Crispy Hen Salad (With Maple Mustard Dressing)

This crispy hen salad is a fall favourite in my home! It options air-fried crispy hen, honey crisp apples, an incredible selfmade maple mustard dressing, and candied pecans. It’s a flavorful and protein-rich lunch or dinner that I completely can not get sufficient of.

A Few Featured Components

• Apples: right here within the midwest, we’re all about honey crisp apples! The flavour is texture is simply the most effective. Be at liberty to thinly slice any apple of your selection ❤️.
• Pecans: the candied pecans add deliciously candy taste and just a little crunch. it’s an important complement to the savory hen and maple mustard dressing.
• Hen: air fryer hen bbs! I like air frying hen as a result of it will get it additional crispy with out frying + it requires minimal prepare dinner time. My toddler all the time steals a hen nugget or two after I’m making this recipe.
• Dijon mustard: mustard is the bottom of the salad dressing for this recipe! It’s a selfmade dressing that does require a couple of elements, however every little thing might be poured in a mason jar and shaken up earlier than dressing. I prefer to make a double batch to maintain additional dressing readily available within the fridge.
• Maple syrup: you’ll use maple within the salad dressing and in addition within the candied pecans. It’s my go-to pure sweetener of selection.
• Spring combine greens: technically any lettuce or subject greens will work for this salad, so select your individual journey right here. The crunch of romaine can be delish, and so would a softer butter lettuce.

Discover the listing of full elements within the recipe card beneath. 

Make Stovetop Candied Pecans

Making your individual candied pecans is tremendous fast and simple. All you should do is warmth a big skillet over medium/low warmth. Add the pecans, maple syrup, and cinnamon to the skillet. Toss the pecans till they’re coated, and toast them till they start to brown.

Switch the pecans to a plate and allow them to cool — be at liberty to style check a couple of 😋😋.

Getting ready and Air-Frying the Hen

Dredge a bit of hen by way of the flour, then egg, after which the panko, ensuring the hen items are absolutely coated. The flour –> egg –> panko order for dredging the hen helps make each bit tremendous crispy and evenly coated within the breading.

Then, switch the hen to the air fryer, ensuring the hen items will not be touching. Cook dinner at 400º for 5-8 minutes (will depend on what sort of air fryer you’re utilizing) or till the hen is golden brown and crispy. You’re searching for an inner temperature of 165ºF.

Professional tip: You might have to prepare dinner the hen in batches relying on the dimensions of your air fryer.

Wish to make a non-breaded hen for this recipe? I like to recommend my juicy air fryer hen breast recipe. Alternatively, you may press the simple button and simply deliver residence a rotisserie hen from the grocery retailer (I’ve finished this extra occasions than I can rely!).

Discover the total recipe directions within the recipe card beneath.

Add the Dressing and Serve

My #1 tip for this salad is to WAIT to decorate it till proper earlier than serving. Why? Spring combine is a fragile subject inexperienced and may get soggy fairly shortly. Plus, you don’t need your tremendous crispy hen nuggets to get soggy both 😅😅.

Greatest Technique to Retailer Leftovers

One of the simplest ways to retailer leftover servings of this salad is to maintain the dressing and hen separate from every little thing else. Then, once you’re able to serve, you may reheat the hen (both within the air fryer for a couple of minutes or within the microwave) and toss with the dressing to freshen issues up.



Extra Hearty Salad Recipes

• Start by making candied pecans. Warmth a big skillet over medium/low warmth. Add the pecans, maple syrup, and cinnamon to the skillet. Toss the pecans till they’re coated. Toast the pecans till they start to brown. Switch the pecans to a plate and allow them to cool.

• Add the entire elements for the dressing to a bowl and whisk to mix. Put aside.

• Subsequent, put together the hen. In three separate bowls, add the flour to 1, whisked eggs, maple syrup, and Dijon to the second, and panko bread crumbs and salt to the third bowl.

• Dredge a bit of hen by way of the flour, then egg, after which the panko. Ensure it’s absolutely coated. Put aside and repeat till all of the hen has been coated.

• Switch the hen to the air fryer and spray with avocado oil. Ensure the hen items will not be overcrowded. Cook dinner at 400º for 5-8 minutes (will depend on what sort of air fryer you’re utilizing) or till the hen is golden brown and crispy. You might have to prepare dinner the hen in batches. We’re searching for an inner temperature of 165ºF.

• Add the blended greens, cranberries, feta, and apples to a big salad bowl. High with hen and candied pecans.

• Costume the salad proper earlier than serving and revel in instantly.

• Should you don’t have an air fryer, be at liberty to interchange the air fryer hen with rotisserie hen.

Energy: 574 kcal, Carbohydrates: 65 g, Protein: 35 g, Fats: 31 g, Fiber: 5 g, Sugar: 28 g

Diet data is robotically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.