Honey Mustard Chicken Tender Salad Recipe

Although we commonly associate salads with the warmer months, a well-composed salad transcends the season and can be enjoyed any time of year. This honey mustard chicken tender salad, from the kitchen of recipe developer Jennine Rye, is a simple, satisfying, and delicious light meal option that makes a great year-round offering.

With salad ingredients inspired by the flavors of fall, this honey mustard chicken tender salad starts with crispy gem lettuce, celery, creamy avocado, sweet red apples, and sharp red onion to serve as a colorful and nutritious base. The salad ingredients are topped with warm chicken tenders and then sprinkled with toasted pecan nuts and crumbled mature cheddar cheese. The honey mustard dressing is sweet, tangy, sharp, and warming, bringing all the elements of the dish together into a vibrant and playful salad that can be ready to eat in just over 30 minutes. So, if you are looking for a perfectly layered salad recipe that the whole family can enjoy, read on and learn how to make this honey mustard chicken tender salad recipe.

To begin this honey mustard chicken tender salad recipe, first, you will need to gather the ingredients. For the salad dressing, you will want Dijon mustard, wholegrain mustard, honey, apple cider vinegar, mayonnaise, olive oil, and a pinch of salt. To assemble the salad, you will also need pecan nuts, chicken tenders, gem lettuce, celery, avocado, a red apple, a red onion, and mature cheddar cheese.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Combine the Dijon mustard, wholegrain mustard, honey, apple cider vinegar, mayonnaise, and salt to form the salad dressing.

Place the pecans on a baking tray and roast them for 8 to 10 minutes until they're deep brown and fragrant.

Remove the pecans from the oven and set them aside.

Place the chicken tenders on a baking sheet.

Adjust the oven temperature if necessary, and bake according to the packets' instructions.

Assemble the lettuce, celery, avocado, red apple, and red onion in a bowl or on a platter.

Top with the cooked chicken tenders.

Sprinkle with crumbled cheddar and the toasted pecans.

Drizzle with the honey mustard sauce.

Serve.

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Salads are a wonderfully easy dish to adapt according to your personal needs and preferences, and this honey mustard chicken tender salad is no exception. A great, and simple, way to keep this recipe fresh and interesting is to switch up the salad ingredients according to whichever products are in season. You can use a wide variety of different lettuce leaves as a base, and then add seasonal touches such as crispy grilled Brussels sprouts and pomegranate seeds in the wintertime, or fresh peas and asparagus in the springtime. Of course, other typical salad ingredients such as cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, and bell peppers are always a great option too.

If you want to elevate this recipe, you can make your own chicken tenders instead of reaching for the ready-made variety. The toppings you use for your salad are another simple way to add unique finishes to the dish, and, while Rye uses toasted pecans and crumbled cheddar, there are plenty of other options available to you. Different nuts, such as walnuts or cashews, work really well, or a mixture of toasted seeds will add flavor, nutrients, and texture to the dish. For some different cheese options, crumbled feta or blue cheese both add their distinct salty flavor, or if you prefer your cheese milder, mozzarella pearls will add a light, creamy finish to the salad.

It can be a particular challenge to store salads when they have been fully assembled and dressed. The lettuce often goes limp and slimy after just a few hours, and the avocado will quickly turn brown. However, with a little forward planning, it is perfectly possible to store this salad recipe so that it can be consumed over a few days.

The key to ensuring that this honey mustard chicken tender salad continues to be enjoyable for longer than a few hours is to keep different components separated until you are ready to eat them. The honey mustard dressing can be mixed up and stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week. The pecans can be toasted and then stored in a sealed container at room temperature to retain their texture and flavor. The chicken tenders can be cooked, then cooled and stored in the fridge for up to three days. The lettuce, celery, and onion can be stored together in a sealed container in the fridge, and a sheet or two of paper towels will absorb moisture and keep everything fresh and crisp. The chopped avocado and apple can be tossed in lemon juice and stored in the fridge to help delay the oxidation process for 2 to 3 days, and the cheddar can be crumbled and stored in the fridge until you assemble your salad.

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