Skillet Chicken and Garbanzo Salad is an easy meal, with a Mediterranean-inspired salad and dressing served with (and on) pan-seared chicken.
If you’re looking for a quick-and-easy meal to prepare, I want to share this recipe for Skillet Chicken and Garbanzo Salad. I found the original recipe in one of the cookbooks I own and slightly adapted it for my husband and I.
This is an all-in-one meal, because pan-seared chicken AND garbanzo salad (also known as chickpeas) are prepared separately but served together sharing a common flavorful salad dressing.
The garbanzo salad takes a minute or two to make, because it only has 3 main ingredients: garbanzo beans, mint and red onion slices. This simple salad is then tossed with an easy to make salad dressing (with traditional Mediterranean flavors of olive oil, lemon juice, honey, mint and spices).
The beauty of this yummy salad dressing is that part of it is reserved to drizzle (like sauce) over the pan-seared chicken once it’s done! This means the salad and the chicken share similar flavors making it a great combination of main dish and side dish!
This recipe will serve two people (one chicken breast and half the salad per person), but it can EASILY be doubled or tripled to meet your needs! Here’s how to make skillet chicken and garbanzo salad.
Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page
Make The Dressing For The Salad And Chicken
Measure 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil and 2 Tbsp. of fresh lemon juice into a medium-sized bowl. Add honey, smoked paprika, ground cumin, salt and black pepper. Use a whisk to combine all these ingredients until they are fully incorporated.
IMPORTANT: Divide the prepared salad dressing in half, reserving one half in a small separate bowl for later to drizzle on chicken when you serve it).
Set the other half of the remaining dressing aside. You will use this half to add to the garbanzo salad.
Prepare The Garbanzo Bean Salad
Drain and then rinse the garbanzo beans. Place the rinsed garbanzos in a bowl, then add thinly sliced red onion and chopped fresh mint leaves.
Add the salad dressing (use one of the two portions set aside), and toss well, to fully combine the salad ingredients and dressing. Take a small bite of the salad and add additional salt and pepper, if desired, to suit your taste.
Set the salad aside while you cook the chicken. There’s no need to refrigerate it because the chicken will cook very quickly!
Prepare The Chicken Breasts
Trim any visible fat off two boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Pat the chicken dry using paper towels. Place each piece in between two sheets of plastic wrap (on a cutting board).
Pound the chicken with the flat side of a meat mallet until the thicker parts of the chicken breast have flattened out slightly. This will help the chicken breast to cook faster, so don’t skip this step.
Repeat this with the second piece of chicken, then lightly season each chicken breast with enough salt and black pepper to suit your taste.
Place 3 heaping Tablespoons of flour on a dinner plate and spread it out slightly. Dredge chicken breasts in the flour (one at a time), turning until all the sides are coated.
Pan-Sear The Chicken Breasts
Heat 1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a medium-sized skillet on Medium-High heat. Heat the oil until it is very hot, but only BARELY smoking.
Carefully add both of the seasoned, floured chicken breasts into the hot skillet. Once you add the chicken breasts, do not move them in the skillet, because you want to “sear” the underside of the meat well.
Cook the chicken, undisturbed for 4-5 minutes. The bottom of the chicken should be nicely browned and have a slight “crust” on it.
Carefully turn the chicken to the other side with tongs and continue cooking the chicken breasts for 4-5 more minutes. When done, the chicken should be nicely browned on both sides and have an internal temperature of 160°F.
NOTE: Typically, the chicken breasts take about 8-10 minutes total time to cook through, but this time may vary slightly, due to the thickness of the chicken breasts you use.
Remove the pan-seared chicken from the skillet. Cover the chicken loosely with foil to keep it hot, and let it rest for 3-4 minutes so the internal juices have a chance to redistribute in the meat. The internal temperature of the chicken will continue to slightly rise as it rests.
Serve The Skillet Chicken And Garbanzo Salad
Now you’re ready to serve the skillet chicken and garbanzo salad! Place the chicken breasts onto two dinner plates and evenly divide the garbanzo salad next to each piece of chicken.
Remember that reserved portion of salad dressing you set aside earlier? Grab that bowl and then spoon or drizzle that delicious dressing over the top of each piece of chicken.
Pretty easy to make this simple Mediterranean-style dinner for two, right? Serve with other favorite side dishes or a piece of crusty garlic bread and you’ve got yourself a delicious meal!
The garbanzo salad is simple yet delicious, and the chicken is tender and enhanced with the same yummy dressing flavor!
I hope you have the opportunity to make this delicious combination of skillet chicken and garbanzo salad, and trust you’ll enjoy it like we do! It’s such an easy recipe to pull together quickly after a busy day.
Thank you for stopping by, and I invite you to come back again soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you, and have a wonderful day.
Looking For More CHICKEN Recipes?
You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have LOTS of delicious chicken recipes to choose from, including:
- Skillet Monterey Chicken
- Asian BBQ-Glazed Chicken
- Butter Chicken (Instant Pot)
- Creamy Lemon Tarragon Chicken
- Grilled Marmalade Chicken
Want More Recipes? Get My FREE Newsletter!
I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with lots of recipes, tips, etc..
Would you like to join our growing list of subscribers?
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use.
You can submit your e-mail address there, to be added to my mailing list.
Find Me On Social Media:
Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks
Recipe adapted from: “The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook”, page 293, published in 2016 by The Editors at America’s Test Kitchen
↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓
Skillet Chicken and Garbanzo Salad is an easy meal, with a Mediterranean-inspired salad and dressing served with (and on) pan-seared chicken.
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil* *DIVIDED USE
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground pepper + more to taste, if desired
- 15 ounces canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas) drained, rinsed
- ¼ small red onion very thinly sliced
- 2 Tablespoons fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 8 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast* *2 breasts, about 4-6 oz. each
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour* *use heaping Tablespoons
- salt and pepper, to season chicken as desired
Measure 2 Tablespoons olive oil (not the entire amt. listed) and lemon juice into a small bowl. Add honey, smoked paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Whisk these ingredients until fully incorporated. Divide salad dressing in half, reserving one half in a small separate bowl for later. Set remaining half of the dressing aside (this half is for the salad.
Drain/rinse garbanzo beans. Place garbanzos, red onion and mint in a bowl. Add salad dressing one of the two portions set aside). Toss until combined. Taste; add more salt & pepper, if desired. Set salad aside while you cook the chicken.
Trim visible fat off chicken; pat chicken dry with paper towels. Place each piece in between two sheets of plastic wrap (on a cutting board). Pound chicken with flat side of a meat mallet until thicker parts are flattened (helps it cook faster, don't skip this). Lightly season chicken with salt and pepper to suit your taste. Measure flour onto a plate; spread it out. Dredge chicken breasts in flour (one at a time), turning until all sides are coated.
Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in a medium skillet on Medium-High heat. Heat until oil is very hot, but only BARELY smoking. Add chicken breasts, then don't move them in the skillet. Cook the chicken, undisturbed, for 4-5 minutes. The bottom of each piece should be nicely browned and develop a slight "crust".
Turn chicken over; continue cooking 4-5 more minutes. When done, chicken should be golden brown on both sides and have an internal temp. of 160°F. NOTE: The chicken typically takes about 8-10 minutes total to cook through, but time may vary slightly, due to the thickness of the chicken breasts you use. Remove chicken from skillet. Cover with foil loosely and let it rest 3-4 minutes to let internal juices redistribute in the chicken.
To serve, place 1 chicken breast and half the garbanzo salad on each plate. Drizzle reserved dressing over each chicken breast, serve and enjoy!
NOTE: Caloric calculation was made using two, 4-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards! 