This crispy hen salad is a fall favourite in my home! It options air-fried crispy hen, honey crisp apples, a tremendous selfmade maple mustard dressing, and candied pecans. It’s a flavorful and protein-rich lunch or dinner that I completely can not get sufficient of.

Excessive in protein — I’m talkin’ 35g per serving!
GREAT salad for meal prep — I really like making this salad for lunch in the course of the week. Merely wait to decorate the salad til you’re able to serve 😋.
Minimal prepare dinner time — the hen is cooked within the air fryer, which implies tremendous minimal kitchen time is required for you. #yahwelcome
A Few Featured Substances
- Apples: right here within the midwest, we’re all about honey crisp apples! The flavour is texture is simply the perfect. Be happy to thinly slice any apple of your selection ❤️.
- Pecans: the candied pecans add deliciously candy taste and slightly crunch. it’s a fantastic complement to the savory hen and maple mustard dressing.
- Rooster: air fryer hen bbs! I really like air frying hen as a result of it will get it further crispy with out frying + it requires minimal prepare dinner time. My toddler all the time steals a hen nugget or two once I’m making this recipe.
- Dijon mustard: mustard is the bottom of the salad dressing for this recipe! It’s a selfmade dressing that does require a number of components, however all the pieces could be poured in a mason jar and shaken up earlier than dressing. I wish to make a double batch to maintain further dressing available within the fridge.
- Maple syrup: you’ll use maple within the salad dressing and likewise within the candied pecans. It’s my go-to pure sweetener of selection.
- Spring combine greens: technically any lettuce or discipline greens will work for this salad, so select your individual journey right here. The crunch of romaine could be delish, and so would a softer butter lettuce.
Discover the listing of full components within the recipe card under.
Make Stovetop Candied Pecans
Making your individual candied pecans is tremendous fast and simple. All you might want to do is warmth a big skillet over medium/low warmth. Add the pecans, maple syrup, and cinnamon to the skillet. Toss the pecans till they’re coated, and toast them till they start to brown.
Switch the pecans to a plate and allow them to cool — be at liberty to style check a number of 😋😋.
Making ready and Air-Frying the Rooster
Dredge a bit of hen by means of the flour, then egg, after which the panko, ensuring the hen items are totally coated. The flour –> egg –> panko order for dredging the hen helps make every bit tremendous crispy and evenly coated within the breading.
Then, switch the hen to the air fryer, ensuring the hen items usually are not touching. Cook dinner at 400º for 5-8 minutes (will depend on what sort of air fryer you’re utilizing) or till the hen is golden brown and crispy. You’re searching for an inner temperature of 165ºF.
Professional tip: Chances are you’ll must prepare dinner the hen in batches relying on the scale of your air fryer.
Need to make a non-breaded hen for this recipe? I like to recommend my juicy air fryer hen breast recipe. Alternatively, you’ll be able to press the simple button and simply carry dwelling a rotisserie hen from the grocery retailer (I’ve achieved this extra instances than I can depend!).
Discover the complete recipe directions within the recipe card under.
Add the Dressing and Serve
My #1 tip for this salad is to WAIT to decorate it till proper earlier than serving. Why? Spring combine is a fragile discipline inexperienced and might get soggy fairly shortly. Plus, you don’t need your tremendous crispy hen nuggets to get soggy both 😅😅.
Finest Strategy to Retailer Leftovers
The easiest way to retailer leftover servings of this salad is to maintain the dressing and hen separate from all the pieces else. Then, whenever you’re able to serve, you’ll be able to reheat the hen (both within the air fryer for a couple of minutes or within the microwave) and toss with the dressing to freshen issues up.

Extra Hearty Salad Recipes
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Start by making candied pecans. Warmth a big skillet over medium/low warmth. Add the pecans, maple syrup, and cinnamon to the skillet. Toss the pecans till they’re coated. Toast the pecans till they start to brown. Switch the pecans to a plate and allow them to cool.
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Add the entire components for the dressing to a bowl and whisk to mix. Put aside.
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Subsequent, put together the hen. In three separate bowls, add the flour to 1, whisked eggs, maple syrup, and Dijon to the second, and panko bread crumbs and salt to the third bowl.
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Dredge a bit of hen by means of the flour, then egg, after which the panko. Make certain it’s totally coated. Put aside and repeat till all of the hen has been coated.
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Switch the hen to the air fryer and spray with avocado oil. Make certain the hen items usually are not overcrowded. Cook dinner at 400º for 5-8 minutes (will depend on what sort of air fryer you’re utilizing) or till the hen is golden brown and crispy. Chances are you’ll must prepare dinner the hen in batches. We’re searching for an inner temperature of 165ºF.
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Add the combined greens, cranberries, feta, and apples to a big salad bowl. High with hen and candied pecans.
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Costume the salad proper earlier than serving and luxuriate in instantly.
- If you happen to don’t have an air fryer, be at liberty to switch the air fryer hen with rotisserie hen.
Energy: 574 kcal, Carbohydrates: 65 g, Protein: 35 g, Fats: 31 g, Fiber: 5 g, Sugar: 28 g
Vitamin info is mechanically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.