A truly nourishing, satiating end-of-summer meal! This Cornflake Chicken Tender Salad bursts with flavor and is an easy meal prep option.
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Friends, meet the most satisfying end-of-summer meal you’ll ever eat: this totally loaded Cornflake Chicken Tender Salad. It’s nourishing and satiating and packed to the brim with fresh ingredients and flavors. Different components can easily be meal-prepped ahead of time. It’s simply the best!
Cornflake Chicken Tender Salad Ingredients
Cornflake Chicken Tenders: Check out this post for all the details on these totally bangin’ chicken tenders.
Honey Mustard Dressing: Yes, we’re making homemade dressing and it’s totally free of mayonnaise if that’s not your thing (it’s not my thing). It’s made with five easy pantry ingredients, too (give or take some salt and pepper).
Mixed Greens: I love baby lettuce or little gems, but any green will work!
Cherry Tomatoes: Don’t refrigerate them for best results!
Radishes: I used watermelon radishes because they’re beautiful, but they can be hard to find. Regular red radishes are perfect here, too.
Pickled Onions: I encourage you not to skip these, as they add a crucial burst of flavor. You can make them in 20 minutes flat using this recipe, or you can snag a few from a grocery store salad bar.
Avocado: Because we love those healthy fats, y’all.
Cheddar Cheese: The sharper the better!
Roasted Hazelnuts: The combo of hazelnuts and sharp cheddar is shockingly delicious.
Meal Prep Tips
- The Pickled Onions: Make them ahead of time and keep them in the fridge for up to a week!
- The Honey Mustard: Make up to 3 days in advance and refrigerate in an airtight mason jar.
- Not Recommended: Don’t make the chicken tenders too much in advance, as they will end up sad and soggy. They’re best when crisp and fresh. However, you could definitely make the cornflake breading mixture and store in an airtight container.
If you give this Cornflake Chicken Tender Salad a try, be sure to leave a rating, review, question, or concern. This encourages others to give it a try and enormously helps with Google rankings. Also feel free to tag me on Pinterest, Instagram, or TikTok. It makes my day (truly!) to hear from you.
More Summer Salads
- Zesty Street Corn Kale Salad (Vegetarian!)
- Flavor Bomb Dill Pesto Pasta Salad
- The Go-To Taco Salad (with fajita veggies!)
- Vegan Triple Sesame Coleslaw (East Asian-Inspired)
- Shawarma-Inspired Chicken Bowls
Cornflake Chicken Tender Salad
Equipment
- Baking Sheet Pan and Rack
- parchment paper
- Food Processor or Blender
- Chef's Knife
- Cutting Board
Ingredients
For the Cornflake Chicken Tenders
- 1 pound chicken tenders
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup milk of choice
- ½ tbsp distilled white vinegar
- 2 cups cornflakes gluten-free if needed
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ¾ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
For the Honey Mustard Dressing
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp distilled white vinegar
- 1 clove garlic peeled and minced
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
The Rest of the Salad
- 1 5-oz container mixed greens
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ cup thinly sliced radishes (red or watermelon varieties both work!)
- ½ cup pickled onions*
- 1 avocado diced
- ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- ⅓ cup dry roasted hazelnuts
Instructions
Make the Chicken Tenders
- Pre-heat the oven to 425° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a baking or cooling rack on top of it and lightly grease with cooking spray.
- Whisk egg, milk, and vinegar together in a large shallow bowl and set to the side.
- Place corn flakes and all spices in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times, until the corn flakes are crushed and everything is well-combined. Alternatively, you could crush the corn flakes by putting them flakes in a large Ziplock or Stasher bag along with the spices and crushing with a rolling pin. Transfer the mixture to another large shallow bowl.
- Dredge each chicken tender through the egg mixture and then dip in the corn flake mixture. Roll the tender until it is completely covered and then place on rack. Repeat until all chicken tenders are coated.
- Place in oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven at 20-minute mark and flip the chicken tenders before baking for another 10 minutes, or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165° F.
Make the Rest of the Salad
- While the chicken tenders are baking, place all honey mustard ingredients in food processor or blender and pulse until well-combined. Alternatively, you could whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl.
- While the chicken tenders are baking, chop your veggies and assemble the rest of the salad.
- Portion the salad into individual bowls, top with chicken tenders, and drizzle with honey mustard dressing. Enjoy!
Notes
Photography by Hope Agresti
