Chick-fil-A Market Salad is my favorite salad of all time to make at home.
It has all the flavors: Creamy bleu cheese crumbles. Tender, thinly-sliced chicken. Fresh and sweet apples, blueberries, and strawberries. Crunchy Homemade Gluten-Free Honey Granola with sliced almonds. Tangy homemade apple cider vinaigrette.
This recipe is inspired by the Chick-fil-A market salad, of course, but is my take on it and not intended to be an exact replica.
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Why Make Chick-fil-A Market Salad at home?
There are many reasons, let me just start with that.
If you thought what you were eating at Chic-fil-A tasted fresh than this salad will blow your mind. You just can't beat the taste of homemade, especially if you make both the granola and dressing from scratch as I do.
Since the chicken is enjoyed cold on this salad, it makes for the perfect meal prep lunch. I love whipping up all of these ingredients together on a Sunday and enjoying it for lunch for the first half of the week. Tip: My Homemade Granola recipe makes a ton of granola. We enjoy it for several weeks to come as a topping over our yogurt in the morning. This recipe is a twofer - a two-in-one!
You're in charge of quality-control. Some of the ingredients in the Chick-fil-A salad are a little questionable. When you make it from home, I can guarantee your salad will be free of soybean oil, modified corn starch, yeast extract, chicken fat, corn syrup, and potato starch.
Also, it costs $10 for just a single portion of this salad at Chick-fil-A. If you make it from home, you can make it for $15-20 (depending on your area) and that will cover your family's lunches or dinners for several days! That boils down to $2-3 per serving per person or less.
For my Gluten Free Honey Granola Recipe:
I made a separate post for my Gluten Free Honey Granola made in this salad because it also doubles as a topping for yogurt by increasing the amount of cinnamon.
I highly suggest trying out this granola if you have the time, especially if you have to eat a gluten-free diet.
The reasons I make my own granola from scratch is because:
- It's SO much cheaper. Seriously, it costs hardly anything to make in comparison to what you would pay for a bag containing much less granola at the store.
- It makes SO much. I keep this granola in an airtight container and we eat it over yogurt for 2-3 weeks before it's gone. Tip: I think it would taste amazing over ice cream, too. You could also turn the leftovers into a trail mix by adding dried fruit and other fixings to it.
- It tastes SO good. I love being able to control the quality of the ingredients that go into my granola.
You can find the recipe here: Gluten Free Honey Granola – Perfect for topping salads and yogurt!
How to Make Chick-fil-A Market Salad:
The good news?
You only have to cook one thing. Chicken. In this recipe, I just season the chicken and throw it in the oven to bake. It's hands-free cooking and the chicken always turns out perfectly moist. Keep reading for more secrets about how to keep your chicken moist for this salad.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Rinse and trim chicken. Pat dry. Place in a baking dish with a little bit of water at the bottom (this helps keep the chicken moist).
- Drizzle a little olive oil over each chicken breast. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Rub seasonings into the chicken until evenly spread over the front and sides.
4. Bake for 25-35 minutes until fully cooked. A meat thermometer should read 165 F at the thickest part of the chicken breast. Allow to cool and then chill in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight until ready to serve. *Some ovens vary in cooking times. Always keep an eye on what you're cooking.*
If you're making this for dinner to eat the same night you cook it, then read here. You are welcome to sear the chicken first and then bake it if you are short on time. However, I still prefer to eat the chicken chilled on this salad and it is easier to slice this way. If you have the time, make the chicken in the morning (following my above instructions) and let it chill in the refrigerator all day until dinner time. If making granola, you can make it at the same time as the chicken in the morning. Then, all of your components will be ready and all you'll have to do later is assemble them.
Tips for keeping chicken moist: Never butterfly your chicken breasts for this recipe. I find leaving them whole produces the most tender final result. Also, if you are meal-prepping this salad, do not slice up the chicken until the next day. If you slice the chicken too soon, all of the juices will run out. Leaving the chicken breasts whole overnight in the fridge allows the chicken to chill completely and you will also be able to cut it very thinly the next day with ease.
5. While the oven is still warm, make granola.
6. Make Apple Cider Vinaigrette. Add all ingredients to a mason jar and shake until combined. Refrigerate when not in use.
To assemble salads:
- Lay a bed of greens on a dinner plate or a large salad bowl. I like to use a mix of spring greens with some purple lettuce.
- Slice chicken into thin strips. Fan out on one side of the plate on top of the salad greens.
- Add a row of bleu cheese, a row of apples cut into 1" chunks and drizzled with lemon juice, a row of granola, a row of halved strawberries, and then a row of blueberries.
- Drizzle with Apple Cider Vinaigrette.
- Enjoy!
Chick-fil-A Market Salad
Ingredients
For Chick-fil-A Market Salad:
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts rinsed, trimmed, and left whole (not butterflied)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
- spring mix lettuce
- blueberries
- strawberries halved
- 2 granny smith apples cut into 1" chunks, lemon juice squeezed over top
- 4 oz. blue cheese crumbles
- Gluten Free Honey Granola or a handful of granola of choice that contains nuts
For Apple Cider Vinaigrette:
- ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
To Make Apple Cider Vinaigrette:
- Add all ingredients to a mason jar and shake until well-combined. Refrigerate.
To Make Chick-fil-A Market Salad:
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Rinse and trim chicken breasts. Pat dry. Place in a baking dish with a little bit of water at the bottom (this helps keep the chicken moist). Drizzle olive oil over the top of each chicken breast. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Rub seasonings into the chicken until evenly spread over the front and sides.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes or until completely cooked through. A meat thermometer should read 165 F. Allow to cool and then chill in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight until ready to serve.
To Assemble:
- Lay a bed of greens on a dinner plate or a large salad bowl. Slice chicken into thin strips and fan out on one side of the plate on top of the salad greens. Add a row of bleu cheese, a row of apples cut into 1" chunks and drizzled with lemon juice, a row of granola, a row of halved strawberries, and then a row of blueberries. Drizzle with Apple Cider Vinaigrette.
- Enjoy!
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