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Crunchy, bright, and garden fresh! This family favorite salad gets protein from tender chicken and egg, and the dressing is infused with fresh thyme and tangy garlic flavor. Call it a salad, a bowl, or just an entire picnic on a bed of lettuce - you'll love this Trader joe's copycat for lunch.
The most memorable chicken salad I ever had was from Trader Joe’s. I was shopping there at lunchtime so I bought myself one of their salads for lunch – Harvest Salad with Grilled Chicken. It was so crunchy and fresh, and I loved the addition of corn and green beans. The dressing was bright, tangy, and had a very made-from-scratch flavor.
The first time I had that amazing salad, Trader Joe’s was almost an hour’s drive from my house, so I decided that I needed to try to recreate the salad at home so our family could have this delicious meal any time we wanted. These days, we have a Trader Joe's just a few blocks away from where we live, but I still love to make this salad - and especially an extra batch of the dressing to keep on hand in our fridge.
And I still buy the salad too, when I’m pressed for time. Trader Joe’s salads really are a delicious choice for lunch. You may have seen that salad at Trader Joe’s and wondered if it’s worth buying. It is worth buying if you need a quick meal that’s delicious and different from the usual fast food offerings.
But there are some really great reasons for making your own. Let’s compare the store bought version with my homemade version so you can judge for yourself.
Trader Joe’s Harvest Salad - Store Bought vs. Homemade
I didn't like how it’s packed so tightly in its container because it made it a little hard to eat. No room to dive in with my fork without spilling it, which also made it hard to toss it with the dressing. The green beans are too long to eat in one bite, so I always cut them when I buy it.
I soon realized how easy it is to just make my own salad. I can keep the ingredients separate so it stays fresh longer. And I can add more chicken, or cheese, or anything else I want. Like carrots! Check out the ingredients list for more ideas.
Which one looks better do you think? Since we "eat first with our eyes" as they say, arranging your lunch with a little extra care does make a difference. Watch the video below for some quick ways to make this salad even better.
What’s in Trader Joe’s Harvest Salad?
- Salad greens - such as romaine lettuce, butter lettuce, or a premade salad like a spring mix
- Chicken breast - You can use grilled chicken, leftover chicken, or canned chicken breast
- Corn - I find it the easiest to open a can of sweet corn kernels, but you could also use frozen corn that’s reheated, or fresh corn if you cut it off the cob.
- Green beans - I don’t like using canned green beans for this recipe. Fresh or frozen is the best here. I heat a portion in the microwave, and run it under cold water and pat dry. I don’t like long green beans in a salad, so I cut mine into bite-sized pieces.
- Cheese - The salad from Trader joe’s contains white cheddar cheese, but you could use feta cheese, blue cheese, gorgonzola - any white cheese that you like!
- Grape tomatoes, or any very small tomato that you like.
- Hard boiled egg - here’s where you can have a little fun and make a zig-zag pattern on your egg, as shown in the photos. Watch the video to see how ( It’s just a minute long)
- Extras - Add some extra ingredients to your own salad for some extra color and texture. I added shredded carrots to my salad, but you could add shredded red cabbage, red bell pepper, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds… the sky’s the limit!
How to Make The Salad
Step 1. Add salad greens to the bottom of the container. This Sistema clear bento box makes it easy to take off the top layer and tip it upside down on the salad greens, leaving plenty of room to toss it all with the dressing.
Step 2. Add diced grilled chicken breast, corn, and cooked green beans to the top of the container. Plus some shredded carrot or red cabbage for a pop of color.
Step 3. Add feta cheese, grape tomatoes, and half of a boiled egg. Include a small container of Creamy Dijon Dressing. *Watch the video to see how easy it is to upscale it a little with a few extra touches. ⤵️
See How It's Done
Creamy Dijon Dressing - the real star of this salad
I have to say, it’s the dressing that is the real star of the salad - a creamy dijon dressing with herbs and cracked pepper. It was so good I ate every bite (and I must admit actually licked the bowl) 🙂
Dressing Ingredients
- Mayo
- Plain nonfat Greek yogurt (or if you want, just double the mayo)
- 2 kinds of vinegars - rice vinegar, and balsamic vinegar. The dressing just doesn’t have the right flavor without both.
- Dijon mustard
- Spices - garlic powder, turmeric powder, and lemon pepper seasoning
- Fresh thyme - if you can get fresh thyme, it will blow your mind how delicious it is in this recipe! But dried thyme will be alright in a pinch.
See How to Make the Dressing
The Full Dressing Recipe ⬇️
Print
Trader Joe's Copycat Creamy Dijon Herb Vinaigrette
The salad dressing is the real star of the Trader Joe's Harvest Salad. I worked hard to re-create it so we could have it not only on the salad, but on anything we want. The secret ingredient is thyme - and if you have fresh thyme, all the better.
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons mayo
- 2 Tablespoons nonfat greek yogurt, plain (see note)
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- dash of turmeric powder
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients and whisk together. Store in the refrigerator.
Notes
- *Note: It seems that the greek yogurt makes the dressing ingredients separate after a day in the fridge. I fixed this problem by adding a little pinch of xanthan gum, which is a common thing to have in a gluten free kitchen. I realize not everybody bakes gluten free though, but that's fine. If this is you, just double the mayo to 4 Tablespoons, omit the greek yogurt and the xanthan gum, and it will be just as delicious and keeps in the fridge for days. It will increase the calories a little bit, so keep that in mind.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: sauces, dressings, seasonings
- Diet: Low Calorie
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
- Calories: 59
- Sugar: 0.5 g
- Sodium: 112.1 mg
- Fat: 5.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 1.4 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 0.9 g
- Cholesterol: 3.2 mg
