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Meet your new favorite salad! Farro, parmesan, pistachio, and radishes served over a gorgeous mélange of greens and herbs in a tangy lemon vinaigrette. Charlie Bird Salad has rightly been described as stellar!

An NYC Restaurant Salad You Can Make at Home

All the way back in 2013, the New York Times sang the praises of a “stellar” salad created by chef Ryan Hardy for the Charlie Bird restaurant in SoHo.

With more than eleven thousand five-star ratings, it’s been a favorite salad of home chefs ever since. Ina Garten has sung its praises as well. If Ina loves it, you know it’s good!

I first had Charlie Bird salad in Oklahoma. My daughter-in-love made it while I was visiting, and I became an instant fan. It’s one of those things I think I could eat every day and never tire of.

While I haven’t been serving it every day, it has become a centerpiece of my summertime company menu. Guests always rave when I serve it, and usually ask for seconds.

Though most of us don’t think of salads as a showstopper, Charlie Bird Salad truly is. It’s a restaurant-quality dish that’s easy to prepare at home.

I’ll explain how to do that below. But first, let’s talk about what goes into what I’m sure is going to be your new favorite salad.

What You Need to Make Charlie Bird Salad

For the Farro:

Farro – If you haven’t used it before, farro is a wonderful whole grain that’s popular in Mediterranean cooking. The grains are about the size of rice but chewy and have a nutty flavor. You could also substitute quinoa, barley, or wheat berries. Make sure you use pearled farro or barley, as opposed to unpearled or unhulled. The unpearled varieties take much longer to cook. My favorite brand of farro is Bob’s Red Mill.
Apple cider – You’ll actually be cooking the farro in it, which gives it an amazing flavor. (Pay no attention to the cider vinegar in the photo above. My brain was elsewhere when I was taking pictures that day!)
Bay leaves

For the Dressing:

Extra virgin olive oil
Lemon juice – use freshly squeezed lemon juice if at all possible. It tastes so much better than bottled.
Kosher salt – this is the one change I did make from the NYT recipe. The original was too salty for me, so I cut the amounts. Note that Kosher salt is not as salty as regular table salt. If you use table salt, then you’ll need to reduce the amount further. It’s always a good idea to add a little salt, then taste and see if you need more.
Fresh ground pepper.

For the Salad:

Parmesan cheese – The best choice would be Parmesano Reggiano. Whatever type of parmesan you use, it needs to be shaved off a wedge. Shredded cheese won’t do here. Those larger pieces of shaved parm taste amazing in this salad!
Pistaschios – Though I often experiment with recipes, this one is basically perfect. So, I really recommend you stick to the recipe. However, if you can’t use pistachios, cashews could work in a pinch.
Arugula – This slightly spicy green is a wonderful foil to the mellower ingredients. But if you really dislike arugula, you can sub watercress or baby kale.
Fresh basil or parsley – my preference is for basil. The fragrance and taste are so lovely, but you can use parsley if you prefer.
Fresh mint – smells amazing!
Cherry tomato – grape tomatoes work too.
Radishes – Initially, I had doubts about the radishes. I’m not a huge fan of radishes generally, and it seemed like the recipe called for an awful lot. But they really do work here, adding a subtle kick of spicy flavor. Just make sure you slice them very, very thin.

How to Make Charlie Bird Salad

The first step in making Charlie Bird Salad is to cook the farro. You’ll simmer it in a broth of apple cider, water, bay leaves, and salt. Be sure to simmer, not boil! And keep an eye on the pot so it doesn’t boil dry.

The next step is to make the vinaigrette. It’s simple, just whisk up the ingredients and stir it into the cooked farro.

An Important Word About Timing

The farro will take some time to cook. Also, it should be combined with the vinaigrette for at least four hours before you make the salad, so be sure to plan accordingly. This is not a salad you’ll want to throw together at the last minute.

Please don’t let that discourage you from making it. The fact that you do need to make the farro and vinaigrette ahead of time can actually be a plus, especially when you’re entertaining.

I usually cook the farro the night before, then stir in the vinaigrette and store it in the fridge until I’m ready to make the salad. The farro really has a chance to soak up the flavors that way.

If you are making it the same day, start early. You can soak the farro in the vinaigrette for four hours at room temperature.

Assembling, Serving, and What to Pair It With

When you’re ready to serve the salad, you toss the greens and herbs together in a large bowl, then top with the farro and remaining ingredients and fold everything together gently.

I’m serious about being gentle. If you break the parmesan into little pieces, it won’t taste as good.

The original recipe for Charlie Bird Salad has you add a little salt at the end. I don’t do that, for a couple of reasons.

First, I’m very careful about avoiding sodium. Second, there’s already salt in the vinaigrette and the parmesan; adding more would make it too salty for me.

If you want to add salt to yours, that’s fine. You do you. But I would recommend you taste it first.

Ina Garten’s Jammy Egg Serving Tip

So, what should you serve with Charlie Bird Salad?

Honestly, it’s so tasty and hearty that I’d be perfectly happy enjoying this for a meal. Especially lunch, when I’m eating a little lighter.

But it’d be wonderful served alongside virtually every kind of grilled or roasted meat, chicken or fish.

Ina Garten serves it with “jammy eggs”.

Those are eggs boiled for exactly six and a half minutes, then plunged into ice-cold water to stop them cooking, and peeled and served on the salad. The egg whites will be cooked, but the yolks will have a thick, jammy texture.

I haven’t tried this myself, but it sounds good. And would Ina steer you wrong? I don’t think so.

However you decide to serve it, Charlie Bird Salad is one of my favorite salads. Give it a try! I bet you’ll feel the same.