Crispy Chicken Salad

This delightful Crispy Chicken Salad combines tender, crispy chicken strips with roasted vegetables, creating a satisfying and flavorful meal that is perfect for lunch or dinner or even as a side.

How do you eat salads in the winter? Do you have a preferential seasonal ingredient? Most vegetables in our house are consumed via roasting simply because it’s easiest and doesn’t require much oil, plus carrots and broccoli just don’t have the same flavor when steamed or boiled.

The soft and slightly caramelized exterior of the pumpkin finds a kindred spirit in the charred edges of broccoli florets in this. Roasting vegetables was definitely not something I learned growing up with my mother's favorite way to cook broccoli or even carrots by boiling them and so it was difficult to appreciate the beauty of these vegetables until

Ingredients and substitutions for Crispy Chicken Salad

• Pumpkin: Butternut pumpkin was used here for it's smooth flavor, though any pumpkin or even squash would be a great substitute here.
• Broccoli: Fresh broccoli was used here as it roasts quickly, you could use frozen broccoli, though it might need longer to roast. You could replace or even add in kale here which also roasts beautifully!
• Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken breast was used here to make the crispy chicken quick and easy.
• Breadcrumbs: Panko breadcrumbs were used here as they're nice and large giving our chicken a nice crispy exterior. You could replace with any other breadcrumbs or even polenta.
• Croutons: Storebought pita crisps were used here, though any croutons you prefer work here to add a crunch and change in texture.

See recipe card for quantities.

How to make Crispy Chicken Salad:

Step 1: Roast your pumpkin: The pumpkin will take the longest in this salad so get that roasting first.

Step 2: Coat and cook the chicken: Tenderize the chicken to even and thin it out then dip into the flour, egg and crumbs. Cook until golden, slicing after resting.

Step 4: Add broccoli to the roasting tray: In the last 10 minutes of roasting, add the broccoli and cook until slightly charred on the edges.

Step 5: Assemble: Lay the roasted vegetables on the serving plate and scatter some of the croutons before topping with crispy chicken slices.

Step 6: Serve: This is best served immediately as a side salad or a main for a couple of people.

FAQ's for the best Crispy Chicken Salad

Other salads you’ll enjoy:

Spiced Salmon Salad

Waldorf Salad

Sweet Potato Salad

Crispy Chicken Salad

Sylvie Taylor

This Crispy Chicken Salad includes roasted pumpkin and broccoli for a crunchy, fresh and vibrant winter salad that will satisfy even salad naysayers.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Lunch, Salad, Side Dish

Calories 480 kcal

Ingredients

  

Salad

• 1 small butternut pumpkin peeled and seeds removed
• 1 small broccoli stalk removed and cut into florets
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 100 grams/loose leaf salad mix something peppery like rocket
• ½ cup croutons

Crispy Chicken

• 80 milliliters / ⅓ cup sunflower oil
• 250 grams / ½ pound chicken approximately 1 boneless and skinless breast
• 1 small egg room temperature
• 16 grams / 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 30 grams / ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs

Instructions

 

Roasted Vegetables

• Preheat the oven to 210C/410F.
• Slice the pumpkin in half lengthwise and slice into ½ inch thick slices.
• Lay the pumpkin onto your roasting tray and drizzle 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil evenly over. Season with a little salt.
• Place in the oven for 20 minutes until golden and flip, they will bake for approximately 40 minutes to cook evenly.
• Wash and lay your salad leaves on your serving plate and sprinkle over half the croutons.

Chicken

• Meanwhile, tenderize the chicken to thin out ¾ inch thickness.
• Pour the sunflower oil into a frying pan and place on medium heat.
• Crack the egg into a flat bowl and the panko and flour in two similar flat bowls.
• Lay the chicken into the flour and cover evenly, next place the chicken into the egg and dredge fully.
• Remove from the egg and lay into the panko breadcrumbs and cover evenly.
• Place the chicken fillets into the heated oil and cook for 6 minutes until golden, flip and repeat on the opposite side.
• Remove from the heat and lay on paper towels to soak the oil and to rest for 6 minutes.

Assembly

• Remove the pumpkin from the oven and add the broccoli florets with the remaining olive oil.
• Place into the oven for 10 minutes or until slightly charred.
• Remove the pumpkin and broccoli from the oven and allow to sit for approximately 5 minutes.
• Place the pumpkin and broccoli on your serving plate.
• Slice the chicken into ½ inch slices and spread on top of your chicken.
• Finish with the remaining croutons.
• Serve immediately.

Notes

• Pumpkin: Butternut pumpkin was used here for it's smooth flavor, though any pumpkin or even squash would be a great substitute here.
• Broccoli: Fresh broccoli was used here as it roasts quickly, you could use frozen broccoli, though it might need longer to roast. You could replace or even add in kale here which also roasts beautifully!
• Croutons: Store-bought pita crisps were used here, though any croutons you prefer work here to add a crunch and change in texture.
• No dressing here: A lot of people have a preference for dressings or try to contain the calories when they consume a salad. In our house the only dressing would be olive oil or lemon juice with neither feeling like the right fit for this so if you love a salad dressing, balsamic vinegar would work here, but this is actually perfect without anything.
• Crispy katsu coating: To make this salad more interesting, the chicken is in a crispy katsu coating which adds a great texture to this salad and doesn’t require too much oil, however, if you’re trying to eat less fried and fatty foods, you could simply pan fry plain and this would still taste great with the pumpkin.

Recipe by Roamingtaste

Nutrition

Calories: 480kcal

Keyword salad

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