Food and Recipes Recipes Cucumber-Chickpea Salad with Feta-Mint Vinaigrette This cold salad is great for a summer luncheon. By Southern Living Test Kitchen Southern Living Test Kitchen The Southern Living Test Kitchen has been publishing recipes since 1970, four years after the first issue of Southern Living Magazine appeared on newsstands. The Southern Living Test Kitchen team includes a team of professionals with deep expertise in recipe development, from pastry chefs and grilling experts to nutritionists and dietitians. Together, the team tests and retests, produces, styles, and photographs thousands of recipes each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen facility located in Birmingham, Alabama. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on April 12, 2021 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Active Time: 15 mins Stand Time: 5 mins Total Time: 20 mins Servings: 4 Jump to recipe Summer is calling, and it's time for cucumber salad. A cold salad is one of our favorite sides to serve at any warm-weather picnic or luncheon, and our Cucumber-Chickpea Salad with Feta-Mint Vinaigrette puts a new spin on a seasonal classic. With only 15 minutes of active time, this Greek-inspired cucumber and chickpea salad is speedy to throw together and makes for a stunning side to any spring or summer meal. In this recipe, a feta-mint vinaigrette transforms cucumber slices into an elegant, composed dish with layers of flavor. Be sure to allow your sliced cucumbers to sit with salt for 5 minutes before dressing—this helps to drain off any excess moisture, preventing the salad from being watery when tossed. The creamy dressing coats all of the ingredients well, tying the various elements together. Feel free to make this one in advance: The flavors become stronger the longer this salad sits, which also means it's perfect for leftovers. Crispy chickpeas are the true crown jewel on this bright green salad—a lovely golden-brown hue, they're the perfect complement to the cool crunch of the cucumber. Talk about a great substitute for croutons. Using packaged crunchy chickpeas makes throwing this salad together a breeze, but feel free to roast your own. Don't forget to garnish your salad with plenty of herbs—we love to use fresh parsley, mint, and dill, but feel free to use any herbs you have in your fridge. Serve with a cucumber cocktail and you're in for a very cool evening. Ingredients 1 pound English cucumbers (about 2 small), thinly sliced crosswise (about 3 ½ cups) ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided ¾ cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, divided ¾ cup feta cheese, crumbled and divided ⅓ cup olive oil 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest plus 1 ½ Tbsp. fresh juice (from 1 lemon) 1 teaspoon Greek seasoning ¼ teaspoon black pepper 2 small garlic cloves, smashed ½ cup thinly sliced red onion (from 1 small onion) ½ cup packaged crunchy chickpeas (such as Biena Snacks) ¼ cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves ¼ cup loosely packed fresh dill leaves Directions Toss together cucumbers and ¼ teaspoon of the salt in a large bowl until well combined; let stand 5 minutes. Process ½ cup of the mint, ½ cup of the feta, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, Greek seasoning, pepper, garlic, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt in a blender until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour off and discard excess moisture released from cucumbers. Add red onion, chickpeas, parsley, dill, ⅓ cup vinaigrette, and remaining ¼ cup each mint and feta to cucumbers in bowl. Toss to coat. Serve alongside remaining vinaigrette, if desired. Print