Honey Mustard Chicken Salad
Honey Mustard Chicken Salad is not just any salad! This gorgeous honey mustard dressing does double-duty as both a slather for the chicken and a dressing!
If I’m going to have a salad as a meal, it’s got to be a GIANT salad. This Honey Mustard Chicken Salad is definitely a meal.
It’s filled with chicken, tomatoes, asparagus, Romaine lettuce, avocado, and bacon and dressed with an amazing homemade honey mustard dressing!
HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN SALAD
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So many salads are either too boring or overly complicated, and this is firmly neither. This delicious homemade honey mustard dressing goes on the chicken before cooking AND on the salad at the end. This gives the chicken a deep golden crust and melding the flavors with the salad!
Use the salads and vegetables I’ve used in this Honey Mustard Chicken Salad recipe just as a guide. This recipe is more about the honey mustard sauce and how to use it. Recently I used the same sauce on a simple arugula, parmesan, and crouton salad topped with the chicken. It was terrific!
HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN SALAD INGREDIENTS
For the dressing:
- Honey — to make this dressing vegan, substitute maple syrup here!
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Olive Oil
- Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper
For the salad:
- Chicken — I used a breast, but tenderloins or boneless, skinless chicken thighs would also work here
- Oil
- Chopped romaine lettuce
- Cherry tomatoes
- Asparagus
- Avocado slices
- Chopped bacon
As with any salad, make it your own! This dressing is tangy and sweet with a hint of acid and would work well as a marinade too!
Traditional honey mustard is made with honey, but you can also substitute it for maple syrup. The beautiful woody tones of good maple syrup are stunning in this sauce and give the dressing a different sweet tone.
HOW TO MAKE HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN SALAD
- To mix dressing, pour all of your ingredients into a mason jar. Screw the lid on tight and shake well until combined. You can also use a blender or a mixing bowl & whisk here!
- After that, heat a non-stick pan over high heat until it’s smoking hot. Cook the asparagus for about three minutes, or until black bits begin to form on the skin. Remove the asparagus from the pan and set it aside for now.
- Next, you’ll cut the chicken breasts in half horizontally and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Then, drizzle some of your honey mustard mixture over the chicken.
- Turn the skillet down to medium-high heat, and add the oil to the same pan. Cook the chicken for about three minutes on each side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. (A meat thermometer is really handy here.)
- Then remove the chicken from the skillet and rest it on a cutting board before slicing.
- To mix the salad, place some lettuce and a small drizzle of dressing in a bowl and toss. Then top the salad with cherry tomatoes, asparagus, avocado, and honey mustard chicken. Sprinkle with bacon and drizzle the remaining dressing over your salad.
If you’re not serving this salad family-style, mix the lettuce and dressing before plating in individual bowls and topping with more ingredients. You can’t go wrong with this Honey Mustard Chicken Salad!
HOW TO MAKE HONEY MUSTARD
Honey mustard salad dressing is a popular sauce that people buy often but is SO easy to make.
There are four parts to every salad dressing: oil, sugar, acid, and salt. In this recipe, we’ve got oil, honey, apple cider vinegar, and Dijon mustard, respectively. Traditionally, the oil-to-acid ratio in this dressing is 3:1. No need to bust out your fanciest cooking oils for this.
If your dressing is too acidic, add a little more sugar. Too sweet? Work it the other way around! An extra pinch of salt at the end brings the flavor together.
So don’t forget to taste and add until it’s just like you like it! If you’re on a low-salt diet, leave the salt out and let people add if they want more.
This can be made in a blender, shaken in a jar, or mixed by hand. Want to make it vegan? Drop the honey and swap it for maple syrup. The sweetness is still there!
HOW LONG DOES HOMEMADE HONEY MUSTARD LAST?
I love to make batches of this and refrigerate them for a last-minute dressing or marinade.
On average, homemade honey mustard dressing can last about 6 to 9 months in the refrigerator. Be sure to keep your container tightly sealed and check for any change in smell or color as it ages.
Some homemade dressings can separate over time, but give it a quick shake or stir and it should combine again. If not, it may be time to make more!
Tools used to make Honey Mustard Chicken Salad
Nonstick pan: Every kitchen needs a reliable nonstick pan for those delicate dishes! This is a favorite of mine because it has a great handle and gets even heat distribution.
Meat Thermometer: Make sure your meat comes out cooked just right every time with this handy digital thermometer!
Honey Mustard Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1 ½ tablespoons honey
- 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Salad
- 6 asparagus spears
- 1 chicken breast
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ tablespoon oil
- 5 cups romaine lettuce roughly chopped
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- ½ avocado thinly sliced
- 1.5 ounces bacon cooked crispy and chopped
Instructions
- Place all dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well.
- Heat a non-stick pan over high heat until smoking. Add asparagus and cook for 3 min or until there are little black bits but still firm. Remove from pan - it will continue cooking in the residual heat.
- Cut chicken in half horizontally, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle 2 teaspoons of dressing over chicken.
- Add oil to the skillet and cook the chicken about 2 min each side until cooked through. Transfer to a plate, cover loosely with foil and rest 5 minutes. Slice thickly.
- Place lettuce in bowl, drizzle a bit of dressing over the lettuce and toss. Transfer to serving platter. Top with cherry tomatoes, asparagus, avocado and chicken. Sprinkle with bacon, drizzle over remaining dressing.
