The title of this post is a little long. I could have just titled it Homemade Honey Mustard Dressing, because that’s really the star of the show here. But then there’s this salad that turned out to be the perfect combination of ingredients to pair with the dressing and I couldn’t just choose one or two ingredients to highlight. At the same time, I didn’t want to get completely carried away…Chicken, Avocado, Pear, Walnut and green onion (or chives) salad with homemade honey mustard salad dressing…I mean, can you imagine? haha Let me also say, before any of you hesitate readers click away, that I’ve never considered myself a big fan of honey mustard until I made this dressing! I’m pretty picky about what I choose to share on here; just ask my husband how many meals, snacks or desserts I’ve cooked that haven’t made the cut. So if it’s here you know it’s good and this dressing is GOOD! Let’s talk about that first.
Ingredient round up looks like this…
- Mayonnaise – you can also use Greek yogurt, which I plan to try next time for comparison. I’ll report back shortly!
- Yellow Mustard – two choices here as well with Dijon being the other option. I plan to stick with plain ole yellow mustard since it turned out so well!
- Whole Grain Mustard – not necessary, but highly recommended!
- Honey – Pretty necessary 😉
- Lemon Juice – I always recommended using fresh squeezed lemon juice. It’s only two tablespoons – worth the ‘juicing’
- Cumin – I’ll basically try anything with cumin in it; I looovee this spice!
- Cayenne Pepper – Just enough for a small bite, but trust me…it’s not spicy at all!
To mix this up, I just added all of the ingredients to a medium sized bowl and whisked them together before pouring the dressing into a mason jar to store in the fridge. Super quick and easy and this makes enough for at least four to six big salads. I’m not sure how many small salads, because a small salad just doesn’t really exist at our house. Cue Seinfeld reference haha
If you have mason jars with no lids like me, the wrap & seal saran wrap works perfectly to cover the dressing in the fridge and act like a lid. Naturally though, this also made me want to go out and buy a couple glass bottles for salad dressing from somewhere like the container store. I haven’t made it there yet, but the trip is basically inevitable!
Onto this perfect salad combination to pair with your homemade dressing; ingredient round up number two looks like this…
- Mixed Greens – I love the sweet baby lettuce mix and spinach from Whole foods, but I also mixed in some red and green leaf lettuce that I bought in bulk. I’d suggest any combination of romaine, little gem/boston, spinach and baby spring mix.
- Pears – Are you aware how many types of pears exist in the world? Me either, but definitely more than I expected; it’s like there apples. At first I thought I used the common Bartlett pears, but looking closer I believe I actually used Anjous pears and they were delicious!
- Avocado – Because it just makes everything better and it’s good for you!
- Walnuts – Not my first choice when it comes to nuts, but they worked here!
- Green Onions – These really aren’t that necessary and I did a mix of green onions and chives, because here’s my thing with green onions lately…I keep buying ones that have so much of that clear gel that can be squeezed out in them. It’s not pleasant. I don’t know if it’s from water and getting too cold or frozen at one point or if they’re starting to go bad and it’s kind of slimy and I don’t like it. Who else has experienced this? is there a valid reason, bc in general I do love green onions haha
- Chicken – Totally optional as well, but if you’re not vegetarian/vegan I suggest including it for extra protein, good flavor and a more hearty meal! In this case, it’s simply seasoned with salt, pepper and fresh rosemary!
I made the salad the same way I made the dressing by adding everything to a medium sized bowl, just a little more carefully and no whisking 🙂 I’ll include amounts in the recipe below for two big salads, but the great thing about salad recipes is the ‘measurements’ for toppings are all preference based and you can add as much or as little of each ingredient!
We also ended up making salad for dinner two nights in a row to use this dressing again the next day! I made different salads the second day with a mix of greens, cucumber, broccoli, purple cabbage, green pepper, chicken and probably one more thing I’m forgetting and the honey mustard dressing was just as good with that combination! I bring that up, because if the salad combination above (and below) doesn’t fancy you much this dressing is very versatile!
Happy Friday, friends! Any fun plans for the weekend? I’m going to try to get Allen to go antique shopping! I’m not sure I’ll be successful in that attempt, but we would be looking for things he’d like to add to his office. And if that doesn’t do it, the shop I have in mind also has a super friendly Aussie dog so perhaps that’ll help seal the deal 🙂 Enjoy!!
Chicken, Pear & Avocado Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing
A perfect combination to pair with the best honey mustard dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup yellow mustard
- 2 Tbsp whole grain mustard
- 3 Tbsp honey
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 4 heaping cups mixed greens
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 tsp rosemary chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 avocados
- 2 Anjous pears
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 4 green onions
Instructions
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Start by making the dressing. Add all dressing ingredients to a medium sized bowl and whisk until well combined. Pour into a mason jar, cover with a lid or saran wrap and set in the fridge.
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Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper and fresh rosemary. Add to the skillet and cook, flipping halfway through, until the internal temperature reaches at least 165 degrees. Remove chicken from skillet and allow to rest while you create salad bowls.
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Wash all produce as needed. Divide the mixed greens into two large salad bowls, two cups in each. For each salad, slice the avocados and green onions, chop the pears and distribute evenly in each bowl. Sprinkle chopped walnuts on top of each.
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Slice the chicken diagonally and add the chicken to the salad bowls. Use a spoon to drizzle with honey mustard dressing and enjoy! Store leftover dressing in the refrigerator; you'll have enough for a few more salads or for dipping!
Recipe Notes
Original recipe found on addapinch.com! Check out her website for a few variations on the dressing and salad, like using dijon instead of yellow mustard and also including bacon in the salad!
