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Avocado Bacon Chicken Salad with Jalapeño Honey Mustard. The chicken is seasoned with a mix of spices and roasted until lightly charred and delicious. Everything is tossed together with my creamy jalapeño honey mustard dressing, fresh cherry tomatoes, crispy bacon, and then lots of crumbed feta cheese. The spicy honey mustard is quite possibly one of my favorite dressings, it’s delicious!
I’m on a roll with the salads right now. Monday brought us crunchy Thai peanut chicken salad. Yesterday, we shared an Italian pasta salad (that I’m so into right now). And today, we’ve got the perfect spring/summer chicken salad.
I feel like I’ve shared this story before, but as you all know, I spent a good chunk of my summers as a kid hanging out with my Nonnie. She’d have me over to her house. We’d shop for flowers, hit up the mall, and then grab lunch. When we returned, she’d take a little nap while I watched a movie. Later, we’d start setting the table for dinner.
My Nonnie was my best friend growing up, especially since I didn’t have a sister. We did so much together!
Some of my favorite memories of spring breaks and summers were those spent hanging with Nonnie. And especially our lunch dates. Nonnie loved to go out to lunch! She was a lunching pro and knew all the best places.
I was kind of an odd kid and remember ordering a lot of chicken and bacon salads. I think back to those memories a lot. Those salads I shared with Nonnie really stuck out. So I decided it was time to recreate it but make it even better!
These are the details
Step 1: let’s make the chicken
I wanted the chicken crispy and with a little more spice. I seasoned the chicken breasts with smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili flakes. Nothing fancy, but a combination I often use.
Toss the chicken with olive oil, then roast it in the oven until it starts to get crisp.
Step 2: mix the salad
While the chicken is roasting, grab a giant salad bowl. Add all the salad greens, tomatoes, and pickles.
For the greens, I love to use shredded romaine, but I like to mix in some spinach too!
Step 3: the honey mustard dressing
Most of us love creamy honey mustard dressing—you can’t go wrong with it. But as I was making my go-to dressing, I started to wonder how I could make it better, a little more different.
I loved the sound of pickled jalapeños together with the bacon in this recipe, so I tried blending a few into the dressing. It could not have been more delicious. The spice from the jalapeño is a really nice balance to the sweetness of the honey.
Step 4: toss the salad
Combine all the ingredients. First, toss the greens with some of the dressing to ensure they are evenly coated before adding everything else.
Then, add the hot chicken to the greens. Throw on the avocado, tomatoes, feta cheese, and fresh herbs. Next, take the honey mustard dressing and add spoonfuls over the chicken and greens. The last ingredient I love to add is the crispy bacon. You can chop it up or simply break it into pieces.
Step 5: eat
Serve the salad warm or cold. It’s great for lunch and dinner. You could even serve it this weekend for Easter. Either way, it will be delicious. It’s a great salad for the summer months too.
It never disappoints!
Looking for other fun recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Everything Cheddar Tomato Bacon Grilled Cheese
Picnic Style Brie and Prosciutto Sandwich
Grilled Vegetable Burrata Sandwich
Spinach and Artichoke Pita Grilled Cheese
Chicken Cobb Salad with Avocado Ranch
Lastly, if you make this Avocado Bacon Chicken Salad, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Avocado Bacon Chicken Salad with Jalapeño Honey Mustard
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 524 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cubed
- 2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- chili flakes, salt, and black pepper
- 6 cups shredded lettuce or mixed greens
- 1-2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/2 cup sliced dill pickles
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 6 strips cooked bacon, chopped
- 1 cup mixed herbs: basil + cilantro
- 1 avocado, chopped
Jalapeño Honey Mustard
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup pickled jalapeños, use to your taste
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 425° F.2. On a baking sheet, toss the chicken, olive oil, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and season to taste with chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Toss well to evenly coat. Roast for 15-20 minutes, until lightly charred.3. Add the lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles to a large salad bowl.4. To make the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend/whisk until smooth. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup water to thin the dressing. Taste and season with additional salt.5. Pour some of the dressing over the salad. Add the chicken, avocado, feta, herbs, and bacon. Top the salad with lots of extra dressing. Lightly toss. Serve and enjoy!
Delicious! Nice to have a little different take on chicken salad. I grilled the chicken and didn’t pickle the jalapeño and it was fantastic. Thanks Tieghan!
Hey Sheila,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad it was enjoyed! xT
A new favorite! We added pumpkin seeds for crunch!
Hey Alana,
Wonderful! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you making it and your feedback! xT
Great salad and the dressing, with a tad less water, would be great dipping sauce.
Hey Christopher,
Happy Sunday! I’m so glad to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for trying it out! xT
Hi there! This looks great. What can I substitute for tahini if I don’t have it on hand? 🙂
Hi Peri,
You could use another nut butter in place of the tahini! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
I freaking loveeeee this recipe my boyfriend and I made this basically 3 nights in a row and are obsessed. Thank you!
