Here is how to make the original Jennifer Aniston's Salad with quinoa or bulgar, cucumber, fresh herbs, pistachios, chickpeas and feta cheese all tossed in a simple lemon and olive oil dressing. This Jennifer Aniston Salad recipe plus 3 variations are so versatile they lend to a variety of salad mix-ins combinations. So easy and comes together in the time it takes to cook the quinoa.
Recently, I had a dinner party with friends, when Mary Kay asked, "what can I bring?" My answer, "bring a favorite salad!"
Enter the Jennifer Aniston salad recipe (from the TV hit series Friends) that went viral and still is creating buzz. Mary Kay's salad a riff off of Jen's "original" - tossing together orzo, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, spinach, cucumber, feta tossed in a lemon and olive oil dressing.
Intrigued I needed to make and try Jen's tabbouleh-inspired salad.
I now get what all the fuss is about. It's not only delicious and packed with SO much flavor, but it also has the perfect amount of protein, smart carbs, healthy fats, and veggies - all the components of a good meal-sized salad.
Bottom line, variations of this recipe are simple to whip together yet hearty enough to be the meal.
In the kitchen I have been playing around recreating the "original" version plus three other grain and chickpea variations. All are on repeat this summer! And let's not forget that each is perfectly portioned to make two hearty servings.
If you like serving salads you have to try Our Table 4 2's watermelon and grilled halloumi or grilled chicken cobb salad. Both come together quickly and make a great weeknight dinner for two.
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Jennifer Aniston Salad Recipe Ingredients
Jen's original version of this salad calls for bulgur wheat as the base, but I like to make this with a quick cooking white quinoa. Chop up fresh herbs, open a can of chickpeas, add chopped cucumber and red onion, along with toasted and salted pistachios, and feta. The finishing touch is to toss it all together in a bright citrusy lemon and olive oil dressing. Crazy fast, easy, and delicious.
Here's what you will need for the Jennifer Aniston's salad from Friends that went viral:
- quinoa - or you can use bulgur (that is what Jen uses), farro or even orzo as the grain in this salad. Quinoa is a good source of protein, high in fiber, rich in vitamins and minerals and naturally gluten-free. It's also a complete protein, which means it has all nine essential amino acids including lysine… a rare find when it comes to plant-based foods.
- cucumber - adding crunch. I usually buy an English cucumber (the ones wrapped in plastic - they add a refreshing crunch to this salad.
- fresh parsley - flat-leaf parsley and curly parsley both work well in this recipe.
- fresh mint - the addition of fresh mint adds so much flavor! You will need a nice big bunch.
- red onion - the perfect way to add a milder flavor of onion (I thought red onion had the sharper flavor??) and a more crunch. You can use yellow onion if needed but raw, it will have a sharper flavor
- pistachios - roasted and salted. Adds some healthy fat and more protein to this salad.
- chickpeas - I used canned chickpeas (otherwise known as garbanzo beans) for ease, but of course, you can cook the chickpeas from scratch if desired. Make sure to rinse and drain your canned chick peas before adding to the salad.
- feta cheese - this adds some healthy fat and such a tangy, rich and slightly salty flavor to the salad so I wouldn't recommend omitting it.
- dressing - this is a very simple dressing of lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper whisked together to add a bright, citrus to the salad.
See recipe card below for ingredient measurements.
3 Variations
Part of the fun of this celebrity grain and chickpea inspired salad is its versatility. For the salad base use quinoa, bulgur, farro or orzo as the grain plus canned chickpeas. The dressing of lemon juice and olive oil I use on all variations.
Let's get started making your own Jen salad riffs:
Mexican-ish Variation:
- sweet peppers - I like to buy the mini sweet peppers, chop or slice to add a tangy and sweet flavor with crunch.
- corn - cooking corn on the cob in the microwave couldn't be easier. Microwave with the husks on for 4 minutes, then cut off the bottom, slip off the husks, and that's it. To remove the kernels, stand the cob upright inside a bowl, then slice down along sides of cob using a sharp knife. You can also use frozen corn in this recipe.
- avocado
- cherry tomatoes
- cilantro - if you want to mix in another herb, I recommend chives.
- red onion
- roasted and salted pistachios
- feta
Greek-ish Variation:
- green pepper
- cherry tomatoes
- black olives
- fresh parsley - you can use flat leaf or curly parsley
- fresh oregano
- red onion
- roasted and salted pistachios
- feta
Mediterranean-ish Variation
- Arugula
- Spinach
- Cucumber
- Basil
- Green onion
- Toasted sliced almonds
- feta
Tips to make a Jennifer Aniston salad
Want to know the right ratio of grain with chickpea salad base to fresh herbs, nuts and vegetables for a Jennifer Aniston Salad Recipe? When creating your own version of Jen's grain and chickpea salad here is what I have found to be the winning combination and makes enough to serve two people:
- ½ cup grains - consider using bulgar, quinoa, farro or even orzo
- 8 ounces chickpeas - this is half a can of chickpeas or often labeled as garbanzo beans.
