This Marry Me Chickpea Salad is a vegetarian take on the viral Marry Me Chicken recipe! It’s an easy dish made with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and thyme.
If you’re a foodie, I’m sure by now you’ve heard of the viral Marry Me Chicken recipe. Originally posted by Delish, it’s a dish that is apparently so good that it’s worth marrying someone for! The recipe has since exploded onto NYT Cooking, dozens of food blogs, with even more iterations of the recipe. Well, I’m here to add to that!
Well and Full itself has gone through many iterations over the years. I started out vegan, went vegetarian, then went gluten-free for a few months, and now I call myself “plant-focused”. I love this term because it describes what’s important, while creating freedom from rigid labels. Plant-focused means that plant foods are the focus of my blog, even if other ingredients are sometimes not vegan. So I wouldn’t be opposed to creating my own Marry Me Chicken recipe, but I thought it would be fun to give a nod to my plant-based followers and create a salad with chickpeas instead!
Marry Me Chicken gets its flavor from three core ingredients – sun-dried tomatoes, thyme, and garlic. I thought to myself – “This sounds like it would make a really good salad dressing!”. And indeed it does! In this Marry Me Chickpea Salad, you blend up creamy mayo, fresh garlic, thyme, and sun-dried tomatoes to create a mouthwatering dressing that pays homage to the original recipe. Then, the dressing goes on top of a zesty greens blend, with roasted garlic-thyme chickpeas and roasted vegetables, topped with Parmesan cheese. Of course, to make this recipe vegan, you can just use vegan mayo and skip the parm! I hope you love it as much as I do!
You may also like…
- Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus
- Mediterranean Dense Bean Salad
- Well and Full Bowl – my signature recipe that’s a salad with chickpeas, pasta, and greens!
Marry Me Chickpea Salad FAQs
What is the Marry Me Chicken origin?
Marry Me Chicken was a recipe first posted by Lindsay Funston on Delish. Since then, the recipe has been copied and recreated by dozens of cooking websites and food blogs. But the original credit goes to Lindsay!
Why do they call it “marry me chicken”?
On the original recipe page, Lindsay wrote, “After we spooned the sauce over the chicken for the last shot, our videographer Chelsea grabbed a fork to try the final result. Once she took a bite, she blurted out, “I’d marry you for that chicken!” and the now-famous name was born.”
Is there a Marry Me Chicken NYT recipe?
Yes, the New York Times has their own Marry Me Chicken recipe, in which they do not give credit to Lindsay Funston, sadly. Come on NYT, that is not the vibe!
Is it okay to eat chickpeas every day?
Yes! Chickpeas are part of a healthy diet. Just note that if you’re not used to eating a lot of beans and/or fiber, you might have some bloating if you start eating chickpeas every day.
Is there a Marry Me Chickpeas TikTok trend?
Yes! If you search on TikTok, you can see dozens of Marry Me Chickpeas recipes. Many of these recipes stick to the original formula, but use chickpeas instead of chicken. It creates a delicious curry-esque dish. In this recipe, however, I use the same flavors but in a totally different way.
What wine goes with Marry Me Chickpeas?
Usually wine experts will tell you to pair white wines with vegetarian food, like a chickpea salad. For this recipe I recommend a crisp white like a Pinot Grigrio, Gewürztraminer, or Riesling. You could also try a lighter red wine like Pinot Noir or a light Zinfandel, which would hold up against the umami flavors of the tomato. But ultimately, the best wine to drink with a meal is a wine you love! :)
Marry Me Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
Garlic-Thyme Chickpeas
- 1 15 oz Can Chickpeas rinsed and dried
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
- 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 Tsp Dried Thyme
- Black Pepper to taste
Marry Me Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing
- 1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
- Juice from 1 Lemon about 3-4 tbsp
- 1/4 Cup Sun-Dried Tomatoes in Oil
- 1/4 Cup Oil from the Sun-Dried Tomato Jar
- 1 Clove Fresh Garlic
- 1/4 Tsp Salt or more to taste
- 1 Tsp Thyme
- 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 Tsp Paprika for color, optional
The Rest of the Salad
- 2-3 Cups Roasted Vegetables of Choice
- 2 Cups Chopped Radicchio see notes
- 4 Cups Arugula
- 4 Cups Kale
- 1/2 Cup Freshly-Grated Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
Garlic-Thyme Chickpeas
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
- Drain your can of chickpeas, rinse, then pat dry with a towel. Remove any loose chickpea skins.
- On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, add on chickpeas, then drizzle with the oil. Add on spices, then mix until all chickpeas are evenly coated.
- Bake chickpeas for 20 minutes, stir, then put back in the oven for 10-12 more minutes. Set aside.
Marry Me Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing
- While chickpeas are cooking, make the dressing. To a blender, add in all the dressing ingredients, and blend on high until the dressing is smooth and creamy. Taste, and adjust seasonings to your preference.
Putting it All Together
- To a large bowl, layer in your greens. On top, add the chickpeas, roasted vegetables of your choice, parmesan cheese, and as much of the dressing as you'd like.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- For my recipe photos I used roasted broccoli, but you can use any combination of roasted vegetables that you like! Zucchini, delicata squash, or even potatoes would be delicious.
- Use vegan mayo and omit the parmesan cheese to make this recipe vegan.
- Radicchio is a bitter green – if you don’t like bitter greens, sub in spinach or more kale instead!
- If desired, first add your kale to a bowl (on its own) with about 1 tsp olive oil, and massage the oil into the leaves with your hands. This makes the kale less rough and easier to digest.
Nutrition
P.S.
For more plant-forward recipes and New England lifestyle inspiration, be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok! If you make a recipe, please tag me in the photo and use the hashtag #wellandfull so I can see! I love seeing your creations!
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