Our favorite Honey Mustard Salad Dressing coats this delicious chicken and veggie salad with crisp bacon and a creamy avocado.

Finished homemade sauce being poured over grilled chicken, enhancing the dish with delightful flavor.

Five-Ingredient Honey Mustard Salad Dressing

This Crispy Chicken Salad, beloved in my home, inspired me to create a riff with Honey Mustard Salad Dressing. This BBQ-sauce-free, creamy dressing is a standout.

While store-bought dressings are convenient, this homemade version is almost as easy and quick. With just five ingredients, simply whisk everything together, and your dressing is ready in moments.

So delicious, you might want to double the recipe to use it as a veggie dip or for other snacks throughout the week. We often keep a double batch on hand for this purpose.

Process of making honey mustard salad dressing, prepping lettuce, grilling chicken, and tossing it all to create a delicious salad.

Ingredients In Honey Mustard Dressing

  • Mayonnaise: Provides a creamy base and adds richness to the dressing.
  • Yellow mustard: Contributes a tangy and slightly spicy flavor, balancing the creaminess of the mayonnaise.
  • Honey: Adds sweetness to counteract the tanginess of the mustard and vinegar. The amount can be adjusted according to personal taste.
  • Red wine vinegar: Introduces acidity, which brightens and balances the flavors of the other ingredients.
  • Salt and pepper: Season the dressing, enhancing the overall taste and bringing out the individual flavors of the other ingredients.

Platter of fresh, healthy salad drizzled with honey mustard salad dressing, inviting and ready to enjoy.How To Make Honey Mustard Dressing

  1. Mix full-fat mayonnaise, yellow mustard, and honey in a small bowl. Adjust the amount of honey based on your preference for sweetness.
  2. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Whisk the mixture until smooth.
  4. Place the dressing in a jar with a lid and refrigerate it to allow the flavors to meld and chill before using it on the salad.

Quick Tip

 Use good mayo. I highly recommend real, full-fat mayo for the best possible dressing.  Hellmann’s/Best Foods® is my favorite brand (not sponsored). 

Serve This Dressing With The Best Salad

We have the best salad to compliment this delicious dressing, here’s a simple overview of how we make it!

  1. Cook Bacon: Fry bacon in a skillet until crispy (about 6-8 minutes), then transfer to a paper towel, cool slightly, and chop.
  2. Assemble Salad: Place chopped romaine lettuce in a bowl or on a platter. Top with cooked chicken, bacon, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and avocado. (Wait until the avocado is ripe before using it)
  3. Add Dressing: Drizzle with dressing as desired. (Store any leftover dressing in the fridge for up to 7 days.)
  4. Serve: Enjoy immediately, as the salad doesn’t keep well with dressing and avocado.

Freshly dressed salad with honey mustard dressing, vibrant and ready for a healthy meal.

Storage

This salad doesn’t sit well once dressed. Add the Honey Mustard Salad Dressing right before enjoying and only to what you’ll eat the same day it is made. Store leftover dressing in an airtight container (like a Mason jar) and store for up to 5-7 days in the fridge. Give it a quick stir or shake before adding it to a salad.

More Delicious Salads

5 from 5 votes

Honey Mustard Salad Dressing (with crispy chicken salad)

Our favorite Honey Mustard Salad Dressing coats a delicious chicken and veggie salad with crisp bacon and a creamy avocado.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 -6 servings

Ingredients 
 

Salad

  • 5 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
  • 1 cup halved or quartered cherry tomatoes,
  • 1/2 cup 1/4th of 1 large 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)

Dressing

  • 1/2 cup regular, full-fat mayonnaise
  • 3 tablespoons yellow mustard (not Dijon)
  • 1-3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • salt and pepper

Instructions 

  • DRESSING: Start by adding all the dressing ingredients into a small bowl. Add honey to personal preference (we like 2 tablespoons) Season to taste with salt and pepper (I add 1/4 teaspoon each). Whisk together with a fork or small whisk until smooth. Taste and adjust to personal preference. Transfer dressing to a jar with a cover and refrigerate to allow flavors to meld and 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, about 6-8 minutes, flipping once halfway through. Transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate and let cool slightly. Chop coarsely for the salad.
  • ASSEMBLE: Chop the lettuce and add to a large bowl or platter. Top lettuce with cooked 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.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Chicken: There are lots of different options for how you can add chicken to this salad. Pick one of the following and make sure to chop or thinly slice before adding to the salad. If using chicken breasts, you'll want about 3/4 pound of chicken (1 large breast).
  • Quickest option - rotisserie chicken: Purchase 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 Iโ€™m no expert on crispy chicken tenders (I donโ€™t buy them all that often), Taste of Home magazine shares the best chicken to use for this recipe. If you use frozen crispy chicken,ย 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 until cooked through, about 4-6 minutes per side (or until chicken juices run clear and internal temperatures register 165 degrees F).
  • Fresh sautรฉed chicken: Halve thick chicken breasts and drizzle both sides with olive oil. 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).
Nutrition information is for the dressing and salad. In a serving of the dressing, there are 131 calories.

Nutrition

Serving: 6servings | Calories: 372kcal | Carbohydrates: 7.7g | Protein: 24.1g | Fat: 27.2g | Cholesterol: 86.2mg | Sodium: 287.4mg | Fiber: 2.7g | Sugar: 4.5g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Meet Chelsea


Hi there! Iโ€™m Chelseaโ€“the recipe developer, photographer, writer, and taste tester behind Chelseaโ€™s Messy Apron (although my little ones help me out quite a bit with the taste testing part!). I LOVE getting creative in the kitchen and then posting my creations here for you to enjoy.

Thanks again for stopping by!

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5 from 5 votes (1 rating without comment)

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6 Comments

  1. Randa says:

    5 stars
    Found this recipe online and just made a batch of the dressing (didn’t get around to making the chicken) and it’s SO good!! The perfect lunch! Thank you!

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      I am so happy to Hera this! Thanks so much Randa! ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. Eden says:

    5 stars
    So good! Loved all the flavors! The perfect dinner!

  3. Lily says:

    5 stars
    I loved this easy dressing I am planning on using it for other salads, but today we tried it with your salad it was an incredible lunch filling and delicious. Thank you.

  4. wilhelmina says:

    5 stars
    Love this salad! It makes a perfect summertime meal!

  5. Sabrina says:

    wonderful dressing (and salad) each has everything I love, that is, the salad and the dressing, so thank you!