Description
Enjoy a delightful combination of crispy, sweet, spicy, and creamy flavors with this Hot Honey Chicken Salad recipe. Featuring crunchy air-fried chicken coated in a spicy honey glaze, fresh vibrant vegetables, and a tangy feta-yogurt dressing, this salad is perfect for a satisfying and flavorful meal that will have you coming back for more.
Ingredients
Salad
- 4 oz. romaine lettuce mix
- 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced into thin half-moons
- ½ medium cucumber, sliced into half-moons
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 large avocados, pitted and sliced
Dressing
- 4 oz. crumbled feta cheese
- ¼ cup 2% Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons dried chives
- ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1-4 tablespoons water, to thin it out
Hot Honey Chicken
- ½ cup honey (not raw honey)
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes or 6 Thai chiles minced with seeds
- ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, sliced
- 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
- 4 cups corn flakes
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour (or 1:1 gluten-free flour)
- 2.5 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2.5 teaspoons coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1.5 teaspoons ground mustard
- 1.5 teaspoons paprika
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon water
- 3-4 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
Instructions
- Prepare the salad: Add all of the salad ingredients — romaine lettuce mix, sliced carrot, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and avocado — into a large bowl and toss gently. Set aside.
- Make the dressing: Combine crumbled feta cheese, Greek yogurt, dried chives, apple cider vinegar, sea salt, black pepper, and granulated sugar in a bowl. Use the back of a spoon or fork to mash the feta into smaller pieces if needed. Add water by the tablespoon increments to thin out the dressing to your desired consistency. Set aside.
- Make the hot honey sauce: In a small saucepan, mix honey, red pepper flakes or minced Thai chiles, apple cider vinegar, and sliced garlic. Heat over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Remove from heat and transfer to a jar to cool.
- Preheat the air fryer: Set your air fryer to 370-375ºF and let it preheat while you prepare the chicken.
- Prepare the chicken: Slice chicken breasts into 1.5-2 inch pieces and set aside.
- Make the coating mixture: Place corn flakes, flour, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, ground mustard, and paprika into a food processor. Pulse on low until the mixture reaches a breadcrumb-like consistency. Transfer to a medium bowl.
- Prepare the egg wash: In another medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and 1 tablespoon water until well combined.
- Coat the chicken: Dredge each chicken piece first in the egg mixture, letting excess drip off, then dredge into the cornflake mixture until fully coated. Repeat the egg and cornflake coating once more for double dredging. Place coated chicken pieces on a plate. Repeat until all pieces are coated.
- Air fry the chicken: Lightly spray or oil the air fryer basket. Place as many chicken pieces as fit comfortably without crowding (about 11 pieces). Drizzle 1 tablespoon of oil over the chicken. Cook for 4 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 4 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Depending on your air fryer, cooking times may vary. Repeat for remaining chicken.
- Toss chicken with hot honey: Transfer cooked chicken to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle ½ cup of the prepared hot honey over the chicken and gently toss to coat evenly. Add more hot honey if desired.
- Assemble the salad: Top the prepared salad with the yogurt-feta dressing, then arrange the hot honey chicken on top. Serve immediately and enjoy.
Notes
- Use regular honey, not raw honey, for the hot honey sauce to achieve a smoother consistency and better flavor melding.
- Adjust the amount of red pepper flakes or Thai chiles to control the spice level in the hot honey.
- Double dredging the chicken in egg and cornflake mixture ensures an extra crispy coating.
- If you don’t have an air fryer, you can use an oven baked method at 400ºF for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway.
- To make this gluten-free, substitute the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend and confirm corn flakes are gluten-free.
- The dressing can be thinned out or thickened by adjusting the amount of water added.
- The salad ingredients can be varied with your favorite fresh vegetables or greens.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Air Frying
- Cuisine: American
