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Delicious and easy paleo crispy chicken salad topped with flavorful and tangy honey mustard dressing! It’s perfect for a healthy Whole30 lunch or dinner.
A crispy chicken salad was always my go-to order during high school at our favorite restaurant spots. I’ve always been hesitant about making it at home, because it seemed like there would be too many steps involved and it wouldn’t be as tasty as restaurant quality.
However, after going gluten free, I finally decided to try it out at home. While there are more steps than I usually take with my meals, it’s actually quite simple to make and so worth it at the end. The chicken turns our crispy and juicy, and it’s wonderful with the raw crunchy veggies and tangy honey mustard sauce.
Watch a Quick Video of This Recipe
Paleo Crispy Chicken Salad Recipe
In this Whole30 salad recipe, chicken tenders are breaded then pan fried or air fried to crispy, golden perfection. Then, they are served over a bed of greens and vegetables. You enjoy it all drizzled with the most delicious Whole30 honey mustard sauce that really brings all the flavors together. If you don’t want to make a Whole30 version, you can always use real honey in the dressing for a regular honey mustard dressing instead.
Crispy Chicken Salad Ingredients
There are 3 components to the paleo and Whole30 crispy chicken salad ingredients: the crispy chicken, salad, and then the dressing.
Crispy Chicken
- egg
- chicken tenders: You can also use chicken breasts then slice them into thinner pieces.
- almond flour
- arrowroot starch: Tapioca starch will also work.
- sea salt
- avocado oil: Avocado oil is my favorite oil for high heat cooking since it’s neutral in flavor and has a high smoking point. However, any other cooking oil of your choice for pan frying will work.
Salad
- romaine lettuce: Any other greens of your choice will also work, of course. I just love the crunchiness of romaine.
- cherry tomatoes
- red onion
- avocado
Honey Mustard Dressing
- honey mustard: I used this Whole30 honey mustard recipe that’s sweetened with Medjool dates to taste like honey, and it’s truly like the real deal! If you want to use regular honey mustard instead, you can just substitute dates with 1/4 cup honey instead in that recipe.
- water
How to Make Crispy Chicken Salad
For the crispy chicken
- Whisk an egg in a bowl, and add chicken tenders to the egg and toss to coat.
- In another bowl, combine almond flour, arrowroot starch, and salt. Stir together
- Remove chicken tenders from the egg wash, then coat in the flour mixture.
- For pan fried crispy chicken, heat avocado oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add the chicken tenders in a single layer without touching each other. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden, crispy, and cooked on the inside.
- OR for air fryer crispy chicken, preheat the air fryer to 390 degrees F. Spray the basket (or tray) and the breaded chicken with cooking spray. Cook for 4 minutes on each side.
- Transfer the cooked crispy chicken to a cutting board and rest for 5 minutes before slicing into strips.
For the salad & dressing
- While the chicken is resting, add all the ingredients for the salad in a large bowl or on a platter.
- Make the dressing by combining 1/2 batch of Whole30 honey mustard with water.
- Add chicken slices over the greens and drizzle with honey mustard dressing. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! It’ll take longer than pan frying or air frying, but you can use the oven. After breading the chicken, spray with cooking oil then bake in a 400 degree F oven for 20 minutes until golden and cooked through.
Crispy chicken is best enjoyed fresh, but if you do have leftovers, they will last for 3-4 days store in an airtight container in the fridge.
To reheat chicken for this paleo crispy chicken salad recipe, reheat until warmed through in the oven at 350 degrees F, or the air fryer at 375 degrees F.
Yes, you can do this by using buffalo sauce like this one as dressing, instead of the honey mustard dressing.
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like…
- Whole30 Mediterranean Chicken Salad
- Extra Crispy Air Fryer Drumsticks (Paleo, Whole30, Keto) – Oven Method Included
- Whole30 Chinese Chicken Salad with Dates (Paleo, Gluten Free)
- Paleo Orange Chicken
- Whole30 Kale Chicken Caesar Salad + The Best Whole30 Caesar Dressing
Whole30 & Paleo Crispy Chicken Salad (Air Fryer Option)
Video
Ingredients
Crispy Chicken
- 1 egg
- 1 lb chicken tenders
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup arrowroot starch, or tapioca starch
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- Avocado oil, or your favorite cooking oil
Salad
- 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup sliced red onions
- 1 avocado, chopped or sliced
Dressing
- 1/2 batch Whole30 "honey" mustard, or sub dates in this recipe with 1/4 cup honey (for the whole batch) if making regular honey mustard
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
For the crispy chicken
- In a bowl, whisk an egg. Add chicken tenders to the egg and toss to coat.
- In another large shallow bowl, stir together almond flour, arrowroot starch, and salt.
- Remove each chicken tender from the egg wash, shake off excess dripping, then coat in the flour mixture.
- Pan frying method: Heat 1/2 inch of avocado oil in a pan over medium high heat. When sizzling hot, add the chicken tenders in a single layer without touching each other (you may need to to do 2-3 batches). Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden, crispy, and cooked on the inside.
- OR air fryer method: Preheat the air fryer to 390 degrees F. Spray the basket (or tray) and the breaded chicken with cooking spray. Cook for 4 minutes on each side until golden and cooked through.
- Transfer the cooked crispy chicken to a cutting board and rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
For the salad & dressing
- While the chicken is resting, put together all the ingredients for the salad in a bowl or on a platter.
- Make the dressing by combining 1/2 batch of Whole30 honey mustard with water.
- Add chicken slices over the greens and drizzle with honey mustard dressing.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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