This Jennifer Aniston Salad has gone viral for a reason! Filled with fresh and flavorful ingredients, it makes the perfect make ahead lunch or side dish.
Looking for more chickpea favorites? Try this Pasta with Chickpeas or these Roasted Chickpeas.
This salad became viral back in 2022, with claims that it was the salad that Jennifer Aniston ate on set every day of Friends.
Well, it turns out, it wasn’t true. It was true that there was a salad, but this wasn’t it. But now the internet knows this grain and chickpea salad as the Jennifer Aniston Salad, so we’re going with it!
Honestly though, you can call this whatever you want as long as you make it. Even my son who hates anything with vegetables or beans or any sort of grain will eat his weight in this salad. It is really just that good!
Ingredients
- Oil: You can use olive oil, or a neutral oil like avocado oil or vegetable oil.
- Lemon Juice & Zest: You want to use the juice and the zest from the lemon. It is always easiest if you zest the lemon before juicing it.
- Vinegar: My favorite vinegar for this recipe is red wine vinegar. If you need a substitution, you could use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar, but red wine vinegar is definitely my favorite.
- Garlic: I like to either finely mince the garlic or use a zester and grate the garlic.
- Mustard: You will need just a bit of dijon mustard to bring the flavors together.
- Honey: This just adds a little bit of sweetness.
- Bulgur Wheat: I really love the texture of bulgur wheat, so I really love it in this salad. But you will also see it made with quinoa or with couscous. Any of these options work well!
- Chickpeas: I use 2 cans to up the amount of beans in this salad. You can cut this back and just use one can.
- Cucumber: I prefer to use an English cucumber or the smaller Persian cucumbers. If you use a regular garden cucumber, you will want to remove the skin.
- Red Onion: I love the onion flavor. And red onion will be more mild than a yellow or white onion. But you can also use green onions or chives if you want to mellow it out even more.
- Parsley: You will want to use fresh parsley.
- Pistachios: I adore the pistachios in this salad. The crunch and flavor just takes it up a level. If you aren’t eating the salad right away, you’ll want to save the pistachios and add them when it’s time to serve.
- Feta: A block of feta will give you better flavor and texture than pre-crumbled, but either will totally work here.
- Mint: I have made this salad with and without the mint. I’m not usually a huge fan of mint in savory dishes, but it actually really works in this salad. But that being said, it is delicious without it, too.
How to Make a Jennifer Aniston Salad
STEP 1: Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake to combine. You can also use a blender.
STEP 2: Cook the bulgur wheat according to the package directions. Once cool, combine the wheat with the remaining salad ingredients. Pour the dressing over the top and stir to combine.
Tips and Tricks
I like to make this dressing in a jar because it makes a good amount of dressing, and sometimes I won’t add all of it. You definitely can just pour it all on, but if you like your salad dressed lighter, just add as much of the dressing as you’d like.
If you are making this for meal prep, you may want to keep the pistachios and the feta separate and stir them in when you are ready to eat it.
Feel free to add or take away any additional ingredients. This salad is really easy to change up!
More Bean Salads
Lemon Chickpea Salad
Mexican Bean Salad
Mediterranean Bean Salad
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Jennifer Aniston Salad
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 1/2 cup olive oil or avocado oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- Salt and pepper to taste
Salad:
- 1 cup bulgur wheat*
- 2 (15 oz) each cans chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 cup diced cucumber
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup pistachios roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped mint
Instructions
- Combine the oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, mustard, honey, lemon zest, salt, and pepper in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake to combine.1/2 cup olive oil or avocado oil, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, Salt and pepper
- Cook the bulgur wheat according to the package directions. Let it cool completely.1 cup bulgur wheat*
- In a large bowl, combine the cooled bulgur wheat, chickpeas, cucumber, red onion, parsley, pistachios, feta cheese, and mint.2 (15 oz) each cans chickpeas, 1 cup diced cucumber, 1/2 cup diced red onion, 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, 1/2 cup pistachios, 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese, 1/4 cup chopped mint
- Pour the dressing over and stir to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
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