This crispy chicken salad is a fall favorite in my house! It features air-fried crispy chicken, honey crisp apples, an amazing homemade maple mustard dressing, and candied pecans. It’s a flavorful and protein-rich lunch or dinner that I absolutely cannot get enough of.

A Few Featured Ingredients

• Apples: here in the midwest, we’re all about honey crisp apples! The flavor is texture is just the best. Feel free to thinly slice any apple of your choice .
• Pecans: the candied pecans add deliciously sweet flavor and a little crunch. it’s a great complement to the savory chicken and maple mustard dressing.
• Chicken: air fryer chicken bbs! I love air frying chicken because it gets it extra crispy without frying + it requires minimal cook time. My toddler always steals a chicken nugget or two when I’m making this recipe.
• Dijon mustard: mustard is the base of the salad dressing for this recipe! It’s a homemade dressing that does require a few ingredients, but everything can be poured in a mason jar and shaken up before dressing. I like to make a double batch to keep extra dressing on hand in the fridge.
• Maple syrup: you’ll use maple in the salad dressing and also in the candied pecans. It’s my go-to natural sweetener of choice.
• Spring mix greens: technically any lettuce or field greens will work for this salad, so choose your own adventure here. The crunch of romaine would be delish, and so would a softer butter lettuce.

Find the list of full ingredients in the recipe card below. 

Make Stovetop Candied Pecans

Making your own candied pecans is super quick and easy. All you need to do is heat a large skillet over medium/low heat. Add the pecans, maple syrup, and cinnamon to the skillet. Toss the pecans until they are coated, and toast them until they begin to brown.

Transfer the pecans to a plate and let them cool — feel free to taste test a few .

Preparing and Air-Frying the Chicken

Dredge a piece of chicken through the flour, then egg, and then the panko, making sure the chicken pieces are fully coated. The flour –> egg –> panko order for dredging the chicken helps make each piece super crispy and evenly coated in the breading.

Then, transfer the chicken to the air fryer, making sure the chicken pieces are not touching. Cook at 400º for 5-8 minutes (depends on what type of air fryer you’re using) or until the chicken is golden brown and crispy. You’re looking for an internal temperature of 165ºF.

Pro tip: You may need to cook the chicken in batches depending on the size of your air fryer.

Want to make a non-breaded chicken for this recipe? I recommend my juicy air fryer chicken breast recipe. Alternatively, you can press the easy button and just bring home a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store (I’ve done this more times than I can count!).

Find the full recipe instructions in the recipe card below.

Add the Dressing and Serve

My #1 tip for this salad is to WAIT to dress it until right before serving. Why? Spring mix is a delicate field green and can get soggy pretty quickly. Plus, you don’t want your super crispy chicken nuggets to get soggy either .

Best Way to Store Leftovers

The best way to store leftover servings of this salad is to keep the dressing and chicken separate from everything else. Then, when you’re ready to serve, you can reheat the chicken (either in the air fryer for a few minutes or in the microwave) and toss with the dressing to freshen things up.



More Hearty Salad Recipes

• Begin by making candied pecans. Heat a large skillet over medium/low heat. Add the pecans, maple syrup, and cinnamon to the skillet. Toss the pecans until they are coated. Toast the pecans until they begin to brown. Transfer the pecans to a plate and let them cool.

• Add all of the ingredients for the dressing to a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

• Next, prepare the chicken. In three separate bowls, add the flour to one, whisked eggs, maple syrup, and Dijon to the second, and panko bread crumbs and salt to the third bowl.

• Dredge a piece of chicken through the flour, then egg, and then the panko. Be sure it is fully coated. Set aside and repeat until all the chicken has been coated.

• Transfer the chicken to the air fryer and spray with avocado oil. Be sure the chicken pieces are not overcrowded. Cook at 400º for 5-8 minutes (depends on what type of air fryer you’re using) or until the chicken is golden brown and crispy. You may need to cook the chicken in batches. We are looking for an internal temperature of 165ºF.

• Add the mixed greens, cranberries, feta, and apples to a large salad bowl. Top with chicken and candied pecans.

• Dress the salad right before serving and enjoy immediately.

• If you don’t have an air fryer, feel free to replace the air fryer chicken with rotisserie chicken.

Calories: 574 kcal, Carbohydrates: 65 g, Protein: 35 g, Fat: 31 g, Fiber: 5 g, Sugar: 28 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

I don’t eat chicken salad a lot, but when I do, it’s from Costco. It’s so tender, creamy, and perfectly seasoned that I have a hard time not eating the whole thing (which is probably meant to serve at least four people) in one sitting. But there are times when I can’t get to Costco, and desperate times call for desperate measures. For some, desperate might mean placing an Instacart order to have the chicken salad delivered (I promise I haven’t done this…yet). But for me, that means taking matters into my own hands and making a big bowl of the good stuff myself.