Lol thanks so much, May!! So glad you both enjoy this recipe so much, thanks for making it often:) xx
This was so delicious! Loved the little kick to it and blend of flavors! Adding it to the recipe book. My husband doesn’t care for spice as much so I only did a 1/4 pickled jalapeño. Thank you for another yummy recipe!
Thanks so much Kendahl! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for giving it a try! xT
Excellent salad!! Husband is a huge fan! The dressing was so perfect with the jalapeños. The cilantro and the basil in with the lettuce elevated the salad even more. Super delicious! Will be a regular on our dinner menu.
Hey April,
Happy Friday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out nicely for you! Xx
This was really good. Simple ingredients but very flavorful. It was on the edge of too spicy. I will go a little easier on the spices next time. I also did not add jalapeños to the dressing. I put a few pepperoncini’s on my salad. Delicious!
Hey Melissa,
Awesome!! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for making it! xT
Another delicious crowd pleaser! Made this for Easter and it was a hit – the dressing was delicious. Added some roasted corn and extra avocado and will be adding this to the summer rotation!
Thanks so much Leila!! Love to hear that this salad was a hit, thanks for trying it out! xT
Do you ladies seriously come on here to complain about nutrition totals? If you’re interested in making this dish, make it. If not, don’t!
If it has too many calories gor you, take an extra spin class this week.
You know the class. The one your husband pays for while you sit at home and complain on a food comment board.
Those guys must work 90 hours a week to stay away from you miserable women.
Geesh…
I made this salad as a side for Easter dinner. While putting it together and tasting it, I thought it might be too spicy. I put some greek yogurt in the dressing to tone it down a bit – perhaps I put too many pickled jalapenos in 🙂 Anyway, everyone just loved it and asked for the recipe!
Who would have thought to put dill pickles in a green salad with chicken – what a great addition!!! The whole combo worked wonderfully together. The greens toned down the spiciness a bit – so don’t be disuaded while putting it together.
Thank you for the recipe!!!
Hey Donna,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and your comment, so glad to hear it turned out nicely for you! xT
I loved this, but this was way too much seasoning for my husband and kids. It was so very spicy and I didn’t add the jalapeños to the dressing. I feel like the seasoning should be for 2-3 lbs of chicken, not just 1lb. But rest of the flavors were delicious!
Hi Courtney,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so very sorry to hear it was too spicy! xx
There are 6 servings in the recipe. 527 kcal is 1/6th of the recipe. I would say if carbs and fat are important to you maybe try something else? Or use a food calculator which is available online or in an app.
I love hearing about your Nonna. My granny was my best friend too. Looking forward to making this delicious salad.
Aww, thanks so much Cathy:) Let me know if you try this salad, I hope you love it! xT
I’m interested in this recipe – but I’m looking for the nutritional information… You state :
“Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed”
There is only a place that says 527 kcal per serving, but nothing more. What’s a serving? How many carbs? What about fat?
Thanks so much.
Julie, this is a free recipe website, not a nutritional website. It is unreasonable for you to expect Tiegan to do this work for you. If the nutritional value is so important to you, use one of the numerous websites out there that will calculate this information for you. There are even ones that allow you to copy and paste the ingredients and then will calculate the nutritional information for the dish—My Fitness Pal comes to mind. As far as asking how much is a serving in connection with the stated 527 calories, surely you can figure that out given that the recipe says it makes 6 serving.
Lori
I’m responding to your message from another person who was asking if she could get the nutritional information for this recipe. I am certainly not sure why you told her that because it was a free recipe site that it was unreasonable for them to provide the nutritional information. I belong to a lot of free recipe groups and 99.9% of them provide the information. Your comment was rude and unwarranted and you should have only commented in the review section for your review of the recipe not condemn another home cook. I am planning on trying this recipe and I also have dietary restrictions for a family members health issues and once I have tried it I will post my review of the recipe. This comment is meant directly for you to think about being a bit kinder to others, especially complete strangers who were asking legitimate questions.
Seriously, none of these recipes are provided for free. You are paying for them. Please do some research on how food bloggers make their money, and in HBH’s world, you are talking about millions of dollars. Why do you think there are all those ads on her site? Someone with this big of a following should be able to provide her fans with the necessary information. After all, we are paying customers.
The comments on any of your posts are always spicier than the recipes
Lol so true. I never understand why the comments on a recipe site are so mean
Hey Julie,
Thanks so much for your comment!! Unfortunately, we do not have the full nutritional information available at this time. I’m sure you could use an online calculator and input the ingredients to find that information out. So sorry for any troubles. Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
if you don’t have the full nutritional information, how did you get this 527 number? or did you make it up?
Dear Julie,
Have you considered using My Fitness Pal to figure it out yourself? And there’s an easy button; all measurements are given to ya!