California Chop Salad with Grilled Chicken

What makes this riff on a Salade Nicoise Californian? A beautiful portion of avocado and the best chicken! In this version of a chopped salad, I make a few of the components in advance, including the vinaigrette, hard-boiled eggs, and green beans, so they can be used all week for quick salads or snacks.

Once a week, I’ll make a double batch of vinaigrette and hard-boil enough eggs to have for snacks or to add to salads. I also blanch a pound of green beans in advance. (Translation: I cook them in salted boiling water for 3 minutes before dropping them in ice water to stop the cooking. Then I drain them and dry them with a paper towel before refrigerating for up to a week.) Then when hunger strikes, all you need to do is cook off the chicken, add a few other ready-to-go ingredients, and voila! The perfect chopped salad is yours.