BACON HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN SALAD

July 25, 2023

The heat of summer calls for salads - and this Bacon Honey Mustard Chicken Salad does not disappoint! It's got tender chicken, crispy bacon, sweet corn, juicy tomatoes, ripe avocado, and zingy dressing all on a bed of crisp romaine. This salad is also macro-balanced, gluten free, and dairy free!

Did you know? Nitrites (like those found in bacon) can either be converted to carcinogenic nitrosamines or heart-healthy nitric oxide in your stomach. Research shows that consuming nitrites with vitamin C and antioxidants favors the formation of nitric oxide. This is could be why nitrites in vegetables have not been linked to pancreatic or colon cancers! (source)

So, if you're going to eat bacon, worry less about "cured versus uncured" (both have nitrites), and worry more about how much vitamin C you're consuming along with it! Tomatoes are a great source of vitamin C.

Choosing the best chicken

For this recipe, you can use chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins. I used chicken breast because that's what I had. Look for "free range" chicken raised with "no antibiotics," which indicates the chickens had outdoor access and were free of disease. "Organic" chicken is required to have outdoor access, cannot be administered antibiotics, and must be fed organic feed. I try to purchase "animal welfare certified" chicken when I can find it, because it's important to me that animals are treated humanely and allowed to live a happy life.

Making the dressing

The dressing combines lemon juice, honey, wholegrain mustard, dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, fresh garlic, and pepper. Feel free to swap the fresh garlic for one quarter teaspoon of granulated garlic or garlic powder if that's all you have! If you'd like a richer dressing, you can swap the lemon juice for olive oil. You can also use more or less honey depending on your personal preference for sweetness. 

Best vegetables for salad

Honestly, use whatever you like that's in season! I went with sweet corn, cherry tomatoes, avocado and romaine lettuce. You could also do boiled potato, red pepper, carrot ribbons, cucumber, summer squash, butter lettuce, green onion, or chives. If you want a truly striking salad, try to choose a variety of colors. 

The avocado should only be added when ready to eat! You can also omit the avocado and use olive oil instead of lemon juice on the dressing for some healthy fats.

Meal prep option

If you'd like to use this salad recipe for meal prep, I would suggest freezing the chicken and bacon portions together, refrigerating the salad portions, and storing the dressing in a separate container in the fridge. Then you can reheat the chicken and bacon, add to your salad, and top with dressing! I find this method allows maximum convenience while still keeping the flavors fresh. 

Here is the printable recipe for this Bacon Honey Mustard Chicken Salad. I hope you'll rate and comment below if you try it! 

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Bacon Honey Mustard Chicken Salad

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Category

Salads

Servings

6

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

10 minutes

Calories

377

The heat of summer calls for salads - and this Bacon Honey Mustard Chicken Salad does not disappoint! It's got tender chicken, crispy bacon, sweet corn, juicy tomatoes, ripe avocado, and zingy dressing all on a bed of crisp romaine. This salad is also macro-balanced, gluten free, and dairy free!

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. raw boneless skinless chicken breast*

• 6 slices natural uncured bacon, cooked*

• 6 cups romaine lettuce, chopped*

• 3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved*

• 1 cup red onion, chopped*

• 2 cups sweet corn, off the cob*

• 1 1/2 cup avocado, cubed*

• 3 tbsp. lemon juice (or olive oil)*

• 3 tbsp. honey (or to taste)*

• 2 tbsp. wholegrain mustard
• 2 tbsp. dijon mustard

• 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

• 1 tsp. minced garlic*

• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

*See blog above for notes and substitutions.

Directions

1. Season chicken breasts on each side with pepper and salt (optional).

2. Preheat a skillet over medium heat and cook bacon until browned and crispy, about 3 minutes per side. Set bacon aside on a plate lined with paper towel to absorb the grease.

3. Drain excess fat from the skillet and cook chicken in the same pan for about 5 minutes per side. Set aside and cut into bite-sized chunks once cooled.

4. Combine ingredients for dressing in a jar or sealed container.

5. Wash and chop romaine and red onion, wash and half tomatoes, cut off cooked sweet corn from cob or drain canned. Cut avocado crosswise into cubes (just before serving).

6. Assemble salads with 1 cup romaine, 4 oz. cooked chicken, 1 slice cooked bacon, 1/2 cup halved tomatoes, 1/3 cup sweet corn, and 2-3 tbsp. red onion.

7. When ready to eat, add 2 tbsp. dressing and and 1/4 cup cubed avocado. Enjoy!

8. For meal prep, store salad vegetables (minus avocado) in meal prep containers in the fridge, store chicken and bacon portions in the freezer (reheat for 3 minutes in microwave), and add avocado and dressing when ready to eat.

Recipe Note

Calories (one salad with avocado and lemon juice in dressing): 377kcal, Fat: 13.5g, Sat fat: 2.7g, Carbs: 31g, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 16g, Protein: 38g, Sodium: 542mg

Calories (one salad without avocado and olive oil in dressing): 375kcal, Fat: 14.7g, Sat fat: 2.9g, Carbs: 27g, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 16g, Protein: 37g, Sodium: 540mg

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