The best honey mustard chicken salad has arrived, and it is a perfect, quick weeknight meal or on the go lunch. It's made with juicy grilled chicken thighs, corn, avocado, onions, strawberries, and the most creamy honey mustard dressing.
A quick, easy, nutritious & filling salad
This honey mustard chicken salad has very quickly become a staple in our kitchen. I love prepping the chicken thighs the night before and letting them get really, really tender.
I usually will cut up and prep my veggies, marinade the chicken, and make the dressing all at once. The next day, assembly takes very little time, and I can enjoy my meal a lot quicker.
I'm always happier eating a dish when I don't spend a ton of time on it yet it's still absolutely mouth-watering, and it tastes like I spent all day making it! 😉
What goes well with honey mustard?
You can get a bit creative with your add-ins and toppings if you'd like.
I've found that avocado, strawberries, and corn are a must in this salad.
All 3 just pair very well with the sweet and tangy flavors from the honey mustard marinade and creamy dressing.
You can also use your favorite greens. I love doing a combo of both romaine hearts and arugula together.
You can use mixed salad greens, spinach, whatever your favorites are.
Ingredients You'll Need:
- Boneless and skinless chicken thighs (breast is fine, too)
- Honey
- Dijon mustard
- Stone ground mustard
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Romaine hearts
- Arugula
- Bacon
- Strawberries
- Corn
- Avocado
- Red onions
Honey mustard chicken marinade
The deliciousness coming from the grilled chicken thighs is unmatched.
I have found that you can marinade them quickly for 30 minutes, but if you leave them for a few hours or even overnight, you are going to be very happy with the result.
What's really awesome is that many of the ingredients from the honey mustard chicken marinade can be doubled up and used in the dressing.
If you aren't into stone ground mustard or cannot find any, you can simply use Dijon mustard for the dressing.
The combination of the two makes for a more interesting and pronounced flavor, but it's not a make or break for the recipe.
How to make the best honey mustard chicken salad
In a Tupperware container or small bowl (if you will be using a Ziplock bag to store chicken in the refrigerator), whisk together all marinade ingredients until smooth and combined.
Add in chicken thighs and submerge in liquid. Place in the refrigerator to marinade for at least 1 hour or several hours to overnight.
Grill instructions: Preheat grill to medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Sear chicken on both sides for 3-4 minutes. Cook, turning occasionally until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, about 10 minutes.
Stovetop instructions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat up a large cast iron pan for 2 minutes and add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Sear chicken for 3-4 minutes per side. Finish cooking in the oven for about 15 minute until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
While the chicken is cooking, make the dressing. In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, honey, garlic powder, mustard(s), and taste for additional salt and pepper.
Add 1-2 tablespoons of room temperature water and whisk until it has reached your desired consistency.
To assemble the salad, place romaine lettuce in a large bowl with arugula, and drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with a big pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well.
Top off with grilled chicken, crunchy bacon, strawberries, red onions, avocado, and corn. Pour the dressing on top or serve on the side. Gently toss to combine.
Recipe Substitutions & Questions
Feel free to use chicken breasts instead of thighs. They will take a few minutes longer to cook through.
You can use Dijon mustard by itself, but I've found the dressing tastes best with both mustards incorporated.
Use your favorite greens: mixed greens, spinach, arugula, Romaine, etc. My favorite pairing for this salad is Romaine hearts and arugula! 🙂
Is honey mustard sauce healthy?
The honey mustard dressing I've created for this salad is absolutely healthy.
The base of the dressing is my super easy and creamy homemade mayonnaise.
It's made with avocado oil, which is very heart-healthy and fabulous overall. Other than that, it's two different kinds of mustard, some honey, garlic powder, and s&p.
That's it.
I would definitely consider that to be healthy! 😉
Love this honey mustard chicken salad recipe? Here's more salads you'll love:
Easy Arugula Chicken Salad with Grapes
Best Honey Mustard Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Chicken
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves finely minced
- 1 ½ pounds boneless & skinless chicken thighs see notes
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Dressing
- ½ cup homemade paleo mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard see notes
- 1 ½ teaspoons whole grain or spicy brown mustard see notes
- 1 heaping tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons filtered water
Salad
- 3 Romaine hearts roughly chopped
- 3 cups arugula tightly packed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- big pinch kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 bacon strips cooked and thinly sliced
- 1 ½ cups strawberries stems removed & quartered
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- 2 avocados sliced or diced
- 1 ½ cups corn kernels
Instructions
- In a Tupperware container or small bowl (if you will be using a Ziplock bag to store chicken in the refrigerator), whisk together all marinade ingredients until smooth and combined.
- Add in chicken thighs and submerge in liquid. Place in the refrigerator to marinade for at least 1 hour or several hours to overnight.
- Grill instructions: Preheat grill to medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Sear chicken on both sides for 3-4 minutes. Cook, turning occasionally until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, about 10 minutes. Stovetop instructions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat up a large cast iron pan for 2 minutes and add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Sear chicken for 3-4 minutes per side. Finish cooking in the oven for about 15 minute until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
- While the chicken is cooking, make the dressing. In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, honey, garlic powder, mustard(s), and taste for additional salt and pepper. Add 1-2 tablespoons of room temperature water and whisk until it has reached your desired consistency.
- To assemble the salad, place romaine lettuce in a large bowl with arugula, and drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with a big pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well. Top off with grilled chicken, crunchy bacon, strawberries, red onions, avocado, and corn. Pour the dressing on top or serve on the side. Gently toss to combine.
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