This radicchio endive chicken salad with creamy honey mustard dressing is the perfect idea now the weather is getting warmer. Salads always tend to make an appearance when spring is on the way out and summer is on the way in. Nothing says summer like a salad made with radicchio and endive if you ask me! This unique summer BBQ chicken salad with chicken is fresh and filling. It is a great choice if you are looking for a simple radicchio salad to make for dinner.
And one of the best things about salads is their versatility. A boring combo of lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber no longer cuts the (honey) mustard. Modern summer salad recipes are all about contrasts in flavour and texture.
That’s right. Salads don’t have to be boring. They can be fun! That’s why I love this unique summer BBQ chicken salad. It’s light but satisfying and yummy! Try it and you will definitely see what I mean.
Key Radicchio Endive Chicken Salad Ingredients
Radicchio and endive, along with romaine, are the greens of choice in this simple radicchio salad. There is a good reason these three combine so well. Romaine offers a mild, rather neutral flavour. Radicchio offers a sharp bitterness. Endive is earthy with a light, clean flavour.
Combining these three types of leaves is a wonderful idea because it brings more depth to this salad made with radicchio and endive as well as one of my favourites – romaine.
I used chicken breasts to make the salad but if you’re more partial to chicken thighs they are fine too. You could even use a mixture of both, or even turkey to change things up. Add black pepper, onion powder and paprika to the chicken to infuse it with aromatic flavour.
Basil, parmesan and cherry tomatoes also go into this unique summer BBQ chicken salad. This offers a colourful and certainly flavour-packed simple radicchio salad with lots of appeal.
Best Creamy Honey Mustard Dressing
Every delicious salad needs a great dressing. This easy creamy honey mustard dressing is so good! You will definitely agree it goes beautifully with the salad made with radicchio and endive. All you need to do is combine the ingredients in a blender or food processor and hey presto! Your dressing is all done!
I like to use wholegrain mustard as well as fresh lemon juice to make this dressing. You can sub your favourite kind of mustard and use bottled juice if that’s all you have. In addition you will need mayonnaise, olive oil, honey, garlic, shallot, and vinegar.
It’s hard to describe how tasty this dressing is. It offers all kinds of flavours from sweet to spicy and from tangy to piquant.
Radicchio Endive Chicken Salad is Easy to Make
This unique summer BBQ chicken salad isn’t just tasty – it’s easy to prepare as well. And I also have some shortcuts for you. After seasoning the chicken you can cook it in a griddle. Something heavy and made of cast iron is perfect. Another option is the grill. I love char-grilled chicken!
While it’s cooking you can prepare the rest of the simple radicchio salad ingredients. Toss everything together with the chicken and combine it with the creamy honey mustard dressing. This radicchio endive chicken salad is perfect as it is. I can’t think of anything else to add to the mix.
Just feel free to throw anything you like in there. One of the great things about a salad made with radicchio and endive is you can add any ingredients you have to hand.
How Do You Pound Chicken?
The chicken in this radicchio endive chicken salad needs to be pounded so it’s thinner. In fact you need to get it the same thickness throughout. That means it will cook evenly. If you don’t pound it, the thinner ends will start to overcook while the center isn’t even warm yet. Pounding chicken means it cooks faster and more evenly.
I like to use a meat mallet to pound chicken (and other meats I want to get thin and even). Do you have one of those? You can get both metal and wooden types.
Put the chicken between a couple layers of plastic wrap and bash it with the flat end of the meat mallet. Don’t use the pointed end – that will rip your chicken to shreds! Try to get the chicken about ½-inch thick. It doesn’t have to be exact.
How to Serve this Unique Summer BBQ Chicken Salad
This radicchio endive chicken salad makes a tasty addition to a summer cookout. It might seem like a simple radicchio salad and it is in some ways but it offers so much flavour in every bite.
If you like this unique summer BBQ salad, you might also like Sesame Avocado Asian Chicken Salad with Honey Ginger Dressing, Cobb Salad with Garlic Cilantro Dairy Free Ranch Dressing or Zesty Tex Mex Chicken Pasta Salad – Favourite Summer Recipe.
Radicchio Endive Chicken Salad with Creamy Honey Mustard Dressing Recipe
Radicchio Endive Chicken Salad with Creamy Honey Mustard Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts boneless skinless
- 1/2 Tsp. black pepper
- 1 Tsp. onion powder
- 1/2 Tsp. paprika
- 3 Heads radicchio
- 3 Heads endive
- 1 Hearts romaine lettuce
- 1 Cup basil leaves fresh
- 1/2 Cup parmesan shaved (dairy free or regular)
- 1 Cup cherry tomatoes
Dressing
- 1/4 Cup mustard whole grain
- 2 lemons juiced
- 1/4 Cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp. yellow mustard
- 1 Tbsp. Honey
- 3 Cloves garlic
- 1 Tbsp. shallot minced
- 1/4 Cup red wine vinegar
Instructions
- Pound chicken until ½” thick. Season both sides of chicken breast with black pepper, onion powder, and paprika. Heat a cast iron grill pan over high heat for 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken and grill 4 minutes per side. Place onto a wooden cutting board and cut into bite sized pieces.
- Wash produce. Cut radicchio and endives into quarters. Cut romaine hearts in half, then into quarters. Combine radicchio, endives, romaine, tomatoes, basil, and parmesan in a large bowl with grilled chicken and gently toss.
- Add all dressing ingredients to a food processor or blender and puree for 15 seconds. Pour ½ of the dressing onto the salad and toss to coat. Serve remaining dressing on the side and enjoy!
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
You could omit the chicken and serve it as a side dish with another protein. But I would suggest making it exactly as the recipe states because this radicchio endive chicken salad is just amazing as it is!
If you are looking for a great side salad, you might want to try this Shaved Brussels Sprout Slaw with Lemon Apple Cider Vinaigrette.
I love radicchio! it is so hard to find where I live now though.