Nashville Hot Chicken Salad made with crispy golden brown air-fryer chicken tenders brushed with sweet and spicy hot oil and served over a crunchy salad with thousand island dressing. This is a salad that everyone can enjoy! All the flavours of a Big Mac are transformed into a crisp crunchy salad with chopped lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, onions and cheddar cheese dressed with some thousand island sauce and topped with tender strips of Nashville hot chicken.
I always love crispy chicken strips over my salad or even a plate of pasta. I find it takes it from boring to amazing with that crispy crunchy texture you just can’t get enough of. I thought it would be super fun and tasty if they were paired with a salad that tasted like a Big Mac. So I’ve combined two very popular dishes into this one amazing meal!
Who doesn’t love this style of chicken?! It’s mouthwatering goodness in every bite. It has that beautiful sizzling crispy golden coating that’s drool worthy. This style of chicken is known for its shimmery hot oil dunk and dusted in sweet and spicy seasoning. This is usually done by taking some of that hot frying oil and mixing it with smoky spices and giving it a little sugary and spicy dusting. But since this chicken is made in the air fryer, I’m mimicking that finishing step by heating up a little vegetable oil separately and mixing it with brown sugar, cayenne pepper, and smoked paprika.
To me, this taste exactly like a Big Mac. It has all the basic fillings like lettuce, pickles, and onions and to add more filling I decided to incorporate some tomatoes and shredded cheese to get all that cheeseburger taste into my salad. Instead of beef its chicken so this is like a crispy chicken Big Mac. The best dressing to get as close of a match to burger sauce is thousand island dressing ,which is actually sometimes used as a burger sauce because it has all the classics, ketchup, relish and mayo. To make it a little healthier I used some Greek yogurt but if you prefer a fuller fat and creamier dressing you can simply use mayonnaise.
Now because some of the salad ingredients have moisture, its not an ideal salad to make ahead. The pickles and tomatoes will release water and you’ll lose that freshness and crispiness of the lettuce if it sits together too long. Its best enjoyed right away, therefore if you want to make it ahead, I would recommend keeping everything separate and only combining it just before serving. With two chicken breasts, pounded down and cut into strips I was able to make 12-14 strips which is enough for 4 servings. If you think 3 pieces isn’t enough per person, then I recommend using one more piece of chicken. The chicken is easy to make ahead and can be re-heated in the oven until warmed through.
We hope you enjoy this recipe! If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it on Instagram! We love to see what you come up with. #thecommunalfeast Follow along our social media account on instagram for quick videos on how our recipes come together.
© 2019 The Communal Feast