This Blackened Chicken Salad with Feta and Maple Dijon Dressing is packed with flavours. We have spicy, salty and sweet. It’s seriously one of the best ways to prepare chicken. It’s juicy and coated in the most amazing blend of spices to create amazing flavour. This blackened chicken salad with feta and maple dijon dressing can be a full meal, or have it as a side. You can’t go wrong with either. Another great side salad is this Simple Grape and Arugula Salad with Candied Pecans. You could also pair this easy chicken salad with a cup of soup. Try my Smoked Cheddar and Broccoli Soup!
Ingredients needed for this easy blackened chicken recipe!
To start, we have the blackened chicken ingredients. This is actually quite simple and only requires a few things, but each one is very important and gives the best flavour!
For the Blackened Chicken Seasoning
- Chicken breast – I prefer breast meat for salads because it’s a bit lighter. Two large chicken breasts were used for this recipe.
- Chili Powder – This is the main ingredient for the blackening mixture.
- Garlic Powder – If using garlic salt, don’t add in the salt to this recipe as well.
- Ground Pepper – This adds a bit more spice!
- Salt – This is needed to really bring out the flavours. I like my chicken pretty salty, but if you’re sensitive to salt, you can lower the amount a bit.
- Olive oil – This is needed for frying the chicken.
For the Maple Dijon Vinaigrette Dressing
- Olive Oil – Extra virgin olive oil tastes great in this salad dressing.
- Dijon mustard – You can use grainy or regular, but taste great!
- Apple Cider Vinegar – Adds a great flavour. Red wine vinegar will also work.
- Maple Syrup – Gives a hint of sweetness. Use honey if you don’t have maple syrup.
- Garlic – Two small cloves are used. If you have large cloves, only use one.
- Salt – Just a pinch of salt is needed to bring out all the flavours!
Ingredients for the salad!
- Greens – I used kale in this chicken salad, but use whatever you like. Romain, arugula, spinach or leaf lettuce all work really great!
- Cherry tomatoes – 1 cup of halved cherry tomatoes is in this. Regular tomatoes work well too, just make sure to cut them to bite sized pieces.
- Cucumber – 2 cups of diced cucumber is needed for this salad recipe.
- Feta Cheese – I love feta for salads because it’s nice and crumbly and spreads well. Goat cheese or another crumbly cheese would work well here too!
How to make this easy blackened chicken salad with feta?
This salad comes together quite quickly once the chicken is cooked. Make this chicken first.
Mix together the chili powder, garlic power, salt and pepper in a bowl. Toss the chicken in it until the chicken it completely coated. The more spice on the chicken, the more flavour it will have. Then, in a medium frying pan ( I use cast iron) add about 1 tablespoon of oil and let that heat up. Once the oil is hot (not smoking) add the chicken. Cook the chicken for 5-7 minutes per side or until it’s cooked all the way through. Once it’s cooked fully, set the blackened chicken aside.
Now it’s time to make the simple salad dressing! If you have a jar with a lid, this is super easy. You can also whisk it in a bowl. Combined the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, dijon, garlic and salt all together and mix it until it’s well combined. Set the dressing aside.
To assemble the salad, add the greens to a large bowl. I like to toss all my greens with some salad dressing first. Then add on the cucumber, cherry tomatoes and feta cheese. Lightly toss with a bit more dressing.
Now it’s time to slice the blackened chicken, and add it to the salad. I like to add the salad to my plate and then layer on the blackened chicken. There isn’t really a bad way to do it, but I like making sure I get a little chicken with each bite!
Why is my kale so tough?
Kale can be a bit tricky when it comes to salads because it is a really tough green. A super easy way to make it tender and delicious is to massage it with a little bit of olive oil. You can also use the salad dressing. Massage the kale until its soft. It’s also really helpful to cut the kale into small bite sized pieces.
Does this blackened chicken and kale salad store well?
Because kale is a super tough green anyways, this salad stores very well in the fridge.
Blackened Chicken Salad with Feta and Maple Dijon Dressing
Equipment
- cast iron frying pan
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Maple Dijon Salad Dressing
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- pinch of salt
Salad
- 4 cups kale or greens of choice
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 2 cups diced cucumber
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together the spices for the chicken. Coat the chicken completely. In a large frying pan, let the olive oil heat up, and then add the chicken. Cook the chicken breasts for 5-7 minutes each side or until cooked through. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the salad dressing ingredients. A jar with a lid works great for this.
- In a large bowl, toss the greens with some salad dressing. Coast the generously. Then add on the cucumber, tomatoes, cilantro and feta and lightly toss.
- Serve up the salads, and then slice the chicken thinly and add to the top of the salad. Drizzle with more dressing if you like!