Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken Salad with Avocado

About This Grilled Chicken Salad With Honey Mustard Dressing

• The best dressing. You might recognize the sweet-tangy honey mustard marinade from my sheet pan honey mustard chicken. In this recipe, it works as the salad dressing, too.
• Satisfying flavors and textures. The juicy chicken rounds out the fresh, crunchy, creamy salad made with grilled corn, avocado, summer tomatoes, and roasted red peppers. It’s filling enough to be a meal on its own, or you can serve it as a side salad or starter.
• Make-ahead friendly. You can make this salad with leftover grilled chicken or grill the chicken and corn in advance so you can toss everything together before serving.

Salad Ingredients

These are the ingredients needed to make this honey mustard grilled chicken salad, including a few summer veggies that we’ll grill along with the chicken. Scroll to the recipe card for exact amounts.

• Chicken – I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but thighs will also work. Boneless chicken is easier to slice.
• Greens – Romaine lettuce is known in Caesar salad recipes for its fresh crunch, and I love it in this salad. That being said, any salad greens will work, including iceberg and butter lettuce, or mixed greens, spinach, or kale.
• Roasted red peppers – You can throw some whole red peppers on the grill if you’d like, or use roasted red peppers from a jar.
• Red onion – Sliced into rings with the skin left on so they’re sturdy enough to grill.
• Sweet corn – Shuck the corn beforehand. You’ll grill the corn whole and then shave off the kernels to add to the salad.
• Cherry tomatoes – Or grape tomatoes sliced in half. If you’re using larger tomatoes, chop them into quarters.
• Avocado – Remove the pit and skin, and cut the avocado into slices (or dice it, whichever you prefer).

Honey Mustard Dressing

• Honey – Honey is key in honey mustard dressings and marinades. However, if you don’t have honey, another sweetener, like honey or brown sugar, makes a good substitute.
• Mustard – I use Dijon mustard and whole grain mustard because I like the variety of flavor and the added texture from the whole grain mustard seeds.
• Garlic – Fresh garlic is a staple in almost every dressing or marinade I make. If fresh garlic isn’t available to you, substitute each fresh clove with 1 tablespoon of jarred garlic.
• Thyme – Thyme adds a fresh, herby, lemony taste to the marinade. You can use fresh or dry. If you’re using dried thyme, you’ll need about one-third the amount of fresh.
• Red Pepper Flakes – Just a touch of this adds a nice hint of heat. Feel free to leave this out if you’re sensitive to spice.
• Apple Cider Vinegar – The acidity helps cut through the sweetness of the honey and tenderizes the chicken. Another type of vinegar will work here, too, such as red or white wine vinegar.
• Olive Oil – I prefer to use olive oil in my dressings as opposed to other oils, for the quality and flavor.

Marinate the Chicken

The fact that this dressing doubles as a marinade is one of my favorite things about this grilled chicken salad recipe!

1. Make the marinade. Add honey, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, garlic, thyme, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and salt. Use a fork or a whisk to blend and emulsify the ingredients, meaning the oil, honey, and vinegar are no longer separated.
2. Marinate the chicken. Add about 1/3 of the dressing to a bowl with the raw chicken breasts. Gently toss the chicken in the honey mustard sauce to coat. Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes. You’ll set aside the remaining sauce to use as dressing.

Grill the Chicken and Vegetables

1. Prepare to grill. Get the grill heated to medium-high, about 375-400°F. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables.
2. Grill the corn and onions. Add the corn ears and sliced onion rings to the preheated grill. Grill onion rings for 4-5 minutes per side, until slightly charred. For the corn, grill each side for 2-3 minutes to get some color and char on the kernels.
3. Grill the chicken. While the veggies are grilling, take out the chicken and discard the marinade. Add the marinated chicken to the grill. Grill the chicken on each side for 4-7 minutes, depending on thickness. The chicken is ready to come off the grill when the inside is no longer pink or when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
4. Rest and slice. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes after removing it from the grill to let the juices redistribute before slicing. Then cut the corn kernels off the grilled corn cob and set aside.

Assemble the Salad

1. Combine the ingredients. To a large bowl, add romaine lettuce, sliced chicken, grilled onion, grilled corn kernels, roasted red pepper, tomato, and sliced avocado.
2. Add dressing. Drizzle with the reserved honey mustard dressing from earlier, and serve.

Optional Salad Add-Ons

If you wanted to dress up this grilled chicken salad with extra add-ons, the sky is the limit!

• Bacon
• Mango
• Strawberries or strawberry salsa
• Asparagus
• Croutons
• Black beans
• Candied pecans
• Quinoa or farro

What to Serve With This Grilled Chicken Salad

This chicken salad is a light but filling lunch on its own, but if I want to round out the meal, I’ll slice a baguette to serve with bread dipping oil. I also love to serve this chicken salad as a side to a grilled pizza while the grill is hot! This strawberry vodka cocktail is a delicious summer drink to wash down dinner. This refreshing strawberry agua fresca is a tasty non-alcoholic alternative.

Storing Leftovers

• Refrigerate. When you can, try to store the grilled chicken and vegetables separately from the rest of the salad ingredients so the salad doesn’t become soggy. Even better, leave off the dressing. Properly stored airtight, leftovers will last a day or two in the fridge.

More Grilled Chicken Salad Recipes

• Grilled Peach Chicken Salad
• Avocado Caprese Chicken Salad
• Grilled Buffalo Chicken Salad
• Asian Chicken Salad
• Chicken Fajita Salad