Easy Hot Honey Chicken Salad Recipe With Spinach
This Hot Honey Chicken Salad combines tender chicken glazed in a spicy-sweet sauce with fresh spinach, crunchy vegetables, and creamy avocado. Ready in less than half an hour, it's the perfect balance of flavors and textures for a satisfying meal that never feels like "just a salad." Great for meal prep too!
Ingredients
- 3-4 small chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
- 2.5 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- fresh spinach
- ½ red onion
- 1 avocado
- 1 medium/large cucumber
- 1 purple carrot (or regular orange)
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, combine honey, chili garlic sauce, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, a pinch of salt and ground black pepper. We also added 1 tablespoon of water to make the sauce more runny. Whisk until well combined.
- Coat the chicken with half of the hot honey sauce mixture. Let marinate for at least 10 minutes. Leave the other half of the sauce for the salad dressing.
- Heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add marinated chicken and cook for 5-6 minutes per side until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Remove chicken to a cutting board and let rest for a couple of minutes before slicing.
- In a large bowl, add fresh spinach, thinly sliced red onion, avocado, cucumber and shredded carrot.
- Drizzle the remaining hot honey sauce over the salad and toss to combine.
- Top with sliced hot honey chicken, sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional), and serve immediately.
Notes
- For meal prep, store the cooked chicken, prepared vegetables, and dressing in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator. The chicken will stay good for 3-4 days, and you can quickly assemble a fresh salad in just a few minutes on busy weekdays. Slice the avocado right before serving.
- When choosing thicker chicken breasts, place them between two sheets of parchment paper and gently pound to even thickness (about ½ inch) for faster, more even cooking, or slice them horizontally in half to make the pieces less thick.
- Use your favorite greens instead of spinach, if you prefer. Fresh romaine lettuce, arugula, or mixed greens are great choices for this salad.
