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Crispy Chicken Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing

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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Course Main Course, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine American

Equipment

  • 1 skillet for toasting the coating
  • 2 shallow bowls for the chicken tenders
  • 1 baking sheet
  • 1 wire rack, optional, for the chicken tenders to bake on over the baking sheet
  • 1 large bowl for salad
  • 1 small/medium bowl to mix dressing

Ingredients
  

Chicken Tenders

  • 6-8 chicken tenders, patted dry I use about 8 smaller sizes tenders
  • 1 cup almond flour, packed
  • 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • salt & pepper
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp mayo
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder

Salad

  • 4 cups lettuce (about 4 large handfuls) more or less depending on how many salads you serving.
  • veggies for salad I like adding avocado, tomato, and green onion

Homemade Ranch Dressing

  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup mayo
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk i use milk with 1 tsp vinegar. Let it sit for about 5 minutes
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tbsp fresh dill finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp chives, freshly chopped
  • 1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley or cilantro
  • salt & pepper
  • squeeze of lemon to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400F.o
  • In a shallow bowl, mix the almond flour, panko, and a little salt and pepper. Add the olive oil and stir until it's a little crumbly. Toast over medium to high heat in a skillet. Stir as to not let the almond flour burn. Remove from heat back in the shallow bowl after it starts to brown.
  • In another shallow bowl wxhisk the egg, mayo, paprika, and some salt and pepper.
  • Take your chicken tenders. Make sure they are dry. Lightly salt and pepper each side. Then dust with a little flour. I use about 1 tablespoon for all the chicekn, flip, then sprinkle over 1 more tablespoon total. Very light. Shake off any excess.
  • Take each tender one by one. Dip in the dredge, gently let the extra drip off, then place in the almond flour coating. Gently press each side into the coating to make sure it sticks. I like to use a tong in one hand that dips in the egg then the other hand presses into the breading. This keeps it clean(er). Place tenders of a lightly greased wire rack or baking sheet. You can lightly spray the tenders before baking to help get them crispy. Bake for 18-20 minutes gently flipping halfway through.
  • Remove the tenders and let them sit for 5-10 minutes before serving to allow the coating to settle.
  • While the tenders are cooking place all the dressing ingredients in a bowl. Except for the buttermilk and lemon. Give it all a stir and add as much buttermilk to get the conistancy you want. Add a little squeeeze of lemon to you preference. Sometimes I leave it out and it't totally fine. Store any leftovers in the fridge.
  • After you mix the dressing, place the lettuce and any veggies you are using in a large bowl. I like to have each person take as much salad as they like, then add a couple tenders (2-3), then drizzle with ranch. I cut up my tenders into bite sized peices too. My husband leaves them whole, so do as you please
Keyword chicken salad, salad
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