Mini chicken tender salad with honey mustard vinaigrette

I saw a mention of chicken tenders with honey mustard dipping sauce, a combination I’ve always liked. I thought, why not have chicken tenders on a salad? Taking the idea a step further, how about making mini chicken tenders for the salad? And, of course, have a honey mustard vinaigrette.

I decided to bake the chicken tenders. (One could certainly fry them instead.) My procedure was adapted from several recipes I found online. They turned out well, nice and crisp and my guess at the timing was right on. At 12 minutes they were cooked through but were still nice and moist and tender. They didn’t brown much on the top but did on the bottom, so putting them on the salad upside down looked nicer. Next time I’ll turn them over half way through the baking.

I was sure I had made honey mustard vinaigrette before and liked they way I had done it. So I did a search on the blog so I could see the proportions I used. Surprise! Over 4 years ago I had made this honey mustard chicken salad. On that one, I baked a chicken breast with honey mustard sauce. The honey mustard vinaigrette went on the rest of the salad, with more sauce on the sliced-up chicken breast. Here I am making the mini chicken tenders, with the vinaigrette over everything. Otherwise a very similar salad, including the choice of the lettuce and tomatoes. At least I’m consistent. 🙂

A hint from that earlier post: The viscous nature of honey at room temperature makes it difficult to mix it with the other ingredients. My solution is to warm the honey first, which thins it out and makes the mixing much easier. I do this by putting the honey in the microwave for 15 or 20 second (less if there is a smaller amount left in the bottle). I’m just warming it up, not getting it hot. I have done this a lot, and it has never seemed to have negatively affected the honey.

chicken tenders, cut into smaller pieces (I did thirds)
flour
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
bread crumbs
salt
fresh ground pepper

spring mix
small tomatoes, cut in half

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
fresh ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Mix salt and pepper with the flour in one dish. Mix the egg and milk in a second dish. Put the bread crumbs in a third dish. Spray a baking sheet with oil.

Dip each piece of chicken first in the flour, then in the egg mixture, and finally roll in the bread crumbs. Place on the baking sheet, separated. Bake for 12 minutes, turning over half way through. After taking them out, check one of the largest to make sure they are cooked through.

Arrange the lettuce and tomatoes on the plate. Put the chicken tenders on the salad. Whisk or shake in a small jar the oil, vinegar, honey, mustard, and pepper. Pour over the salad.