Honey Mustard Chicken Chopped Salad, Anything but Dainty

Crispy Honey Mustard Chicken Chopped Salad
by Ingrid Beer

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Yield: Serves about 4

Ingredients:

• 1 pound chicken breast tenders, sliced in half lengthwise to create thinner strips
• Salt
• Black pepper
• ¼ cup Honey-Mustard Dressing (recipe follows below)
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs, whisked
• Canola or vegetable oil, for shallow frying
• 3 hearts romaine, chopped into bite-size pieces
• 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
• ½ cup toasted, sliced almonds
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves

Preparation:

-Add the chicken to a medium size bowl, and sprinkle over a couple of good pinches of salt and pepper, plus the ¼ cup of Honey Mustard Dressing; allow the chicken to marinate for at least 15 minutes, or even a couple of hours, if you have the time.

-Once ready to shallow fry, combine the panko and the parmesan in a small bowl, and set aside for just a moment.

-Allow any excess marinade to drip off the chicken, then dredge each strip in the flour, then dip into the whisked eggs, and dredge in the panko and parmesan mixture; place the strips onto a clean plate or platter.

-Add enough oil to a large skillet or pan to come up about 2” (enough to shallow fry), and turn the heat on medium-high; once the oil is hot, add a few of the breaded chicken strips into the oil, and fry for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden-brown and cooked through; repeat until all strips are fried.

-Once the strips are slightly cool, chop into bite-size pieces.

-To assemble the salad, add the chopped romaine greens, the cherry tomatoes, the sliced almonds, and the cilantro to a large bowl, and drizzle in some of the dressing; toss the coat, then divide equally among plates, and top with some of the crispy chicken, drizzled with a little extra dressing, if desired.

Honey Mustard Dressing Ingredients:

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup sour cream
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons, heaping, honey
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1 teaspoon, heaping, dried tarragon leaves
• ¾ teaspoon, plus a pinch, salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ cup olive oil

Preparation:

-Add all of the ingredients up to and including the black pepper into the bowl of a food processor, and process until smooth; then, with the processor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until well blended and emulsified.

-Serve immediately, or keep in a covered container in fridge.