This Grilled Rosemary Chicken Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing is a main dish salad that won’t leave you hungry! Tons of protein-packed toppings and flavors everyone will love!
Still riding the salad train for dinners you guys! This Grilled Rosemary Chicken Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing has so many hearty toppings you’ll practically forget that it’s a salad!
I’ve been really into making main dish salads with tons of toppings because it seems to be the only way I can get my husband to eat a salad. He would much rather have an Italian club sandwich or a big bowl of baked mac and cheese. Vegetables aren’t high on his list of things he likes to eat, so I constantly try to disguise them with things he does like. Can anyone relate?
Two of his favorite salads that I’ve recently made are this Caprese Grilled Chicken Salad and this California Cobb Salad. I knew he’d like this Grilled Rosemary Chicken Salad because it was similar to the Cobb salad, but with a different flavor profile.
Both the grilled rosemary chicken and the honey mustard dressing are the stars of this salad. The chicken is marinated in a combination of fresh lemon juice, olive oil, dijon mustard and fresh rosemary. I highly recommend using fresh versus dried rosemary, the flavor is much better in my opinion.
The chicken marinates anywhere from an hour to overnight. I did mine overnight and it absorbed all that lemon and rosemary flavor like a sponge! Since it’s finally warm enough to use the grill, I opted to grill the chicken. Some people are intimidated about grilling chicken breasts so below are a few tips for success.
Tips for Grilling Chicken Breasts
Don’t use the biggest chicken breasts you can find. In this case smaller works better. They’ll cook faster and be less likely to dry out.
Pound out the thick end of the chicken breast so it cooks evenly.
Use a marinade. The marinade adds moisture and tenderizes the chicken.
Grill over high, to medium-high heat. Since the meat is lean and thin if pounded, cooking over high heat for a shorter amount of time will help retain the moisture.
Use a meat thermometer. Chicken breasts are done when their internal temperature reaches 165° F. I like to pull mine off at 160° F. and let them rest for at least 5 minutes. The resting time will bring the internal temperature up and lock in all the juices.
Now that you have to tools to successfully grill the chicken, let’s talk about the honey mustard dressing. It’s so easy to make and not loaded with all the crap that you’ll find in the store bought stuff.
All you need is dijon mustard, honey, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. It’s sweet, it’s tangy and it pairs perfectly with the rosemary chicken.
The other toppings that make up this hearty salad include, hard boiled eggs, avocado, cherry tomatoes and crispy, chopped bacon. This salad is a good one to make if you meal prep, just be sure to keep the dressing separate. Enjoy!
More Grilled Chicken Salads
Southwest Chicken Salad with Avocado Lime Dressing
Grilled Chicken and Goat Cheese Salad with Blackberry Vinaigrette
Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
Grilled Rosemary Chicken Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing
Ingredients
Rosemary Chicken
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 cloves of garlic, grated or minced
- 1/2 of a lemon, juiced
- 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Honey Mustard Dressing
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons dijon
- 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Salad
- 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 4 slices cooked bacon, chopped
- 1/2 of an avocado, sliced
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 hard boiled eggs, halved
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients for the chicken marinade in a freezer bag or bowl. Add in the chicken and massage the marinade into the chicken. Let the chicken marinate for at least an hour or overnight.
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat and oil the grates. Place the chicken onto the grill and cook for 4-6 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reads 160-165° F. depending on the thickness. Let the chicken rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing it.
- While the chicken rests, whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing. Taste for seasoning and set aside.
- On a serving platter or in a large bowl arrange the lettuce. Top with the remaining salad ingredients and the sliced chicken. Serve with the dressing on the side.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 487 Total Fat: 23g Saturated Fat: 5g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 16g Cholesterol: 272mg Sodium: 661mg Carbohydrates: 14g Fiber: 4g Sugar: 9g Protein: 55g
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