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, a tremendous selfmade maple mustard dressing, and candied pecans. It’s a flavorful and protein-rich lunch or dinner that I completely can’t get sufficient of.

A Few Featured Elements

• Apples: right here within the midwest, we’re all about honey crisp apples! The flavour is texture is simply one of the best. Be at liberty to thinly slice any apple of your alternative ❤️.
• Pecans: the candied pecans add deliciously candy taste and slightly crunch. it’s a fantastic complement to the savory hen and maple mustard dressing.
• Hen: air fryer hen bbs! I really like air frying hen as a result of it will get it further crispy with out frying + it requires minimal cook dinner time. My toddler at all times 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 components, however every thing could be poured in a mason jar and shaken up earlier than dressing. I wish to make a double batch to maintain further dressing 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 alternative.
• 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 could be delish, and so would a softer butter lettuce.

Discover the checklist of full components within the recipe card under. 

Make Stovetop Candied Pecans

Making your individual candied pecans is tremendous fast and straightforward. All that you must 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 happy to style take a look at a couple of 😋😋.

Getting ready and Air-Frying the Hen

Dredge a bit of hen via the flour, then egg, after which the panko, ensuring the hen items are totally 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 should not touching. Cook dinner at 400º for 5-8 minutes (depends upon what kind of air fryer you’re utilizing) or till the hen is golden brown and crispy. You’re on the lookout for an inner temperature of 165ºF.

Professional tip: Chances are you’ll have to cook dinner the hen in batches relying on the scale of your air fryer.

Need to make a non-breaded hen for this recipe? I like to recommend my juicy air fryer hen breast recipe. Alternatively, you’ll be able to press the simple button and simply carry house a rotisserie hen from the grocery retailer (I’ve carried out this extra instances than I can rely!).

Discover the total recipe directions within the recipe card under.

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 rapidly. Plus, you don’t need your tremendous crispy hen nuggets to get soggy both 😅😅.

Greatest Option to Retailer Leftovers

The easiest way to retailer leftover servings of this salad is to maintain the dressing and hen separate from every thing else. Then, if you’re able to serve, you’ll be able to 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 all the components 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 via the flour, then egg, after which the panko. Ensure it’s totally 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 should not overcrowded. Cook dinner at 400º for 5-8 minutes (depends upon what kind of air fryer you’re utilizing) or till the hen is golden brown and crispy. Chances are you’ll have to cook dinner the hen in batches. We’re on the lookout for an inner temperature of 165ºF.

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

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

• If you happen to don’t have an air fryer, be happy to exchange 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 info is mechanically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.