This Honey Mustard Fall Chicken Salad is the perfect hearty salad to make during chilly fall nights! Filled with hearty sweet potato, crunch pecans, tangy goat cheese, crispy apples and topped with a sweet tangy honey mustard, this salad is perfect for a busy weeknight or dinner with a glass of wine on the weekends!
I love making kale salads, I have a kale salad for dinner at least once a week! I figured with the leaves changing and the nights cooling, we all needed a hearty salad that still had those classic fall flavors we all love!
If you're looking for other kale salads to try, try out this Sweet Potato Tahini Salad!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
This Honey Mustard Fall Chicken Salad is full of autumnal flavor with the sweet potatoes, crispy apples and honey mustard dressing. It's a perfect salad to be the main course or delicious side!
Homemade Dressing
I love making homemade salad dressings! It's perfect for changing up the dressing to fit the salad better and actually easier than you think to make!
When it comes to salad dressings, I like to add an oil, an acid, and an emulsifier. Emulsifiers act as a way to bind the dressing together and usually add a creamy element. Typically, I use dijon mustard as my emulsifier. So I start with a base of olive oil, apple cider vinegar or lemon, and dijon mustard. From there, you can add garlic, seasonings, citrus, herbs, to make whatever kind of dressing you like best!
It's easier to make than you think and can totally enhance any salad!
Kale Salad
Kale can be a tricky vegetable to work with because it can have a tough texture and bitter taste. To help soften the kale, I like to add some dressing to the kale first and gently massage it with my hands. Then I like the dressing set for about 10 minutes before adding any toppings to the salad!
This helps the kale soften and infuse with flavor! Using kale is great for salads that you need to make ahead of time because the kale will soften but it won't get mushy or dissolve as other leafy greens tend to do!
Ingredients
- Sweet Potatoes
- Olive Oil
- Kale
- Chicken Breast
- Italian Seasoning
- Apple
- Goat Cheese
- Dried Cranberries
- Pecans
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Dijon Mustard
- Honey
- Garlic Clove
- Poppyseeds
- Salt and Pepper
See recipe below for all the details!
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Step 1: Add sweet potatoes to a sheet pan with olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Step 2: Roast for about 20 minutes.
- Step 3: Make the honey mustard dressing.
- Step 4: Assemble the salad on a large platter and enjoy!
Hint: You can use pre-cooked chicken from the grocery store to make this recipe even easier!
Variations and Substitutions
This fall harvest salad is so delicious filled with autumnal flavors like sweet potatoes and dried cranberries! Here are some other variations you might like!
- Vegetarian - Leave out the chicken and sub in tofu strips or avocado for a vegetarian meal!
- Hearty Greens - Along with kale, you could baby spinach and shredded brussel sprouts!
- Loaded Veggies - to the roasted sweet potato, you could add butternut squash and carrots.
If you like these variations, try out this Sweet Potato Kale Salad that would be good with them too!
Equipment
Whisk or Canning Jar - This salad is so easy to make the only thing you really need is something to make the dressing with! I recommend using a canning jar, because you can assemble the dressing in the jar and pop any leftovers right into the fridge!
Top tip
Add the dressing to the kale about 10 minutes before you're ready to serve. Add the dressing to the kale and massage it gently, then let it set for ten minutes. This helps soften the kale and infuse the flavors of the dressing! If you think you don't like kale, try it this way first!
Storage
- Refrigerator - I don't recommend storing this salad for too long, but at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator will work!
FAQ
For this recipe, I grilled it, but I wanted to give you the option to make the chicken however is easiest for you! Just season with italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, then you can roast it, grill it, or air fry it! You can also grab a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store too!
Nope! You can use whatever dressing you like best, store-bought or homemade!
Cheers!
-Holly Michelle
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Sweet Potato Kale Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 Sweet Potatoes peeled and chopped
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 4 cups Kale
- 2 Chicken Breast
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 Apple sliced
- ¼ cup Goat Cheese
- ¼ cup Dried Cranberries
- ¼ cup Pecans Chopped
Honey Mustard Dressing:
- ½ cup Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 3 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- 2 tablespoon Honey
- 1 Garlic Clove grated
- ½ tablespoon Poppyseeds
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- To start, cook chicken by seasoning with salt, pepper, and Italian Seasoning. Cook until an internal temperature of 165 degrees**.2 Chicken Breast, Salt and Pepper, 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Peel and cut sweet potatoes into a 1-inch cube. Place on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.2 Sweet Potatoes, 2 tablespoons Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper
- Roast sweet potatoes for about 20 minutes.
- After the sweet potatoes and chicken are ready, make the salad.
- Drizzle the honey mustard dressing over the kale. Gently massage it with your hands to help soften the kale.4 cups Kale
- Then add chicken, sweet potatoes, goat cheese, pecans, cranberries, and apple slices to the top of the salad.1 Apple, ¼ cup Goat Cheese, ¼ cup Dried Cranberries, ¼ cup Pecans Chopped
- Add another drizzle of the honey mustard dressing! Serve and enjoy!
Honey Mustard Dressing:
- To make the dressing, add olive oil, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, honey, grated garlic, poppyseeds, salt, and pepper in a jar and shake to combine!½ cup Olive Oil, 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar, 3 tablespoon Dijon Mustard, 2 tablespoon Honey, 1 Garlic Clove, ½ tablespoon Poppyseeds, Salt and Pepper
- Store remaining dressing in an airtight container for 3 days in the fridge.
Notes
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