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Keeping things fun, easy, and healthy with this Honey Mustard Pretzel Chicken and Avocado Bacon Salad. Spicy chicken fingers, breaded in salty pretzel crumbs, oven baked and tossed together with fresh greens, avocado, and crispy bacon. Add a creamy honey mustard dressing and lots of parmesan for a colorful salad that’s anything but boring. This is quick to make and beyond delicious. It’s that salty, spicy pretzel chicken and sweet honey mustard dressing. The combo is hard to beat.
Here is what I have come to learn about myself. I really, really like recipes that remind me of past adventures…usually when I was a kid. Chicken fingers? Yup, I love them. Mac and cheese with the crunchy edges? 100%. Chicken and rice…Dad’s pasta dish? Yep, all some of my favorite recipes, and each from childhood.
And then this salad? While it’s not something I ever ate growing up, it does remind me of the days I’d spend with my family in Florida over spring break. I know I’ve been talking a lot about Florida and spring break this last week, but clearly, I can’t help it. It’s spring break season and geez, I really wish I had some plans to go to Florida. But I don’t, so instead, I’m making recipes that bring back all my favorite memories.
It’s fun…and delicious. Because let’s be real, the foods we ate when we were young were GOOD.
So this salad. When my family traveled to Florida for spring break we’d always stay with my Nonnie and Grandpa. My Nonnie and I were super close, so while mom basked in the sun and my brothers played in the pool with my dad, Nonnie and would sneak off, go do some shopping, then stop in somewhere for lunch.
When I was really young, I’d order chicken fingers nine times out of ten, but my Nonnie always switched up her order depending on where we were eating. Sometimes pasta, sometimes a sandwich, and then sometimes a salad. For some reason, I remember her eating a chicken salad with bacon. I’m feeling like it was a Cheesecake Factory Salad? Yep, that sounds about right.
Anyway, since I’ve been thinking so much about those trips and also trying to put ideas for lunches together, I took Nonnie’s salad and my chicken fingers and I combined the two. And you know? I really, really wish Nonnie was around to give this a taste test, because I think she’d fully approve. The bacon would really seal the deal for her and the pretzel chicken? Well, let’s just say that the salty pretzels would put the salad over the top. This salad has all of her favorite things. Mine too.
The Details…Start with the Chicken
What I love about this fun salad is that for how much it has going on, it’s actually really easy.
Start with the chicken. Finely crush the pretzels into crumbs to bread the chicken. The finely crushed pretzels are key. They flavor the chicken with the perfect amount of salt, which pairs wonderfully
with the sweet and tangy honey mustard dressing. I make the crumbs spicy with a little chili powder, smoked paprika, and cayenne. They are delicious.
Tip? Pulse the pretzels in the food processor to really break them down into a fine crumb. If you don’t have a food processor, just add the pretzels to a ziplock bag, then step on the bag with your feet to finely crush them. Trust me, this works. You can even just use the actual pretzel bag and step on that. It’s what dad used to do when he’d make potato chip chicken when I was a kid. This trick is an oldie but a goodie.
Bake the chicken in the oven until it crisps all over. My secret is to lightly drizzle the chicken with olive oil before it bakes. This helps the coating to really crisp up nicely in the oven. You can’t skip this step, it’s crucial.
While the Chicken is Baking…
Toss the salad and make the dressing. For the salad, I kept it simple, mixed greens, tomatoes, lots of avocados, crispy bacon, and parmesan. Nothing fancy, but always a solid combo when it comes to salad. The avocado plus bacon is a favorite. Totally delicious.
And then the dressing. Hands down this is one of my favorite dressings. It’s extra creamy, sweet, and tangy, but with a kick from some cayenne. The tahini makes it extra creamy and the honey keeps things sweet, which is a nice balance to the spicy. And when you toss it all together with the pretzel chicken?
It is SO GOOD! Crunchy chicken, salty bacon, creamy avocado, and a sweet, creamy, and spicy dressing that really completes the salad and makes every bite special.
So you see? Salads can be delish…and fun!
Looking for other spring salad recipes? Here are some of my favorites:
Pesto Chicken Caesar Salad with Tomatoes and Burrata
Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Chickpea Salad
Lastly, if you make this Honey Mustard Pretzel Chicken and Avocado Bacon 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!
Honey Mustard Pretzel Chicken and Avocado Bacon Salad.
