Cobb Salad with Walnut Crusted Tenders and Honey Mustard Dressing

I seriously only want crispy, fried, chicken tenders and French fries right now. Thats all. Is that too much to ask? Well, I will not lie when I say that I was not missing any of that with this meal.

I am never a salad person, so when I make one, it has to be fun and delicious! And let me tell you, this was definitely all of that! Topped with my Baked Walnut Crusted Tenders and then drizzled with homemade Honey Mustard Dressing, this was sooooo much yum. The best part is I ended up making the full recipe for the tenders, and I had plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day!

And trust me when I say you will want leftovers.

Ingredients

Dressing:

• 6 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 2 Tbsp Whole Grain Mustard
• 1/4 C mayo
• 1/4 C honey
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• optional: dash of smoked paprika

Walnut Crusted Tenders:

• 1 lb chicken tenders
• 1 C walnuts
• 1/4 C panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 C all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp almond milk or water
• Cooking Spray for spritzing the chicken

Salad:

• 4 C chopped romaine lettuce
• 1/2 C cherry tomatoes halved
• 1/4 C red onion thinly sliced
• 1 small cucumber, peeled and sliced
• 1 avocado, thinly sliced
• 4 slices bacon cooked until crisp, chopped
• 2 hard boiled eggs 

DIRECTIONS

Dressing:

1. Place all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well combined. Set aside in refrigerator until ready to use.

Tenders:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small pan, toast your walnuts over medium-high heat. About 5 minutes until fragrant. Remove from heat to cool.
3. Add walnuts to your food processor bowl. Pulse until walnuts are crumbs. Transfer to a shallow dish.
4. Add the following to your walnut crumbs, 1/4 C panko, 1/4 tsp of chili powder, 1/4 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Stir until combined.
5. In a separate dish, add the flour and the remaining 1/4 tsp of chili powder, salt, and pepper. Stir until combined.
6. In a third dish, add the egg and milk (or water). Whisk to combine. 
7. Now time to coat your chicken! Dredge each strip of chicken in the flour, coating all sides. Next, dip the chicken in your egg wash. Then, coat the chicken with the walnut mixture. Transfer the chicken to the prepared pan. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil or spray to help crisp the coating while cooking.
8. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown or internal temperature reaches 165 degrees

Salad:

1. In a bowl, layer some of your lettuce with the tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, avocado, cooked bacon, and sliced hardboiled eggs. Add your baked walnut tenders. Drizzle some dressing over the top and enjoy!!

Notes:

I made this full recipe for the husband and I and had plenty of leftover tenders for lunch/dinner the next day! If you are not wanting leftovers, I suggest cutting the tenders recipe in half

Hardboiled eggs:

1. Place eggs in the bottom of a saucepan. Be sure not to crowd the eggs in the pan.
2. Fill the pan with cold water, 1 inch above the eggs. I add a little bit of vinegar as well but not necessary.
3. Bring the water to a rapid boil on the stovetop over high heat.
4. Once the water comes to a boil, cover the pan with a lid and remove the pan from the heat. Do not lift the lid. Let sit for 12 minutes.
5. Fill a large bowl with ice and water.
6. When the eggs reach the desired cooking time, use tongs to remove the eggs from the hot water and immerse gently into the prepared ice water to cool.
7. Gently tap the eggs against a hard surface and peel away the shell. Rinse the egg under cold water to remove any bits of shell and pat dry.