Description
A flavorful Honey Hot Chicken Salad featuring tender grilled chicken breasts tossed in a spicy honey sauce over fresh mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion, topped with crumbled blue cheese and crunchy pecans. This vibrant salad balances sweet, spicy, and savory flavors for a deliciously satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Sauce
- 1 pound chicken breast, boneless and skinless
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Salad
- 4 cups mixed salad greens
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup cucumber, sliced
- 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) or heat a grill pan over medium-high heat to prepare for cooking the chicken.
- Season Chicken: Season the chicken breasts evenly on both sides with paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper to infuse flavor.
- Heat Oil: Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat or prepare your grill pan.
- Cook Chicken: Place the seasoned chicken breasts into the hot skillet or grill pan.
- Grill Chicken: Cook the chicken for 6-7 minutes on each side until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C), ensuring the chicken is fully cooked and juicy.
- Rest Chicken: Remove the chicken from heat and let it rest for a few minutes to retain its juices.
- Make Sauce: While the chicken rests, whisk together the honey and hot sauce in a small bowl until smooth and well combined.
- Slice Chicken: Slice the rested chicken into thin strips or bite-sized pieces for easy mixing with the salad.
- Prepare Salad Base: Place the mixed salad greens into a large salad bowl as the foundation of the dish.
- Add Vegetables: Add the halved cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber, and thinly sliced red onion to the greens for freshness and crunch.
- Toss with Dressing: Drizzle the honey-hot sauce mixture over the salad ingredients and toss gently to coat them evenly with the flavorful dressing.
- Add Chicken: Arrange the sliced chicken on top of the dressed salad to combine protein with the fresh vegetables.
- Top Salad: Sprinkle crumbled blue cheese and chopped pecans over the salad for extra creaminess and texture.
- Final Toss: Give the salad a gentle final toss to integrate all the ingredients just before serving.
- Serve: Serve immediately to enjoy the salad at its freshest and most flavorful.
Notes
- You can substitute blue cheese with feta or goat cheese if preferred.
- Adjust the amount of hot sauce to control the spiciness according to your taste.
- For added crunch, toast the pecans lightly before adding.
- This salad can be served warm by adding the chicken immediately after cooking.
- Leftover chicken can be stored separately and added fresh to subsequent servings to maintain salad texture.
