This easy Honey Mustard Chicken Salad is one of my favorite main dish salads. Lettuce and veggies are topped with grilled chicken and a delicious homemade honey mustard dressing for a hearty and satisfying lunch or dinner salad!
I just LOVE a big salad that is a meal all by itself – especially in the middle of winter! At this time of the year, we tend to eat a lot more comfort-type foods for dinner that can be a bit heavy, and so I really like to lighten things up every now and then by having a healthy and filling salad instead!
The best part about this salad? The homemade honey mustard dressing. It’s a classic that every home cook should have in their recipe box.
All you need is five simple ingredients (plus some salt and pepper) and a quick whisk or shake in a mason jar and – voilà – you’ve got yourself some homemade dressing that’s better than anything you’ll get in a bottle!
For this salad, the dressing does double duty. It’s a quick marinade for the chicken as well as a dressing for the salad.
I let my chicken marinate in the dressing for 15 minutes while I prep the lettuce and veggies and assemble the salads (you can marinate it longer if you want). It adds great flavor to the chicken!
Plus, not only is the dressing good on salads and as a marinade, it’s absolutely yummy for dipping chicken nuggets, veggies, pretzels, French fries (yes, fries – try it some time), spread in wraps or on sandwiches, tossed with roasted vegetables, and more!
The ingredients that I use in my salad are simple yet delicious – lettuce, carrots, celery, cucumber, and tomatoes – pretty much your standard salad classics.
They are my go-tos because I love them and always have them on hand. I think most people do too, so it’s super quick and easy to have a salad whenever you want.
That does not mean, however, that this salad wouldn’t be even more delicious with other stuff added to it. Feel free to make your salad exactly how you like it. You could add things like hard-boiled eggs, bacon, onions, radishes, broccoli, bell peppers, avocado, sunflower seeds, croutons, cheese…lots of possibilities!
For the lettuce, use your favorite lettuce or a combination of lettuces.
Romaine is usually my go-to lettuce, but honestly, I have always been a big fan of good-old iceberg lettuce, and that’s what I used for this salad today. I know it sometimes gets a bad rap, but I don’t care what anybody says. I just love it’s fresh crisp and crunch!
INGREDIENTS YOU NEED:
- Honey
- Dijon mustard
- Olive oil
- Apple cider vinegar
- Fresh garlic (or garlic powder)
- Salt and pepper
- Chicken tenders
- Lettuce (any kind)
- Carrots
- Celery
- Cucumber
- Cherry or grape tomatoes
HERE’S A QUICK LOOK AT HOW TO MAKE HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN SALAD:
TIPS & TIDBITS:
- Not a fan of garlic? You can leave it out of the dressing, and it will still be delicious!
- You can substitute boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs for the chicken tenders, just adjust the cooking time accordingly.
- I love grilled chicken in this salad. I usually just use my stove-top grill pan – especially in the winter (if you don’t have a grill pan, I highly recommend one). If it’s summer, I might fire up the grill. If you don’t have a grill pan or a grill, just fry up the chicken in a pan (or you could even bake it in the oven).
- Cook the chicken over medium-low to medium heat and keep an eye on it, as the honey will quickly burn before the chicken is cooked through if the heat is too hot.
- The dressing recipe makes about 1 cup of dressing. If you don’t use it all, store it in the refrigerator and use it within 3 to 5 days.
- If you have any leftovers and want to do something different with them, make a honey mustard chicken wrap… sooo good!
This salad is such a quick and easy way to have a healthy and delicious lunch or dinner. You’ve got protein and veggies. You don’t have a ton of calories. And the dressing just makes it all taste sooo good!
I hope you try this recipe for Honey Mustard Chicken Salad and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
Honey Mustard Chicken Salad (With Homemade Dressing)
Ingredients
HONEY MUSTARD DRESSING:
- ⅓ cup Dijon mustard
- ⅓ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 6 tablespoons olive oil (regular or light)
- 1 clove garlic, minced (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
- salt and pepper, to taste
SALAD:
- 1 pound chicken tenders
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 8 cups lettuce, any kind (I use romaine or iceberg)
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- ½ cup sliced celery
- 16 slices cucumber, halved
- 16 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
Instructions
MAKE THE DRESSING:
- Place all of the dressing ingredients in a 16-ounce/2-cup mason jar. Put on the lid and shake vigorously until well combined. If you don't have a mason jar, just put all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well combined.
MAKE THE SALAD:
- Place the chicken tenders in a shallow dish. Pour ¼ cup of the salad dressing over the chicken tenders; toss to evenly coat all of the chicken with the dressing. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Cover the dish with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator to marinate for 15 minutes while you prep the veggies.
- Preheat a stove-top grill pan or outdoor grill to medium-low to medium heat. Remove the chicken tenders from the marinade, allowing any excess marinade to drip off, and place them in the grill pan or on the grill. Discard the marinade. Grill the chicken until cooked through (internal temperature of 165°F), about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Note: Keep an eye on the chicken and the heat while it is cooking. The honey in the dressing can quickly burn before the chicken is cooked through if the heat is too high.
- Remove the cooked chicken to a plate; allow to rest for 5 minutes, then slice it into bite-sized pieces.
- For each salad, place ¼ of the lettuce, carrots, celery, cucumber, and tomatoes in a bowl. Top each with ¼ of the sliced chicken and 2 to 3 tablespoons of the dressing. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Not a fan of garlic? You can leave it out of the dressing, and it will still be delicious!
- You can substitute boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs for the chicken tenders, juts adjust the cooking time accordingly.
- If you don’t have a grill or a stove-top grill pan, you can cook the chicken in a skillet with a little bit of olive oil (or you could even bake it in the oven).
- The dressing recipe makes about 1 cup of dressing. If you don’t use it all, store it in the refrigerator and use it within 3 to 5 days.
- Estimated calories are based on one serving of salad with 3 tablespoons dressing (if you used only 2 tablespoons dressing, the estimated calories would be 290). The dressing is 70 calories per tablespoon.
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