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 819 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 pound boneless chicken tenders
- 1 cup finely crushed salted pretzel twists
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- kosher salt and black pepper
- extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
- 6 cups mixed greens
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup shaved parmesan
- 1-2 avocados, diced
- 4 slices cooked thick cut bacon, crumbled
Honey Mustard Dressing
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup honey
- juice of 1 lemon
- 3 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.2. In a bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Combine the pretzels, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, and a pinch of pepper to a bowl. 3. Dredge the chicken through the crumbs, pressing to adhere. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.4. To make the salad. Combine the greens, tomatoes, parmesan, avocados, and bacon in a salad bowl.5. To make the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a glass jar and whisk until smooth. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.6. Toss the chicken in with the salad. Add a little of the dressing. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on April 5, 2021
I loved the dressing for the salad! My just and loved the chicken as well! Unfortunately I didn’t think the chicken was seasoned enough. I’ll double up on the spices and add kosher salt to the pretzels next time! Thanks!!
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! xTieghan
Made this for dinner tonight and it was soooooooo amazing!!! I was kind of scared the breading/pretzels wouldn’t adhere to the chicken nicely but it wasn’t a problem at all, and the dressing along with it really brought everything together at the end! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hey Lucas,
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try, I am delighted that it was enjoyed!! Have a great weekend! xTieghan
What can i use in place of tahini?
Hey JoAnn,
You could just skip the tahini for this recipe:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Seriously so quick and easy to whip up. I used a food processor to get the pretzels ground up. Also, in addition to drizzling the olive oil on top of the chicken. i did a quick spritz of an extra virgin olive oil spray. While the chicken cooked, I microwaved the bacon, cut up the avocado and tomato, and whipped up the dressing, which made a very generous amount. It came together in about 30 minutes and was SO GOOD. It even looked fancy on the plate with little to no effort!! Thank you!!
Hey Kristen,
Awesome! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Happy Friday:) xTieghan
I wish you would/could include nutritional values. Your recipes sound so good, but we have some dietary restrictions and need this information.
Cheers,
Lora
Hey Lora,
Sorry, at this time I am only able to provide an estimated calorie count:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Super tasty and will be added to our repeated recipes list. Human error- accidentally spilled paprika in the dressing vs cayenne but still delicious!
Hey Colette,
Awesome! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Happy Friday:) xTieghan
We made this two nights in a row we loved it so much. The pretzels + seasonings add so much flavor! Absolutely will be a regular recipe for us. (Only change we did: no tahini. We had it, I’m just not the biggest fan.)
Hey Alexis,
Awesome! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Happy Friday:) xTieghan
This is the best homemade salad I’ve ever made! So easy to make and tastes amazing. The chicken and dressing is really good.
Hey Meghan,
Awesome! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Happy Friday:) xTieghan
This looks FABULOUS! Stupid question: What exactly are “chicken tenders?” Someone commented that she used chicken fingers instead. OK, so what the heck are chicken fingers???
Hey there,
You should be able to find chicken tender or chicken finger pieces at your local grocery store, it’s just a chicken breast cut into smaller pieces. I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
So good and kids also loved!
Hey Michelle,
I am so excited that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! ?Tieghan
This recipe is was easy, quick and delicious! The honey mustard dressing was so tasty! We will be making extra to keep in the fridge!! Thank you for sharing!
Hey Samantha,
I am so excited that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! ?Tieghan
Loved this recipe. Loved the honey mustard dressing. I made exactly as is except only used 1T of tahini instead of 2T. The pretzel crumbs were really well seasoned. I didn’t have chicken tenders so used chicken breast and slides it to resemble the size of a tender. It’s going on my fav Pinterest board to make again. It’s gonna be great for the summer.
Hey Kimm,
I am so excited that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! ?Tieghan
This was outstanding. Went with chicken thighs and no tahini! My family devoured it. Thank you!
Hey Laura,
I am so excited that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! ?Tieghan
Can’t wait to try this recipe! I also called my grandmother Nani (pronounced the same way you spelled Nonnie) and was also super close with her. I was closer with her than my mom and miss her everyday. It was lovely to read about someone else’s similar family experiences! Thanks for sharing the recipe… everything I make from your site has been a winner so far!
Thanks so much Elyse! I hope you love this recipe:) xTieghan
Made this for dinner tonight, but substituted the chicken for tofu (I’m a vegetarian who loves bacon). It was AMAZING, and the substitution worked just fine! Thanks Tieghan!
Hey Rachel,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed. Have a great Wednesday! xTieghan