Crispy, oven-baked chicken tenders on top of a fresh salad with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, thinly sliced red onion and a drizzle of homemade honey mustard dressing. An easy and delicious crispy chicken salad you will make again and again.
This chicken tender salad is one of my favorite things. First of all, who doesn’t love chicken tenders? They are definitely a top choice comfort food around here. Take some crispy chicken tenders and enjoy them on top of a pile of fresh salad? I’m IN. This hearty, main dish salad is a wonderful recipe to have in you repertoire for an easy, light dinner that’s perfect for any night of the week.
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Why you will love this crispy chicken tender salad
- It’s full of flavor and texture. Crispy chicken strips, cool, crunchy greens, fresh veggies, creamy avocado and a tangy homemade honey mustard that will quickly become your new favorite dressing.
- This hearty salad is easy to make and healthy and comforting at the same time.
- It’s easily customized for anyone’s tastes.
- My easy, mess free method for breading homemade crispy chicken tenders.
Ingredients
- Chicken – you can buy chicken tenderloins or cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts into strips.
- All purpose flour
- Italian seasoning
- Egg
- Panko bread crumbs – I use seasoned Panko breadcrumbs in this recipe, not plain to add more flavor. If you only have plain on hand, I recommend adding more seasoning to the batter or directly to the chicken before breading. I prefer to use Panko over regular breadcrumbs for the crispiest oven fried chicken tenders.
- Oil spray – a high heat oil spray helps lightly coat the bread crumbs and the chicken tenders so they get super crispy. My favorite is avocado oil spray.
- Lettuce – use crunchy, sturdy greens like romaine lettuce, little gem, red leaf, green leaf or butterhead lettuce.
- Cherry tomatoes
- Cucumber
- Red onion
- Avocado
- Mayo
- Dijon mustard
- Honey – I absolutely love using hot honey in this recipe for a little kick!
- Garlic powder
- Apple cider vinegar – fresh lemon juice can be substituted.
- Olive Oil
Method
Mess free dredging station for chicken tenders
In a large bowl, whisk together egg, mayo, flour, dijon mustard, Italian seasoning and salt to make a thick batter. Pat the chicken tenders dry with a paper towel and add them to the batter. Toss with tongs to make sure that all of the chicken pieces are thoroughly coated in the mixture.
Spread Panko breadcrumbs out on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Holding the can upright, spray them lightly with oil spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 3-4 minutes, stirring halfway though, until crumbs are lightly toasted. Gather the ends of the parchment paper to easily make a funnel to transfer the crumbs to a shallow dish.
Using tongs, transfer a piece of battered chicken to the breadcrumbs and use your hands to sprinkle them over the chicken. Gently press the crumbs in to help them adhere. Using your hands, turn the chicken piece over a few times in the crumbs, pressing gently until it’s well coated. Your fingers should, for the most part, stay mess free with this method!
Arrange breaded chicken strips back on the same baking sheet used to toast breadcrumbs and lightly spray with more oil spray. Bake for 14-16 minutes until golden brown. Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness. It should read 165 degrees.
You can also make the chicken tenders in the air fryer at 390 degrees f for 8-10 minutes.
Make the dressing and assemble the salad
While the chicken is cooking, make the dressing by whisking together mayo, mustard, honey, apple cider vinegar and garlic powder. Drizzle in olive oil and keep whisking until it’s smooth.
Build your salad on a bed of greens topped with halved cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber, thinly sliced red onion and avocado. Cut crispy chicken strips into chunks and place on top of salad. Serve immediately with honey mustard dressing.
Substitutions and variations
- Swap out the honey mustard dressing for creamy ranch, my Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing or even this Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette.
- Add shredded cheddar cheese or blue cheese crumbles to your salad.
- Skip an entire step and use frozen store-bought chicken tenders to build your salad.
- Try adding shredded carrots, thinly sliced bell pepper, hard boiled eggs or crispy bacon bits for additional toppings.
- Use measure for measure gluten free all purpose flour and gluten free Panko breadcrumbs to make this meal completely gluten free. I have tested this substitution and it works perfectly!
Recipe tips
- Don’t skip toasting the breadcrumbs! It’s an extra step, but I promise you it’s well worth it. I’ve tried making crispy chicken in the oven or air fryer so many different ways and I find that toasting the crumbs before you bread the chicken helps achieve that deep golden brown color and makes it super crispy.
- Soak sliced red onion in ice water for about 5 minutes and then dry with paper towels before adding to the salad. This helps remove the “bite” from a pungent red onion.
- Making the dressing ahead of time is a great way to save a step when you need a quick meal. Store honey mustard dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
- Prep the salad ingredients in advance – wash and dry lettuce, slice tomatoes, cucumbers and red onion and store in separate containers in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble.
- For tender, juicy chicken, use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature. Crispy baked chicken breasts can get dry quickly when overcooked.
Storing leftovers
This salad is best enjoyed right away while the chicken is fresh and super crispy, but it is possibly to enjoy this recipe for a few meals if stored properly.
- Wait until the chicken comes to room temperature before storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat chicken in the toaster oven or air fryer to crisp it back up before serving. Leftover chicken will keep well for about 3-4 days.
- Store leftover salad ingredients, without dressing, in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
More main dish salad recipes you will love
Chicken Tender Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing
Ingredients
Crispy Oven-Baked Chicken Tenders
- 1 pound chicken tenderloins
- 1.5 cups seasoned Panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- avocado oil spray
Honey Mustard Dressing
- ¼ cup dijon mustard
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Salad Ingredients
- 8 cups lettuce
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup sliced English cucumber
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- 1 large avocado sliced
Instructions
Crispy Oven-Baked Chicken Tenders
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Spread the Panko breadcrumbs out on a parchment lined baking sheet. Lightly spray the crumbs with avocado oil and stir to coat. Toast in the oven for 3-4 minutes until light golden brown. Gather the parchment paper ends and use it as a funnel to transfer to a shallow dish, set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all purpose flour, mayonnaise, dijon mustard, egg and Italian seasoning. Add the chicken pieces to the batter and use tongs to toss until thoroughly coated.
- Use tongs to transfer a piece of the chicken to the toasted panko crumbs. Use your hands to sprinkle crumbs over the chicken and gently press to help them adhere. Use your hands to turn the chicken over in the crumbs several times until it's fully coated. Transfer back to the baking sheet and repeat this process with all of the remaining chicken pieces.
- Spray breaded chicken tenders with oil spray and bake in the oven for 6-8 minutes. Flip and spray the other side and bake for another 6-8 minutes for a total cook time of 14-16 minutes. Use an instant-read thermometer to check that the internal temperature in the thickest part of the chicken is 165 degrees.
Honey Mustard Dressing
- In a medium bowl, whisk together mayo, mustard, honey, apple cider vinegar and garlic powder. Drizzle in olive oil and whisk until smooth.
Assemble the salad
- Evenly divide lettuce between four plates. Top each salad with halved cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, sliced red onion and avocado.
- Place crispy chicken tenders on a cutting board and cut into bite sized chunks.
- Arrange crispy chicken chunks on top of the salad and serve immediately with honey mustard dressing.
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