Crispy Chicken Salad (With Maple Mustard Dressing)
9/4/2025
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This crispy chicken salad is a fall favorite in my house! It features air-fried crispy chicken, honey crisp apples, an amazing homemade maple mustard dressing, and candied pecans. It’s a flavorful and protein-rich lunch or dinner that I absolutely cannot get enough of.
why i love this salad ⤵️
High in protein — I’m talkin’ 35g per serving!
GREAT salad for meal prep — I love making this salad for lunch during the week. Simply wait to dress the salad til you’re ready to serve 😋.
Minimal cook time — the chicken is cooked in the air fryer, which means super minimal kitchen time is required for you. #yahwelcome
A Few Featured Ingredients
- Apples: here in the midwest, we’re all about honey crisp apples! The flavor is texture is just the best. Feel free to thinly slice any apple of your choice ❤️.
- Pecans: the candied pecans add deliciously sweet flavor and a little crunch. it’s a great complement to the savory chicken and maple mustard dressing.
- Chicken: air fryer chicken bbs! I love air frying chicken because it gets it extra crispy without frying + it requires minimal cook time. My toddler always steals a chicken nugget or two when I’m making this recipe.
- Dijon mustard: mustard is the base of the salad dressing for this recipe! It’s a homemade dressing that does require a few ingredients, but everything can be poured in a mason jar and shaken up before dressing. I like to make a double batch to keep extra dressing on hand in the fridge.
- Maple syrup: you’ll use maple in the salad dressing and also in the candied pecans. It’s my go-to natural sweetener of choice.
- Spring mix greens: technically any lettuce or field greens will work for this salad, so choose your own adventure here. The crunch of romaine would be delish, and so would a softer butter lettuce.
Find the list of full ingredients in the recipe card below.
Make Stovetop Candied Pecans
Making your own candied pecans is super quick and easy. All you need to do is heat a large skillet over medium/low heat. Add the pecans, maple syrup, and cinnamon to the skillet. Toss the pecans until they are coated, and toast them until they begin to brown.
Transfer the pecans to a plate and let them cool — feel free to taste test a few 😋😋.
Preparing and Air-Frying the Chicken
Dredge a piece of chicken through the flour, then egg, and then the panko, making sure the chicken pieces are fully coated. The flour –> egg –> panko order for dredging the chicken helps make each piece super crispy and evenly coated in the breading.
Then, transfer the chicken to the air fryer, making sure the chicken pieces are not touching. Cook at 400º for 5-8 minutes (depends on what type of air fryer you’re using) or until the chicken is golden brown and crispy. You’re looking for an internal temperature of 165ºF.
Pro tip: You may need to cook the chicken in batches depending on the size of your air fryer.
Want to make a non-breaded chicken for this recipe? I recommend my juicy air fryer chicken breast recipe. Alternatively, you can press the easy button and just bring home a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store (I’ve done this more times than I can count!).
Find the full recipe instructions in the recipe card below.
Add the Dressing and Serve
My #1 tip for this salad is to WAIT to dress it until right before serving. Why? Spring mix is a delicate field green and can get soggy pretty quickly. Plus, you don’t want your super crispy chicken nuggets to get soggy either 😅😅.
Best Way to Store Leftovers
The best way to store leftover servings of this salad is to keep the dressing and chicken separate from everything else. Then, when you’re ready to serve, you can reheat the chicken (either in the air fryer for a few minutes or in the microwave) and toss with the dressing to freshen things up.
More Hearty Salad Recipes
- Honey Mustard Chicken Salad
- Thousand Island Chicken Salad
- Grilled Chicken Salad
- Healthy Chicken Salad 4 Ways
- ALL Salad Recipes
Crispy Chicken Salad (With Maple Mustard Dressing)
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 cup whole pecans, raw
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 10 oz. spring mix salad
- ½ cup unsweetened dried cranberries
- ½ cup crumbed feta cheese
- 2 medium Honey Crisp apples, thinly sliced
Dressing
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons mayo
- 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Chicken
- 1.5 lbs. chicken breast, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2-3 cups panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Begin by making candied pecans. Heat a large skillet over medium/low heat. Add the pecans, maple syrup, and cinnamon to the skillet. Toss the pecans until they are coated. Toast the pecans until they begin to brown. Transfer the pecans to a plate and let them cool.
- Add all of the ingredients for the dressing to a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Next, prepare the chicken. In three separate bowls, add the flour to one, whisked eggs, maple syrup, and Dijon to the second, and panko bread crumbs and salt to the third bowl.
- Dredge a piece of chicken through the flour, then egg, and then the panko. Be sure it is fully coated. Set aside and repeat until all the chicken has been coated.
- Transfer the chicken to the air fryer and spray with avocado oil. Be sure the chicken pieces are not overcrowded. Cook at 400º for 5-8 minutes (depends on what type of air fryer you’re using) or until the chicken is golden brown and crispy. You may need to cook the chicken in batches. We are looking for an internal temperature of 165ºF.
- Add the mixed greens, cranberries, feta, and apples to a large salad bowl. Top with chicken and candied pecans.
- Dress the salad right before serving and enjoy immediately.
Tips & Notes
- If you don’t have an air fryer, feel free to replace the air fryer chicken with rotisserie chicken.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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