Crispy Chicken Tender Salad

Tired of boring salads at home? You’re going to love this Crispy Chicken Tender Salad that’s loaded with fresh veggies and the crispiness you crave from the ones at a restaurant.

Whether you make a big bowl, turn it into a meal, or incorporate it into your meal prep rotation, this is one delicious recipe you’ll make again and again!

Is Crispy Chicken Tender Salad Good for You?

There are two main things that can help keep this chicken tender salad in the “healthy” category: the type of chicken tenders you purchase and how much and what type of dressing you use.

Eating a non-fried chicken salad is always the healthiest choice that unfortunately can get repetitive.

And while chicken is a great protein option that is lean in fat with minimal carbs, breaded chicken tenders are not always made equal. For this reason, check the label and ingredients of the ones you purchase if not making your own.

And since this salad has lots of texture and flavor, you don’t need to drench it in dressing to make it taste great.

Crispy Chicken Tender Salad Ingredients

You’ll find that the salad ingredients listed below are simple and easy to find – which is my favorite type of ingredient list!

• breaded chicken strips: you can get these already breaded at the store or bake your own breaded chicken strips (see recipe below).
• Romaine or green lettuce: cleaned and chopped up.
• grape tomatoes: perfect for halving and adding to the salad mix. Cherry tomatoes will work as well.
• avocado: dice it up and remove the pit.
• red onion: slice it then and add it to the salad with the rest of the ingredients.
• Ranch dressing: just a drizzle, to finish. Store-bought or homemade Greek yogurt ranch is what I recommend.

How to Make Salad with Chicken Tenders

Making a salad means that you have options! Mix and match in veggies, and you’ll create a new salad flavor every time.

Follow the directions below to create the perfect chicken salad.

1. Preheat the oven
   Preheat the oven to 400F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Bake the chicken
   Bake chicken tenders for a total of 25 to 30 minutes, making sure to flip halfway through.
3. Prepare the salad
   Meanwhile, prepare the salad bowls by layering the lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, and red onion.
4. Slice the chicken
   Once the tenders are ready, remove them from the oven and slice the strips diagonally on a cutting board.
5. Top the salad
   Top each salad bowl with breaded chicken and drizzle Ranch dressing over the top.

First time making this chicken tender salad? Watch this quick video for extra tips & tricks!

Want more salad recipes? Check out my Simple Bruschetta Salad or my Healthy Breakfast Salad Recipe.

Homemade or Store-Bought Chicken Tenders

Store-bought chicken tenders are a great option because they’re fast, already done for you, and ready to cook and eat.

However, if you want to make homemade chicken tenders, you can do that, too! My Homemade chicken tenders are so flavorful and can be a great cost-effective answer!

How to Pack Crispy Chicken Tender Salad for Lunch

You can pack a single portion of this chicken tender salad in an airtight container or a glass meal prep container and the dressing separately and drizzle it just before eating.

These are my go-to meal prep containers.

Best Dressings for Crispy Chicken Salad

Even though I used my ranch dressing recipe for this salad, you can use any other options. Some other popular dressing options are:

• Avocado Lime Dressing
• Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing
• Blue cheese
• Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Red Wine Vinaigrette
• Italian
• French
• Citrus Vinaigrette
• Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
• Thai Peanut Dressing
• Thousand Island