TL;DR – Here’s why this crispy chicken salad should be your next lunch:
- Tired of boring lunches? This crispy chicken salad brought the spark back to our midday meals.
- Think broiled corn, avocado, pickled onions, and a homemade poblano ranch that’s super easy to blend.
- The secret to that extra crunch? Double dredging the chicken for a baked-but-fried texture.
- I used kale and romaine for the perfect mix of hearty and crisp greens.
- Full recipe and instructions are below to help you make it your new favorite lunch, too!
I’m hitting a wall on lunch options. It’s the most boring meal of the day; I’d rather skip it. Once we started making these salads, I felt inspired to continue my journey to find new lunch options. So the next stop on this salad journey is a crispy chicken salad with poblano ranch dressing.
I took some inspiration from some of my and Brian’s favorite salads. Broiled corn, avocado, pickled onions, and a mix of kale and romaine. I like the buttermilk ranch dressing in Chrissy’s cobb, but I wanted a little more southwestern flavor.
Making the Crispy Chicken Salad with Poblano Ranch Dressing
The secret to the best breaded chicken? Double dredging. For the record, this part was all Brian. Double dredging is when you bread chicken twice: dip chicken breast in egg, then breadcrumbs, and repeat once more. Once baked, you’re left with a crunchy, almost-fried exterior.
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I prefer a mix of lettuce which is why I mixed kale and romaine. The dressing is really simple. I love a dressing you can just blend and serve. Did I mention I got some new gadgets to make these salads? I love my new dressing container and salad spinner!
Crispy Chicken Salad with Poblano Ranch Dressing
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 salads
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Cuisine: American
Description
A crispy chicken salad with a smoky poblano ranch dressing.
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 canned corn
- 1 cup tortilla chips
- 1 avocado
- Kale, chopped
- Romain Hearts, chopped
Chicken
- 2 chicken breasts (~1.5lbs)
- 1.5 cups bread crumbs
- 3 eggs
Pickled Red Onions
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 medium red onion, sliced into strips
Dressing
- 2 chives
- 1 tbsp dill
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup parsley
- 1 poblano pepper
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
Pickled Red Onions
- Combine red wine vinegar, sugar, and salt in a container with a lid (preferably a jar like a 16oz mason jar).
- Stir the mixture really well, or screw the lid on and shake, shake, shake.
- Carefully drop in the red onion slices and push them down to submerge in the liquid.
- Cover and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight (preferred).
Prep
- Chop kale and romaine. Dice avocado. Crunch up the tortilla chips. Set aside.
- Drain corn. Place in a medium bowl, season with salt, pepper, onion, and garlic. Set aside.
Chicken
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prep a baking sheet by lightly coating it with oil.
- Lay chicken out and season with salt and pepper.
- Place bread crumbs and scrambled eggs in separate, shallow bowls.
- We’re double dredging–with one chicken breast, dip into the egg. Let excess fall off, then roll in the bread crumbs. Once completely covered, dip back into the egg, then again in the bread crumbs.
- Place chicken on a baking sheet and repeat with the second chicken breast.
- Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes or completely cooked. Remove from oven and place on a plate to rest.
- Divide each chicken breast in half and cut into bite sized pieces.
- Turn oven on broil.
- Place corn on the baking sheet and put back in the oven.
- Broil until charred.
Poblano Ranch Dressing
- Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Set aside.
Assembling the salad
- Take a little bit of everything and combine into a mixing bowl. Drop in dressing and mix.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy!
Notes
To pickle the onions, you should prep the day before.