 30 g
- (Fiber: 8 g
- Sugar: 7 g)
- Protein: 27 g
- Cholesterol: 43 mg
Dietary
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is great for meal prep! To make the initial assembly faster, cook the chicken and quinoa ahead of time. Also, you can prep the salad dressing up to 3 days in advance.
For meal prep lunches, divide the finished mixed salad into containers and refrigerate them for easy grab-and-go options. The salad will store nicely for up to 2 days.
This salad makes 8 cups total, which is 6-8 servings. It can be easily doubled to serve more at a potluck.
You can use any favorite type of bean – another white bean, such as cannellini beans, butter beans, or Great Northern beans, would work well in this salad. Or you can omit the beans completely.
The photos in this blog post were taken by Rachel Cook of Half Acre House.
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I really love this salad. The texture and flavors are perfect! I will be making this again.
Perfect Linda!
So delicious! Simple ingredients and so filling.
Awesome Chantelle! We appreciate your feedback and 5-star review!
LOVE this recipe! I added a thinly-sliced red bell pepper for some amazing color and flavor…yum!
Sounds delicious Rebecca! Thank you for the 5-star review!