- ½ cup of crunchy vegetables - some of my favorites include cucumber, bell pepper, sweet peppers or go wild and put in a mix of crunchy vegetable bites.
- 2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons of onion - With the grains and fresh herbs, the onion brings a sharp flavor and a bit of crunch.
- ¼ cup of cheese - feta really works the best bringing a tangy, rich and slightly salty flavor to the salad.
- ½ cup of fresh herbs - the fresh herbs are a big flavor contributor. Have fun and put in a mix like mint + parsley, mint + oregano, cilantro + chives.
- ¼ cup of toasted and salted nuts - while Jen's salad uses pistachios (which can be expensive), I have found sliced almonds, sun flower seeds or even pepitas as great add-ins.
Make ahead and store
The grain and chickpea salad base is perfect to make ahead. Cover and store in the refrigerator overnight. Doing this means the remaining salad ingredients will not wilt from the heat of the cooked grain.
You can toss all your salad ingredients (holding back the lemon dressing and the nuts) in a medium sized bowl, and store covered in the refrigerator. Store your undressed salad for no more than 5 days - after which ingredients will begin to lose their fresh taste and crisp texture.
Remove the chilled salad from the refrigerator, add your choice of nut mixture and toss with the dressing. This will allow enough time for the yummy lemon dressing to flavor the grains and chickpeas. A dressed salad can be set out at room temperature for up to 3 hours and in the refrigerator, in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Top tip
Cook your grains the night before, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This avoids adding warm grains to cool greens and herbs which will cause them to wilt. Then all you have to do is chop the herbs and vegetables and toss with the lemon dressing - a super fast dinner or lunch!
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Related
Looking for other salads and sides recipes perfectly portioned for two? Try these:
Pairing
While this salad has all the components of a good meal-sized salad, these are my favorite dishes to serve with the Jennifer Aniston Salad:
Jennifer Aniston Salad Recipe + 3 Variations (for two)
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Equipment
Ingredients
Grain and Chickpea Salad Base:
- ½ cup grains bulgar, quinoa, farro or even orzo
- 1 cup water
- 8 ounces canned chickpeas also labeled garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
Lemon Dressing:
- 1 Lemon juiced, about 3-4 tablespoons
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Jennifer Aniston's Salad Variation (original):
- ½ cup cucumber halved, seeded, diced
- ¼ cup parsley chopped
- ¼ cup mint chopped
- 2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons of red onion chopped
- ¼ cup roasted and salted pistachios
- ¼ cup feta cheese crumbled
Mexican-ish Variation:
- 2 Tablespoons Sweet peppers - about 1 mini pepper
- ¼ cup fresh corn kernels or more if desired (about ½ a corn ear)
- ½ Avocado diced (you can add the whole thing if you like avocado)
- ¼ cup Cherry tomatoes halved
- ⅓ cup Cilantro - If you want to add another herb I recommend mixing some chives with the cilantro.
- 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons of red onion chopped
- ¼ cup roasted and salted pistachios
- ¼ cup feta cheese crumbled
Greek-ish Variation
- ¼ cup green pepper roughly chopped
- ¼ cup cherry tomatoes halved
- ¼ cup cucumber halved, seeded, diced
- 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons black olives chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped you can use flat leaf or curly parsley
- ¼ cup fresh oregano
- 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons of red onion chopped
- ¼ cup roasted and salted pistachios
- ¼ cup feta cheese crumbled
Mediterranean-ish
- ¼ cup cucumber seeds removed and chopped
- ¼ cup cherry tomatoes halved
- ¼ cup baby arugula
- ¼ cup spinach roughly torn into bite size pieces
- 2 tablespoons basil thinly sliced (julienne style)
- 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons green onion thinly-sliced
- ¼ cup toasted sliced almonds
- ¼ cup feta crumbled
Instructions
- Rinse and drain quinoa. Add quinoa and water to a small pot and bring the water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Off heat, fluff with a fork and let cool for 5 - 10 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, stir together cooked quinoa, rinsed and drained chickpeas and the salad ingredients of your choice or use one of the variations for inspiration.
- In a small bowl whisk together lemon juice and olive oil, toss the salad with the dressing. Season with salt and pepper, taste and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately or chill in refrigerator.
Your Notes, Tips and Tricks
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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