Crispy chicken, crunchy beautiful veggies, and a creamy honey mustard ranch makes for the ultimate crispy chicken salad.

two bowls of crispy chicken salad with romaine, radish, snap peas, and carrots

I know this might sound crazy, but some of the BEST salads out there are ones that have something fried, crunchy, and savory. It’s just that combination of fatty goodness and fresh crunchy vegetables that is SO satisfying. Add the honey mustard ranch dressing, and you’ve got some of your favorite cravings satisfied (I love a good throwback to my childhood favorite chick-fil-a crispy chicken salad!).

What makes this salad a bit more elevated and gourmet is the vegetables that we’re using. I love to make this salad in the springtime, but you can typically find these veggies any time of the year. Not only are we using radishes, carrots, and sugar snap peas, but we’re using a mandolin to thinly shave the radish and carrots. After you have the beautiful thin radish and carrots, you can place these in a bowl of ice water, and they’ll start to slightly curl up. This adds another dimension of texture to the salad, and again, is perfect with the crispy chicken.

Ingredients:

For the Crispy Chicken:

Skinless chicken breast – a great option for lean, tender meat for the crispy chicken. You could also use chicken tenders, or even chicken thighs.

Breading Station – I use a simple egg wash and panko breadcrumbs to coat the chicken and give it that crispy texture.

Neutral Oil – the last step in making crispy chicken is to shallow fry it in neutral oil. You’ll need about ¼ cup, but just note not all of the oil will be absorbed and used. If you prefer to make the crispy chicken in the oven, you can follow the method in my baked chicken parm recipe.

Seasonings – keeping it simple with just kosher salt and black pepper.

For the Dressing:

Mayo – Brings the depth of flavor, richness, and umami to the ranch dressing. If you have it, you can also use kewpie mayo (Japanese mayo).

Plain Greek yogurt – I use a whole fat greek yogurt and love the texture and body that the plain greek yogurt brings to the ranch!

Seasonings – kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.

Dill – Fresh dill is another component that gives this dressing a ranch essence. You can use dried dill if that’s what you have on hand, or chives would also be really nice here.

Champagne vinegar – the vinegar that brings the dressing together. You can substitute lemon juice or white wine vinegar.

Whole grain mustard – either whole grain mustard of dijon mustard works well.

Honey – just a little bit of honey is the secret ingredient in this dressing, but you can skip this if you prefer.

Milk – just a few tablespoons to thin out the dressing if needed. You can use buttermilk here or any other type of milk.

For the Salad:

Romaine lettuce – The base of the salad that you can easily substitute with arugula, kale, or any other leafy green. I always reach for romaine as I love the crunch it brings.

Spring Vegetables – Radish and carrots that are thinly shaved with a mandolin and sugar snap peas that are cut on a bias and quickly blanched. They are beautiful in color, crunchy, and pair perfectly with the crispy chicken.

FAQ – Crispy Chicken Salad with Spring Veg

Q: Is there a reason why there isn’t a grain or complex carb in this salad?

A: If you’ve made any of my salads before, you probably know I usually include some type of carb. I love salad, but it needs to be filling and balanced for me to want to keep eating them 😀 I don’t have quinoa, potatoes, or other carbs in this dish, as the crispy chicken (with breading) account for the carbs. Of course, if you want to add quinoa, croutons, or other carbs to this salad, GO FOR IT!

Q: What’s the best type of chicken to use for this crispy chicken salad?

A: I love using chicken breast or chicken tenders for this recipe, but you can also use chicken thighs.

Q: Can I bake my crispy chicken instead of shallow frying?

A: Absolutely! Instead of a shallow fried chicken, you can use the baked method in my baked chicken parm to also get a delicious and crispy chicken.

Step by Step Instructions:

1. Prep the Veggies:

Chop the romaine, thinly slice the sugar snap peas, and mandolin the radishes and carrot. Place the mandolin’d carrots and radish in a container of ice water for extra beautiful veggies. Blanch the snap peas if desired.

2. Make the Salad Dressing:

Chop the dill and add all the dressing ingredients into a jar or bowl. Whisk together.

3. Prepare the Chicken:

Trim the chicken breast into 1-2” wide and 1/2” thin long strips. Salt the chicken and let it sit while setting up the breading station.

4. Breading Station:

Set up two bowls – one with whisked egg and one with panko breadcrumbs. Salt and pepper each the egg and panko. Dip the seasoned chicken into the egg, then into the breadcrumbs. Repeat for all chicken pieces.

5. Cook the Chicken:

Heat a sauté pan or cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil. Once hot, add an even layer of the breaded chicken. Cook until golden brown (about 3-4 minutes), then flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes on the second side. Add more oil as needed for a golden brown crust. Remove the chicken onto a paper towel-lined plate. Slice into diagonal strips.

6. Assemble the Salad:

Combine all the veggies, toss with 1/3 cup of dressing. Taste, adjust more dressing as desired, then plate and top with the chicken. Enjoy!

pouring dressing on top of romaine, radish, carrots, and snap peas

sliced breaded chicken on top of salad on a plate

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