Honey Mustard Chicken Chopped Salad

Honey Mustard Chicken Chopped Salad

Something really weird is happening to me: I’m starting to love chicken. I know, I know. What’s weird about that? If you are most people, nothing. If you are me, EVERYTHING. I’ve never been a chicken fan because chicken can be way too chicken-y. But between the French onion chicken that I am obsessed with and now this honey mustard chicken chopped salad, I am a chicken hater no more.

It’s totally mind blowing.

But maybe I still actually hate chickeny chicken. You know the kind that is just sort of bland and mellow. This honey mustard chicken is not that despite its very short list of ingredients. It is so full of flavor and it’s all about the homemade honey mustard dressing. That dressing is just so good. Like I could drink it good.

And it’s easy. It’s dijon, honey, a splash of balsamic and a little olive oil and that is it. It is so simple, but so amazingly good. You don’t need to add a lot of other stuff to it because it just works as is.

For this recipe, you’re gonna make a lot of that dressing. Some of it you’re going to use to marinate and cook the chicken in. The rest of it, you’re gonna set aside to pour over the salad.

The whole prep for this is easy peasy too. Whisk the dressing ingredients together, pour some over the chicken, add a couple lemon wedges on top of the chicken and a touch of garlic and rosemary. Sear, then bake.

Then this whole beautiful pan comes out of the oven and you could absolutely serve the chicken as is, maybe with a side of mashed potatoes like these marscapone mashed potatoes. Or maybe with some roasted Brussels sprouts if you want to keep it lighter. Or since it, in theory, is salad season you could make this chopped salad.

I kept the salad pretty simple since I really wanted the delicious honey mustard to shine through. I did make sure to give it lots of crunch though since crunch makes salad better. Lots of really crisp romaine instead of something softer like spinach, walnuts and red onion.

For a little contrast, I chunked up some fresh mozzarella, but Swiss or even Parmesan cheese would be delicious in here as well if you wanted something sharper. And  some juicy, sweet cherry tomato halves finish it off. Oh, but, you could totally substitute some sweet strawberries for those tomatoes and it would amazing.

However you build your salad, it almost doesn’t matter. Just make sure you have lots of honey mustard dressing left over. Because you need it in your life. Just trust me.

Looking for other salads? Try these:

• Buffalo Chicken Caesar Salad
• Thai Chicken Salad
• Healthy Sweet Potato Salad
• Shrimp Caprese Salad with Honey Balsamic
• Sweet Garlic Chili Roasted Chickpea Salad with Roasted Broccoli

Honey Mustard Chicken Chopped Salad

Honey Mustard Chicken Chopped Salad is chock full of flavor and textures that makes it a satisfying but healthy dinner or lunch.

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Course: dinner, Salad

Cuisine: American

Servings: 2 -4 entree sized servings

Author: Seasoned Sprinkles

Ingredients

For the dressing/marinade

• 3/4 c dijon mustard
• 6 tbs honey
• 3 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbs olive oil

For the chicken

• 2 chicken breasts butterflied
• 1/4 c of the dressing
• 5 cloves of garlic pressed
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 tsp of rosemary
• 1 tbs olive oil

For the salad

• 1 head of romaine lettuce chopped into 1" pieces
• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes halved
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese cubed
• 1/4 large purple onion diced

Instructions

• Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl, set aside.
• Butterfly two chicken breasts. Put the chicken in a bowl. Toss with salt, pepper, rosemary, crushed garlic, lemon juice and 1/4 cup of the dressing. Let it marinade for 20-30 minutes.
• After the chicken has marinaded, heat a tbs olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. When skillet is hot, add the chicken and the marinade and cook for about 2 minutes. Flip and cook for 2 minutes on the other side. Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove from oven and let rest at room temperature.
• While the chicken is resting, chop the head of romaine into 1 inch pieces. Put it in a large bowl. Top chopped lettuce with halved cherry tomatoes, onions and cubed fresh mozzarella. Set aside.
• When the chicken has rested for 10 minutes, cut on a bias against the grain into strips. Add to the top of the salad. Sprinkle chopped walnuts on top to finish. Serve with reserved dressing.

Notes

Feel free to substitute out the veggies as you desire.

Nutrition

Serving: 2-4 entree sized servings

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