At the heart of a great chicken salad is juicy, tender meat. The best way we’ve found to achieve this is by cooking your chicken sous vide. By adding aromatics like lemon and herbs to the sous vide bags, you can also infuse the chicken with better flavor. But leftover roast chicken will work for these preparations, too, whether you’re making our classic chicken salad (which just might be better than the Costco version), or one of our many variations. With not one, but eight delicious recipes to choose from, I have no reason not to kick my Costco chicken salad obsession to the curb. The only thing that’s left to do is choose between piling it on toasted bread or digging in with a spoon.

Tomato Peach Chicken Salad – this years summer salad! Made with shredded chicken tossed with mixed greens, sweet peaches, tomatoes, crumbled feta, and crispy prosciutto. Sprinkle on toasted pumpkin seeds and pour over a warm brown butter rosemary lemon vinaigrette. It hits every note: savory, sweet, salty, and there is even a little crunch too!

Every fall, I make some version of an apple salad (last year’s might just be my favorite yet!), and every summer? It’s always about the peaches. I actually prefer peaches over tomatoes—but when I can do both? Even better!

You might remember my tomato peach burrata salad from a few years back—it’s become a favorite for so many of you. This new version is essentially a dinner salad spin-off. A little more hearty, still super fresh, and just as delicious.

I used a mix of baby romaine and arugula, then added fresh basil, rotisserie chicken (my favorite time-saving hack), sweet peaches, tomatoes, and crumbled feta. Honestly, I almost added wedges of brie—like I do with my fall salad—but stuck with feta this time. Both options would be amazing!

Crispy prosciutto and toasted pumpkin seeds add that perfect salty crunch. And the vinaigrette? Brown butter, rosemary, lemon—it’s tangy, rich, and just so good.

Here are the details

Ingredients – for the Salad

• pumpkin seeds
• salted butter
• flaky sea salt
• prosciutto
• mixed greens – I like baby romaine and arugula
• basil leaves
• shredded rotisserie chicken
• cherry tomatoes or wedges of heirloom tomatoes – or try a mix
• peaches
• crumbled feta cheese

Ingredients – for the vinaigrette

• salted butter
• shallots
• rosemary
• thyme
• olive oil
• peach or white balsamic vinegar
• lemon juice
• honey
• chile flakes

Steps

Step 1: Toast the seeds and crisp the prosciutto

On a baking sheet, toss the pumpkin seeds with a little salted butter. On the other side of the pan, lay out the prosciutto slices.
Bake everything together until the seeds are lightly toasted and the prosciutto is nice and crispy. Keep an eye on the seeds—they can go from golden to burnt so fast!

Step 2: Prep the salad

Grab your greens—I love a mix of baby romaine, peppery arugula, and fresh basil leaves. Add in the shredded chicken, tomatoes (I used cherry tomatoes and a wedge-cut heirloom), sliced peaches, and crumbled feta. You can mix and match with what you have, but I really love this summer combo.

Step 3: Make the vinaigrette

Melt a couple tablespoons of salted butter in a small skillet until it browns and smells extra nutty and delish. Once it turns golden, pull it off the heat and toss in the shallot, rosemary, and thyme. Let the shallot sizzle in the butter.
Now add the olive oil, peach or white balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, a pinch of salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Step 4: Toss it all together

Pour that warm vinaigrette right over the salad and give it a good toss so all the greens are coated.
Top with the crunchy pumpkin seeds and crispy prosciutto from earlier. I love to add another handful of basil right before serving.

Serve

This salad is best right after tossing—while the prosciutto is still crispy and the vinaigrette is warm. It’s one of those everything-just-works kinds of salads, so don’t skip a thing. Promise, it’ll be perfect!

Looking for other summer salads? Here are some favorites:

Tomato, Peach, and Burrata salad

Caprese Chicken Pasta Salad

Greek Chicken Chopped Salad with Lemon Tahini Vinaigrette

Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Pasta Salad

Lastly, if you make this Tomato Peach Chicken Salad, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love hearing from you 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!

