Our favorite honey mustard salad dressing coating a delicious chicken and veggie salad with crisp bacon and a creamy avocado.
5-ingredient Honey Mustard Salad Dressing
This crispy chicken salad is one of the most requested salads in my home, so I decided it was time to make a riff off that salad with a plain honey mustard salad dressing. The dressing coating the crispy chicken salad, while similar to this one, has BBQ sauce in it. This honey mustard dressing is BBQ-sauce free, but equally creamy and delicious!
And while nothing can compete with the ease of a store-bought dressing, this one is *almost* in that competition because it is so dang quick and easy to make. With only 5 ingredients and the easiest process (you’ll simply whisk everything together until combined) you’ll have a dressing ready in no time.
This dressing is so good, you may even want to double it for a delicious veggie dip or to use on other snacks throughout the week. 🙂 I know we like to have a double batch on hand!
Honey Mustard Salad Dressing tips
- Use good mayo: I highly recommend real, full-fat mayo for the best possible dressing. Hellmanns/Best Foods® is my favorite brand (not sponsored).
- I know it seems strange and is different than most honey mustard salad dressings, but we’re using yellow mustard not dijon mustard in this dressing; trust me, it works!
- Sweeten to taste: we prefer this dressing on the sweeter side, so if you’re concerned about the dressings’ sweetness, add the honey slowly and to taste.
- Don’t be alarmed with the color of the salad dressing: the dressing is quite yellow in real life, and for some reason that color did not come across in my photos! I take pictures in early morning light and it does not pick up yellow very well, so don’t be concerned you made the dressing incorrectly if it looks slightly different from these pictures.
Other salad tips
- If you don’t like the raw bite of red onions, soak the sliced onions first in some cold water with a pinch of salt. Drain throughly and then add to the salad.
- Throughly dry lettuce: nothing ruins a salad (and will water down the honey mustard salad dressing) quicker than wet lettuce! Dry it throughly after washing; a salad spinner makes this process a breeze!
- Wait until the avocado is ripe before using: a perfectly ripe avocado will add maximum creaminess to the salad which complements the other ingredients so nicely.
- Save time with how you prepare the chicken — see more on this below!
Preparing the chicken
There are a few different options for adding chicken to this honey mustard salad; pick what’s easiest or most convenient for you:
- Quickest option – rotisserie chicken: grab a fresh and hot rotisserie chicken and chop it up for this salad. OR for an even quicker prep time; a lot of grocery stores have rotisserie chicken meat that has already been pulled from the bones and shredded.
- Leftover chicken: if you’re already making chicken during the week, make some extra and save it for this salad! I’d recommend making a double batch of this grilled chicken marinade; it’s our favorite!
- Store-bought crispy chicken: while I’m no expert at store bought crispy chicken tenders (I don’t buy it all that often truthfully), Taste of Home shares the best chicken to use for this recipe. If you use frozen crispy chicken, I do recommend baking the chicken, not microwaving it for this salad. Allow the chicken to slightly cool to a warm temperature and then thinly slice and add to the salad.
- Fresh grilled chicken: if making chicken fresh for this salad, I recommend drizzling olive oil and adding a generous amount of salt, pepper, and lemon pepper seasoning. Grill it until cooked through, about 4-6 minutes per side (or until chicken juices run clear and internal temperatures register 165 degrees F).
- Fresh sautéed chicken: halve thick chicken breasts widthwise and then drizzle olive oil on both sides. Sprinkle with a generous amount of salt, pepper, and lemon pepper seasoning. Cook in a hot skillet for about 4-6 minutes per side (or until chicken juices run clear and internal temperatures register 165 degrees F).
Honey Mustard Salad Dressing storage
This salad doesn’t sit well once dressed. Add the dressing right before enjoying and only to what you’ll eat the same day it is made. Store leftover honey mustard salad dressing in an airtight container (such as a mason jar) and store for 5-7 days in the fridge. Give it a quick stir or shake before adding to a salad.
More delicious salads
- Italian Chopped Salad with an Italian-inspired vinaigrette
- Beet and Goat Cheese Salad with an orange-honey vinaigrette
- Kale Avocado Salad with a creamy avocado dressing
- Apple Salad with an apple cider vinaigrette
- Olive Garden Salad copycat recipe
Our favorite honey mustard salad dressing coating a delicious chicken and veggie salad with crisp bacon and a creamy avocado.
- 5 cups (190g) romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 cup (163) halved or quartered cherry tomatoes,
- 1/2 cup 1/4th of 1 large (45g) thinly sliced red onion
- 1 large avocado, thinly sliced or chopped
- 6 slices center cut bacon, cooked and chopped
- 2 cups cooked and chopped or thinly sliced chicken (See Note 1)
- 1/2 cup (102g) regular, full-fat mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons yellow mustard (not dijon)
- 1-3 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- Salt & pepper
DRESSING: Start by adding all the dressing ingredients into a small bowl. Add honey to personal sweetness preference (we like 2 tablespoons) Season to taste with salt and pepper, I add 1/4 teaspoon of each. Whisk together with a fork or small whisk until smooth. Taste and adjust to personal preference (more honey if you want sweeter, more salt/pepper, etc.) Transfer dressing to a mason jar and place in the fridge to allow flavors to meld and dressing to chill before adding to the salad.
CHICKEN: See Note 1.
BACON: Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until crispy (or cooked to desired preference), about 6-8 minutes, flipping once halfway in between. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and let slightly cool. Coarsely chop for the salad.
ASSEMBLE: coarsely chop the lettuce and add to a large bowl or platter (make sure the lettuce is 100% dry after washing; use a salad spinner if you have one). Top lettuce with cooked and slightly cooled chicken, chopped bacon, halved cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, and a thinly sliced or chopped avocado. Drizzle on dressing to personal preference (you may not use all the dressing; use any leftover dressing on other salads or with veggies; dressing stays good for up to 7 days in an airtight container in the fridge). Enjoy salad immediately; salad does not sit well with dressing and avocado.
Note 1: there are lots of different options for how you can add chicken to this salad. Pick on of the following and make sure to chop or thinly slice before adding to the salad. If using chicken breasts, you'll want about 3/4ths a pound chicken (1 large breast).
- Quickest option - rotisserie chicken: grab a fresh and hot rotisserie chicken and chop it up for this salad. OR for an even quicker prep time; a lot of grocery stores have rotisserie chicken meat that has already been pulled from the bones and shredded.
- Leftover chicken: if you're already making chicken during the week, make some extra and save it for this salad! I'd recommend making a double batch of this grilled chicken marinade; it's our favorite!
- Store-bought crispy chicken: while I’m no expert at store bought crispy chicken tenders (I don’t buy it all that often truthfully), Taste of Home shares the best chicken to use for this recipe. If you use frozen crispy chicken, I do recommend baking the chicken, not microwaving it for this salad. Allow the chicken to slightly cool to a warm temperature and then thinly slice and add to the salad.
- Fresh grilled chicken: if making chicken fresh for this salad, I recommend drizzling olive oil and adding a generous amount of salt, pepper, and lemon pepper seasoning. Grill it until cooked through, about 4-6 minutes per side (or until chicken juices run clear and internal temperatures register 165 degrees F).
- Fresh sautéed chicken: halve thick chicken breasts widthwise and then drizzle olive oil on both sides. Sprinkle with a generous amount of salt, pepper, and lemon pepper seasoning. Cook in a hot skillet for about 4-6 minutes per side (or until chicken juices run clear and internal temperatures register 165 degrees F).
The below calories are for the dressing and salad. In a serving of the dressing there is 131 calories.
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