Honey Mustard Chicken Salad
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Made with the juiciest, tender honey mustard chicken, romaine, strawberries, avocado and corn. And the dressing is perfection!
Featured Comment
It’s starting to warm up and I’m going to fire up the grill this weekend to make the cilantro lime chicken and this honey mustard chicken. I’m not entirely sure which to make first. Probably this honey mustard variation because, hello, we have crisp romaine lettuce, fresh strawberries, velvety avocado slices, and sweet, juicy corn kernels. Oh and the salty, crispy bacon bits. Can’t forget about those.
reasons to make honey mustard chicken salad
- Super easy recipe. The salad dressing also serves as a convenient marinade for the chicken, yielding the juiciest, most tender and flavorful chicken thighs.
- Perfect for summer entertaining. With its easy make-ahead options for both the dressing and the chicken, this honey mustard chicken salad is perfect for picnics, summer cookouts, potlucks and dinner parties! Serve as a main dish, side or appetizer, guaranteed to be a huge crowd-pleaser.
- Flexible recipe. Not a fan of dark meat? Swap out the thighs for breasts or tenderloins. This recipe will work very well with any part of the chicken, whether it’s on the grill or on the stovetop (more on that below).
tips and tricks for success
- An outdoor grill is not necessary. Too cold to grill outside? A cast iron grill pan can be used to get those favorited grill marks and charred flavor.
- Prep ahead of time. Save time by making the dressing up to 1 week in advance, and prepping and dicing the strawberries and vegetables 1-2 days prior and storing them in airtight containers in the fridge.
- Cut in uniform size. Cut all of the salad ingredients in similar size pieces for a consistent bite.
- Use extra virgin olive oil. High quality extra virgin olive oil is ideal for salad dressings.
- Mix it up. Swap out the strawberries for your favorite berries such as blackberries, raspberries, blueberries or a combination, or add pine nuts, sunflower seeds, chopped pecans or slivered almonds for an added crunch.
- Use an instant-read thermometer for the most accurate results. The internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165°F.
- Let your meat rest. Let your chicken rest for at least 5 minutes prior to slicing and serving, allowing the juices to redistribute – this will allow for maximum flavor and juiciness.
more favorited salad recipes
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Honey Mustard Chicken Salad: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, chicken breasts can absolutely be used here but chicken thighs have more dark meat and a higher fat content which will yield juicier, more flavorful chicken.
Yes! The chicken can be marinated 2-6 hours ahead of time.
Yes! The dressing can be made 1 week in advance and stored in an airtight container (such as a mason jar) and placed in the fridge, letting it come to room temperature for about 15 minutes and shaking well before using.
No grill, no problem. A cast iron grill pan or a large cast iron skillet will work beautifully here, especially during those winter months when it’s too cold to grill out!
To ensure juicy, moist chicken, marinate the chicken for at least 1 hour, avoid overcooking (use an instant-read thermometer) and let it rest prior to slicing and serving.
Honey Mustard Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup whole grain Dijon mustard
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 4 slices bacon, diced
- 1 head romaine, roughly chopped
- 1 ½ cups quartered strawberries
- 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and sliced
- 1 cup corn kernels, canned or roasted
Equipment
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together Dijon, green onions, olive oil, honey and vinegar; season with salt and pepper, to taste; set aside 1/3 of the mixture. Place remaining 2/3 of the mixture in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine chicken and reserved Dijon mixture; marinate for at least 2 hours to 6 hours, turning the bag occasionally. Drain the chicken from the marinade.
- Preheat grill to medium heat.
- Brush chicken with canola oil; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add chicken to grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until chicken is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 10 minutes.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Drain excess fat; transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
- To assemble the salad, place romaine lettuce in a large bowl; top with chicken, bacon, strawberries, avocado and corn. Pour the Dijon dressing on top of the salad and gently toss to combine.
- Serve immediately.
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I love your recipe! We are right now in class and it was great to read your blog. Thank you very much for this amazing recipe! LOVE TO THE WORLD
This Honey Mustard Chicken Salad is a simple, delicious dish that is perfect for a light meal or snack. The crunchy celery and tomatoes give the salad some texture, while the creamy honey mustard dressing adds a nice finish. Loved your recipe!!
– Jack from Skilletguy
Jack, were you rating the right recipe? There are no tomatoes nor celery?
Absolutely delicious!
Where do you find whole grain Dijon mustard? Never heard of this. Online it’s not less then 20 bucks for a small jar. Thanks
I would use half Dijon and half whole grain mustards.
Delicious! A salad I can serve my family for dinner without complaining
This salad was amazing!! My entire family loved it and we can’t wait to make it again. The dressing was spot on!
We really enjoyed this! The marinade/dressing was a little too strong on the mustard for me so I added some white wine to tone it down and it worked beautifully! Would add more chicken next time, though.
MOUTH WATERING!!! I used almost 2 romaine heads and doubled the dressing. My family of 3 ate every single bite.
Easy and really good! I’ll make this again for sure.
This was amazing! Everyone in the house loved it, even my husband who does not like chicken unless it is fried.
Your dishes are all photographed so beautifully and this salad is no exception – just lovely. Want to prepare it correctly so please excuse my confusion – is the refrigerated 2/3 of the salad dressing to be used for marinating the chicken or for the finished salad or vice versa for the 1/3 of the dressing set aside? Thank you for the recipe – a salad with strawberries and grilled chicken in springtime – how perfect!
Made this today as I was feeling a bit under the weather and had everything I needed to pull it together. Really wonderful results – super delicious! My new favorite recipe HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN SALAD.
I was looking for something healthy to make for my husband. He loves honey mustard so I thought this would be a great recipe to try. I’m so happy I did because it was a definite winner! Thank you for sharing this salad recipe. We now have something we can eat guilt-free =)
I absolutely love this recipe. It’s so good, yet healthy.
I have made several recipes from this site and have loved them all but this one is definitely my favorite. I love how all the ingredients come together and make one of the most flavorful and prettiest salads I have ever had/made.
I can’t wait to make this for my guests and share the deliciousness of this recipe!
Wonderful! Substituted fresh tomatoes for the strawberries. I didn’t roast the corn. Just cut it fresh off the cob.
yaayyyy! found a healthy yet delicious recipe for my lunches
Delish! As with all of your recipes, this was amazing. I did substitute breasts for thighs because I am not a fan.
For a shortcut I used rotisserie chicken. I’m sure it would have been even better, but it was still a wonderful lunch. That dressing is fantastic.
Very flavorful