Dill Pickle Salt and Vinegar Chicken Salad – the summer dinner salad you’ll be craving all season long. It’s vibrant, fresh, and nearly no-cook—aka perfect for hot days when the last thing you want is to turn on the oven. The chicken is marinated in vinegar, dill pickle brine, and a generous pinch of salt, then grilled or pan-seared to perfection. It’s served over a bed of greens with avocado, even more pickles, and the ultimate topping: crunchy, tangy salt and vinegar chips. A pickled ranch dressing ties it all together. So. Much. YUM!

I’ve been looking forward to sharing this one for weeks. With all the summer travel happening, I’ve had to plan ahead and create recipes well in advance—and this salad has been patiently waiting its turn. I’m so excited it’s finally here!

Honestly, this is the salad we all want most right now. I’ve even been calling it the Cape Cod Salad in my head because the chips on top remind me of salty beach snacks and carefree coastal days. Especially since my brother Red—our family’s self-proclaimed “snackster”—has always been obsessed with the Cape Cod Salt and Vinegar Chips. He’s grown out of snack-only meals (kind of), but those chips are still his go-to.

I couldn’t track down the exact Cape Cod brand at our grocer, but he swears they’re the best—and if you can find them, go for it!

I made this salad specifically with chips in mind. They bring the perfect crunch, that nostalgic summer flavor, and let’s be honest—chips on a salad just feel fun. Next up? I’m thinking chips on a sandwich. But what kind should I try first?

Here are the details

Chicken Ingredients

• chicken breast or tenders
• vinegar – for the marinade, I used apple cider vinegar
• pickle brine/juice – from a jar of dill pickles
• salt – I use pink Himalayan sea salt
• salted butter, or olive oil
• dried parsley, dill, chives, garlic powder, onion powder

Salad Ingredients

• mixed greens
• dill pickles
• cucumbers
• avocados
• salt and vinegar potato chips

Pickled Ranch Ingredients

• plain Greek yogurt
• buttermilk
• vinegar
• garlic
• dill pickles
• fresh basil and dill
• crumbled blue cheese or feta cheese – we love blue cheese. A dill-swirled goat cheese would be yummy too!

Special Tools

You need a grill, grill pan or skillet to cook the chicken, a big salad bowl, and a jar for mixing up the dressing!

Steps

Step 1: Marinate the Chicken

Start by marinating the chicken. Toss the raw chicken with vinegar, dill pickle brine (or juice), and a generous pinch of salt.

I usually let the chicken marinate while I prep the rest of the salad—about 10 to 15 minutes. It’s quick but does the trick!

If you have time, marinate it overnight in the fridge for extra tenderness and flavor.

Step 2: Add the Flavor + Cook the Chicken

Once marinated, toss the chicken with a dry spice mix of parsley, dill, chives, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper.

Now grill or pan-sear the chicken until it’s cooked through. Roasting works too!

After cooking, drizzle with a little more vinegar—white balsamic or champagne vinegar is perfect here. Then season with salt.

Step 3: Build the Salad

Grab your favorite salad bowl and add your greens. I love using a mix of butter lettuce, romaine, and a handful of peppery arugula.

Toss in chopped pickles, sliced cucumber, and avocado wedges or slices for creaminess.

Step 4: Mix the Dressing

This is where the flavor really shines! Use plain Greek yogurt and whole buttermilk for a creamy base.

Stir in vinegar, chopped pickles, fresh basil, dill, garlic, salt, and pepper.

Then crumble in some blue cheese or feta—whichever you love most. It adds a salty, creamy bite that no one expects but everyone loves!

Step 5: Toss the Salad

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss everything together so the greens are nicely coated.

Top with the sliced chicken and finish with plenty of salt and vinegar chips. I always add extra—because chips on a salad are just the best!

Step 6: Serve

Serve the salad right after tossing. The chips and greens are best when fresh and crunchy!

It’s vibrant, packed with flavor, and doubles as the prettiest centerpiece for any summer table. This one never disappoints.

My Best Tip

Don’t skip the chips—they’re not just for the salad! They’re so good dipped into that creamy, tangy dressing. Honestly, it doubles as the easiest summer dip.

I love to set out a little bowl of extra dressing and a bag of chips on the table for the snackers. Trust me, it disappears fast!

And that’s your new go-to summer salad! It’s fresh, crunchy, creamy, and just a little unexpected with those tangy salt and vinegar chips on top.

Looking for other salad recipes? Here are a few ideas:

Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Pasta Salad

Pesto Chicken Caesar Salad with Tomatoes and Burrata

Honey Mustard Pretzel Chicken and Avocado Bacon Salad

Melon Basil Burrata Salad

Pesto Chicken, Corn, and Avocado Bacon Pasta Salad

Lastly, if you make this Dill Pickle Salt and Vinegar Chicken 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!