Honey Mustard Chicken Salad
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
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.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
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
So delicious dish! I can guarantee that from my eyes xD This is exactly I have been doing w my daily salad, mixing many ingredients and trying different dressings every time 🙂
It was delicious!!!
Ohhhh looks amazing!! I love how we can variate chicken salad with hundreds of versions! 🙂
Will be making this for Father’s Day! After making your Cilantro Lime Chicken, I’m a believer of your recipes! Can I use white wine vinegar instead?
That’s not only damn delicious, but damn healthy dish! I just follow this recipe, really yummy and easy to make!
Thank you.
This looks amazing! I need to fire up the grill again.
I made this Honey Mustard Chicken Salad for dinner last night. OMG! One of the best summer salads I have ever made/had/tasted! Simply amazing! My husband loved it and was still raving about it this morning. I will definitely be making this a lot this summer.
Such an easy recipe and looks absolutely delicious. My family will definitely love this. And I love how easy this is to make. Winner! Thank you so much for this recipe!!!
Made this tonight. Absolutely delicious. I substituted the chicken thighs for breast. So nice and moist. Can’t wait to make this again!
Made this for dinner in under 30 min and it was amazing!! Thank you so much for the recipe! Wanted to take a picture for IG but looked so yummy we didn’t gobbled it up right away!!
Wow! Just wow! This is an amazing recipe! I’m generally not a fan of mustard, but the combination of flavours in this recipe was divine. This recipe was added to our “definitely make again” (and again and again) folder. Thanks so much for sharing this with us!
We are so happy this was a winner for you, Jennifer! Thanks so much for sharing with us! 🙂
Your recipes are awesome! I used to just follow you for recipes like Shrimp Salad but now I know you have Corgis too. My Corgi, Albus Dumbledog, invites you to join us at Corgi Beach Day in Huntington Beach or at the Corgi Races at Santa Anti Park. Check out Mr Pickles, the official Corgi of So. Cal. Corgi Nation!!! Cartman is soooooo cute!!!
I made this and it was excellent, LOVE the honey mustard dressing!
Isn’t it the best? It’s one of my favorite salad dressings!
This was fantastic! Loved the simple, delicious dressing. I will definitely be making this again!
Isn’t the dressing the best? I make it all the time for all kinds of salads! 🙂
1/3 cup of grainy mustard was a lot of mustard. The flavour of the dressing was overpowered by it. I usually love your recipes, but this one was not a fave. Is that the correct amount?
Yes, the amount is correct but you can easily reduce the amount to suit your tastes. 🙂
I actually split the mustard with regular dijon and grainy dijon – worked out nicely
Very fresh, pretty and tasty! Kid approved. Even without the bacon.
Glad to hear it! Thanks for sharing!
I wrote up a post on my blog about how much we loved this salad! Thank you for this amazing recipe!
If I don’t have a grill can I broil or bake the chicken in the oven?
Sure!