This meal is really the definition of balance. Pan-fried chicken tenders served over a bed of spring greens with a drizzle of homemade honey mustard dressing is as perfect as summer dinners can get. Or if you need to elevate your lunch salad game, this is the way to go. The chicken tenders are juicy, the honey mustard dressing is sweet with a bit of zip, and all the veggies in the salad make you feel like you’ve made a good decision (spoiler: you totally have).
I kept the vegetables simple in this salad: spring greens, grape tomatoes, and julienned carrots are the perfect compliments to the chicken tenders. But if you have other vegetables you want to add, go wild! Bell pepper, red cabbage, and/or cucumber are all great additions. As long as you follow the instructions and ingredients for the chicken tenders and salad dressing, the rest of the salad is totally customizable.
If you’re feeling like you want something extra, drizzle the chicken tenders with a little bit of honey while they’re still hot. The tiny bit of extra sweetness is perfection and brings this already amazing salad to the next level.
Another thing I love about this salad is that it made a dinner the whole family loved. Since my kids have no idea how to eat a salad, I served their chicken tenders with some honey mustard dressing on the side and raw veggies. Naturally they wanted the chicken tenders first because they’re kids, but I do love making a meal that I know everyone will at least love a part of. With three kids ages 4 and under, they can be a tough crowd!
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup cornmeal
- ½ tbsp. seasoned salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
- 1.5 lbs. chicken breast tenderloins
- 2 tbsp. honey
- Oil for pan
- ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 3 tbsp. honey
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large carrots, peeled and julienned
- 5 oz. baby spring mix salad blend
- 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
- In a small, shallow dish, combine flour and salt. In another shallow dish, combine cornmeal, seasoned salt, and pepper. Set up your bowls with the flour on the left, beaten egg in the middle, and cornmeal on the right.
- Pat the chicken breast tenderloins dry with a paper towel and set aside.
- Heat oil in a large frying pan or skillet. You want the oil to come up halfway on the chicken breast tenderloins for the shallow-fry method, so ensure you put in enough oil!
- Once oil is hot, coat chicken on both sides with flour, then egg, then cornmeal mixture. Set into hot oil.
- Cook on each side over medium-low heat until golden brown, about 7-10 minutes. Flip gently with tongs to cook each side. When done, transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and drizzle with honey.
- For the dressing, whisk together yogurt, vinegar, mustard, honey, olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, toss together salad mix, carrots, and tomatoes. Top with chicken tenders and drizzle with the honey mustard dressing.
- Enjoy!
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Turned out great
So happy to hear that!