This crispy rooster salad is a fall favourite in my home! It options air-fried crispy rooster, honey crisp apples, an incredible selfmade maple mustard dressing, and candied pecans. It’s a flavorful and protein-rich lunch or dinner that I completely can not get sufficient of.

Excessive in protein — I’m talkin’ 35g per serving!
GREAT salad for meal prep — I like making this salad for lunch through the week. Merely wait to decorate the salad til you’re able to serve 😋.
Minimal prepare dinner time — the rooster is cooked within the air fryer, which suggests tremendous minimal kitchen time is required for you. #yahwelcome
A Few Featured Substances
- Apples: right here within the midwest, we’re all about honey crisp apples! The flavour is texture is simply the perfect. Be happy to thinly slice any apple of your alternative ❤️.
- Pecans: the candied pecans add deliciously candy taste and slightly crunch. it’s an awesome complement to the savory rooster and maple mustard dressing.
- Hen: air fryer rooster bbs! I like air frying rooster as a result of it will get it further crispy with out frying + it requires minimal prepare dinner time. My toddler all the time steals a rooster nugget or two after I’m making this recipe.
- Dijon mustard: mustard is the bottom of the salad dressing for this recipe! It’s a selfmade dressing that does require a couple of substances, however every part could be poured in a mason jar and shaken up earlier than dressing. I prefer to make a double batch to maintain further dressing available within the fridge.
- Maple syrup: you’ll use maple within the salad dressing and in addition within the candied pecans. It’s my go-to pure sweetener of alternative.
- Spring combine greens: technically any lettuce or discipline greens will work for this salad, so select your individual journey right here. The crunch of romaine can be delish, and so would a softer butter lettuce.
Discover the record of full substances within the recipe card under.
Make Stovetop Candied Pecans
Making your individual candied pecans is tremendous fast and simple. All it’s worthwhile to do is warmth a big skillet over medium/low warmth. Add the pecans, maple syrup, and cinnamon to the skillet. Toss the pecans till they’re coated, and toast them till they start to brown.
Switch the pecans to a plate and allow them to cool — be happy to style take a look at a couple of 😋😋.
Making ready and Air-Frying the Hen
Dredge a chunk of rooster by way of the flour, then egg, after which the panko, ensuring the rooster items are absolutely coated. The flour –> egg –> panko order for dredging the rooster helps make each bit tremendous crispy and evenly coated within the breading.
Then, switch the rooster to the air fryer, ensuring the rooster items should not touching. Prepare dinner at 400º for 5-8 minutes (will depend on what sort of air fryer you’re utilizing) or till the rooster is golden brown and crispy. You’re searching for an inner temperature of 165ºF.
Professional tip: You might have to prepare dinner the rooster in batches relying on the dimensions of your air fryer.
Wish to make a non-breaded rooster for this recipe? I like to recommend my juicy air fryer rooster breast recipe. Alternatively, you possibly can press the straightforward button and simply carry dwelling a rotisserie rooster from the grocery retailer (I’ve executed this extra instances than I can rely!).
Discover the complete recipe directions within the recipe card under.
Add the Dressing and Serve
My #1 tip for this salad is to WAIT to decorate it till proper earlier than serving. Why? Spring combine is a fragile discipline inexperienced and might get soggy fairly shortly. Plus, you don’t need your tremendous crispy rooster nuggets to get soggy both 😅😅.
Greatest Technique to Retailer Leftovers
One of the simplest ways to retailer leftover servings of this salad is to maintain the dressing and rooster separate from every part else. Then, once you’re able to serve, you possibly can reheat the rooster (both within the air fryer for a couple of minutes or within the microwave) and toss with the dressing to freshen issues up.

Extra Hearty Salad Recipes
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Start by making candied pecans. Warmth a big skillet over medium/low warmth. Add the pecans, maple syrup, and cinnamon to the skillet. Toss the pecans till they’re coated. Toast the pecans till they start to brown. Switch the pecans to a plate and allow them to cool.
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Add the entire substances for the dressing to a bowl and whisk to mix. Put aside.
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Subsequent, put together the rooster. In three separate bowls, add the flour to at least one, whisked eggs, maple syrup, and Dijon to the second, and panko bread crumbs and salt to the third bowl.
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Dredge a chunk of rooster by way of the flour, then egg, after which the panko. Make certain it’s absolutely coated. Put aside and repeat till all of the rooster has been coated.
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Switch the rooster to the air fryer and spray with avocado oil. Make certain the rooster items should not overcrowded. Prepare dinner at 400º for 5-8 minutes (will depend on what sort of air fryer you’re utilizing) or till the rooster is golden brown and crispy. You might have to prepare dinner the rooster in batches. We’re searching for an inner temperature of 165ºF.
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Add the blended greens, cranberries, feta, and apples to a big salad bowl. Prime with rooster and candied pecans.
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Gown the salad proper earlier than serving and luxuriate in instantly.
- If you happen to don’t have an air fryer, be happy to interchange the air fryer rooster with rotisserie rooster.
Energy: 574 kcal, Carbohydrates: 65 g, Protein: 35 g, Fats: 31 g, Fiber: 5 g, Sugar: 28 g
Diet info is robotically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.