This fresh salad is loaded with juicy grilled chicken, crispy bacon, corn, avocado, and fresh strawberries. 🥗 Drizzle on a homemade honey mustard dressing to amp up the sweet ‘n salty goodness. Makes four servings for a light, refreshing lunch or dinner with tangy flavor!
Summer is winding down, and for the first time, I’m not loving it. Our last three months have been full of swim days, road trips, fire nights, barbecues, backyard games, and impromptu ice cream dates. The most fun (and chaotic) season ever with my party of five!
Most nights, the grill has been sizzling up our summer dinners to keep the heat out of the kitchen. We love making mealtime simple, scrumptious and healthy-ish with salads like this – and better yet, they don’t require firing up your oven. By combining your protein, greens, and healthy carbs like corn, strawberries and nectarines, you can have an all-in-one meal ready to serve in 30 minutes or less. And, you may even have room for ice cream after, too.
Let’s create a deliciously colorful, belly-filling salad for dinner! You are gonna love this.
Looking for different ingredient inspo? Try these seasonal salad add-ins:
Summer: Fresh arugula, cucumber, bell peppers, carrots, zucchini, apricots, blackberries, peaches, tomatoes, melon
Fall: Apples, artichokes, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, figs, grapes, green beans, kale, mushrooms, pears, spinach, sweet potato
Winter: Oranges, dates, grapefruit, kale, kiwi, turnips, tangerines, passion fruit, pomegranate, winter squash, pineapple
Spring: Asparagus, avocado, baby potatoes, radishes, peas, cherries, green beans, mango, scallions
Ready to create your Honey Mustard Chicken Salad?
• In a medium bowl, whisk mustard, olive oil, honey, vinegar, salt and pepper. Reserve 1/3 cup of marinade in a separate small bowl. Place chicken into the larger bowl and toss to coat in marinade. Let marinade for at least 30 minutes, if time allows.
• To cook chicken: After marinating, drain chicken from liquid. Preheat your gas grill or grill pan to medium heat. Brush chicken with olive oil. Grill chicken for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until completely cooked through and juices run clear.
• To cook bacon: Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Lay bacon in one layer. Cook until browned and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Drain excess fat; transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
• To cook corn: If using fresh corn, wrap whole shucked corn in foil and add to grill with chicken; cook for about 5 minutes, turning occasionally. If using frozen corn, cook on a buttered skillet set to medium-high for 5 minutes. Or, microwave for 2-3 minutes.
• To assemble salad: Place chopped lettuce in a large bowl. Top with chicken, bacon, avocado, nectarine, strawberries, and corn.
• Pour reserved honey-mustard dressing on top of the salad and gently toss to combine.
Keep reading for full ingredient list + recipe, below
Looking for more fresh, delicious salads you can make a meal? Try these!
• Peach and Avocado Caprese Salad
• Grilled Chili-Lime Chicken Fajita Salad
• Easy Tomato, Cucumber and Red Onion Salad
• Watermelon & Feta Arugula Salad with Honey-Lemon Vinaigrette
• Summer Strawberry-Peach Salad with Goat Cheese
• Crispy Chicken Salad with Apples and Bacon
• Chopped Cucumber Caprese Salad
This Honey Mustard Chicken Salad is full of outrageously good sweet, salty flavors and textures! From the tender grilled chicken and crispy bacon, to the crunchy Romaine, sweet strawberries and corn, juicy nectarines, and oh, mama – that tangy homemade honey mustard dressing? You better believe this salad is an epic feast for the eyes – and your tummy!
Chop and prep all your ingredients ahead of assembling your salad. So, when your chicken is hot off the grill, you’re ready to put it all together and serve. We love to serve this with Crispy Parmesan Potato Wedges, Cheesy Garlic Butter Crescent Rolls, Creamy Macaroni Salad or Southern Potato Salad.
I hope you try this salad recipe, and love it like we do. Please leave a comment and a star rating, if you give it a go!
Honey Mustard Chicken Salad
Ingredients
For the Dressing/Marinade:
- 1/3 cup whole grain mustard
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1-1/2 Tbsp. honey
- 1 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar also works!
- Kosher salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
For the Chicken Salad:
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped
- 6 slices bacon, cooked 'til crisp
- 1 ripe fresh avocado, halved and sliced
- 1 ripe fresh nectarine, chopped
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- 1 cup fresh or frozen corn
For Garnish (optional):
- Chopped fresh chives or scallions
Instructions
For the Dressing/Marinade:
- In a medium bowl, whisk mustard, olive oil, honey, vinegar, salt and pepper. Reserve 1/3 cup of marinade in a separate small bowl. Place chicken into the larger bowl and toss to coat in marinade. Let marinade for at least 30 minutes, if time allows.
For the Chicken Salad:
- To cook chicken: After marinating, drain chicken from liquid. Preheat your gas grill or grill pan to medium heat. Brush chicken with olive oil. Grill chicken for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until completely cooked through and juices run clear.
- To cook bacon: Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Lay bacon in one layer. Cook until browned and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Drain excess fat; transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
- To cook corn: If using fresh corn, wrap whole shucked corn in foil and add to grill with chicken; cook for about 5 minutes, turning occasionally. If using frozen corn, cook on a buttered skillet set to medium-high for 5 minutes. Or, microwave for 2-3 minutes.
- To assemble salad: Place chopped lettuce in a large bowl. Top with chicken, bacon, avocado, nectarine, strawberries, and corn.
- Pour reserved honey-mustard dressing on top of the salad and gently toss to combine.
- Enjoy!
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You can catch a lot of flies with honey, but you can catch more honeys being fly…