This salad with a homemade honey mustard dressing takes crispy bacon, perfectly seasoned chicken, fresh avocado, and a handful of fresh veggies to create something that is both incredibly delicious and made in under 30 minutes.
This healthy summer salad recipe is dairy-free, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free, making it the perfect paleo dinner.
The marinated chicken and crispy cooked bacon make it a favorite in my household, even for those who tend to avoid greens.
Recipe Overview
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Number of Servings: 2
Ingredients
For the Honey Mustard Dressing
- 124g of whole grain mustard
- 6 tablespoons of dijon mustard
- 226g of honey
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of warm water
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- 2 cloves of garlic (finely minced or grated)
For the Salad
- 510g of boneless chicken breasts (I get my chicken from ButcherBox, which comes highly recommended)
- 8 slices of thick-cut bacon (chopped and cooked)
- 2 avocados (thinly sliced)
- 564g of baby romaine lettuce
- 298g of halved cherry tomatoes
- 2 bunches of chopped green onions
Instructions
- To create the honey mustard dressing, combine the dijon mustard, honey, olive oil, salt, warm water, minced garlic, and grain mustard. If you have a mason jar, place all the ingredients inside, tighten the lid, and shake well to combine.
- Place the chicken breasts inside a zip lock bag and pour half the salad dressing to coat the meat. We will use this as a marinade. Put it in the fridge for half an hour to one day, depending on your preferences. Save the rest of the honey mustard dressing for the salad.
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
- Remove the marinated chicken breasts from the fridge and allow them to adjust to room temperature.
- Cook the chicken for 5 minutes per side. Alternatively, cook the chicken on a frying pan with one tablespoon of olive or avocado oil over medium heat, or roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 425ºF.
- Combine the romaine lettuce, green onion, crumbled bacon, avocado, and cherry tomatoes into a salad bowl. Place the cooked chicken on top and pour the desired amount of honey mustard dressing. Toss and serve.
Related Articles:
- Here's How Long to Marinate Chicken
- How Long to Grill a Chicken?
- How To Thaw Chicken Wings?
- Grilled Lemon & Rosemary Flattened Chicken Recipe
Recipe Notes
- Feel free to add any extra veggies to this chicken salad. Red onion, goat cheese, corn kernels, and shredded carrots all work great.
- You can use boneless chicken thighs instead.
- If you feel like your creamy honey mustard dressing could use some extra flavors, you can add some lemon juice into the mixture.
- Add a tablespoon of apple cider or white vinegar if your dressing is too sweet.
Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 706
- Total Carbs: 63g
- Protein: 31.2g
- Fat: 38g
- Fiber: 8.4g
- Net Carbs: 55g
Tips for Cooking Bacon
Of course, the bacon is a big part of this chicken bacon avocado salad. We want it to be nice and crispy to add a nice crunch to our chicken salad, and I prefer to cook my bacon in the oven, making it extra crispy.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Line the baking sheet with parchment paper and put a wire rack over the baking sheet.
- Place the bacon on the wire rack with enough space in between so they are not touching.
- Bake at 350ºF for 5 minutes, flip the bacon, and cook for 5 more minutes, or until the bacon becomes crispy.
- Remove the bacon from the oven and let cool on the wire rack.
Reasons Why Honey Mustard Chicken Salad is So Great
Let's face it; salads do not get enough love. They’re often seen as diet food, and most people would rather reach for a chocolate cookie instead of a bag of greens.
I always tell them they haven’t found any good salad recipes yet.
This chicken salad with bacon bits and honey mustard is a thing of magic. It tastes great and makes you feel full for hours.
It’s full of healthy fats, proteins, and fresh vegetables, and the honey mustard chicken will have you coming back for more.
Alicia Pope, health coach and recipe creator at Eat Your Way Clean, says that protein is a great fit for salads for a multitude of reasons impacting the gut health and overall health.
This makes it a great way to balance the microbiome's needs on top of supporting body's metabolic process.
Pope adds that eating a salad without protein may leave you unsatisfied. So if you want to try another variation of this recipe, you can try slow oven-cooked pulled beef paired with a good salad.
Not only is this paleo honey mustard chicken salad tasty, but it can also be made in less than half an hour, making it perfect for any weeknight dinner.
Clean eating made gluten-free and dairy-free.
FAQs
How Long Should You Cook Chicken?
How long you should chicken depends on the size of the cut. For example, a 4-oz chicken breast will take around 25 - 30 minutes to bake when cooked at 350ºF.
The internal temperature of the meat should be 165ºF to be fit for consumption [1].
How Do You Pit an Avocado?
You pit an avocado by placing your middle and index finger on either side of the avocado pit and your thumb on the backside. Apply pressure on the back of the avocado using your thumb and your two other fingers [2].
Chicken Bacon Avocado Salad - A Simple Yet Delicious Recipe
This chicken bacon avocado salad with honey mustard is packed full of wonderful flavors and fresh vegetables. It is crunchy, soft, sweet, and savory all in one.
It is packed full of proteins and healthy fats while also being dairy-free and gluten-free. All your favorite veggies can be combined, such as red onion, cucumbers, bell peppers, etc.
This chicken bacon recipe takes less than 30 minutes to prepare, leaving you full for hours.
References:
- https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/how-long-to-bake-a-boneless-chicken-breast#be-careful
- https://food52.com/blog/26320-how-to-remove-an-avocado-pit-without-a-knife
