CRISPY CHICKEN SALAD

What to say… all the greens straight out of our garden.
Adjust your ingredients to your required taste.

2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cut into bite size chunks
3 avocados, diced
8 strips bacon, cooked until crispy (I added maple syrup at the end to brown)
grape tomatoes, sliced in half
red onion, diced small
cheddar cheese shredded, (I used feta cheese)
iceberg lettuce, cut into bite size pieces
romaine lettuce, cut into bite size piece
any green lettuce, cut into bite size pieces
garlic butter bruschetta croutons
Chicken Coating:
1 cup cake flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon garlic salt
2 teaspoons Chicken seasoning
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 – 2 cups vegetable oil
Honey Mustard Dressing:
¼ cup Dijon mustard
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoons garlic salt
¼ tablespoon pepper

Salad dressing:
Add all ingredients into a salad dressing shaker.
Shake to combine.
Place in refrigerator to chill until ready to use.

Chicken Coating:
In one shallow dish add flour, in a second one whisk buttermilk and egg together, and in the third add bread crumbs and seasonings, whisking ingredients together. Set aside.
In a large frying pan or skillet, heat oil over medium heat.
Add 8-10 pieces of chicken into the flour, then into the buttermilk mixture, next into the bread crumb mixture, and lastly, into the pan.
Cook chicken until golden brown on all sides, approximately 4-6 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken pieces.
Don’t over crowd the pan as it will lower the oil temperature and the chicken will not come out as crispy.
Remove chicken from pan and place on a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat until all chicken pieces have been cooked.

Salad:
In a large bowl, toss all the lettuce, shredded cheese, onions, tomatoes, crispy bacon, croutons, diced avocados and crispy chicken.
Top with honey mustard dressing and enjoy.

Recipe: Amanda Conradie
Photo: Elize de Kock