Applebee’s Salad

There are so many amazing flavors at play in this copycat Applebee’s Salad recipe, including cornflake crusted chicken on a bed of colorful greens and veggies, with honey mustard dressing.

Looking for more delicious salads? Try my Burrata Salad, Waldorf Salad, or Asian Chicken Salad!

Why I love this recipe:

• Homemade Dressing – The honey mustard dressing adds the perfect flavor and ties everything together. Best part – it is SO easy and made with just a few ingredients!
• Crispy Chicken – The cornflake crusted, juicy, crispy chicken on top of the salad is truly the highlight of the dish!
• Great for All Ages: Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad is a hit with everyone in my family, including my three year old. For younger kids try it deconstructed with cut up chicken and veggies and sauce on the side for dipping. Or, make it into a wrap.

This recipe was shared with me when I was teenager, in my High School Gourmet Foods class. The original recipe is from is by Todd Wilbur, from “Top Secret Restaurant Recipes“.

How to make Applebee’s Salad:

Make Dressing: Blend together all ingredients for the dressing. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Prep Chicken For Frying: Preheat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat to be at about 350° F. In a small bowl beat the egg and milk together. In another bowl combine the flour, cornflake crumbs and salt and pepper. Cut chicken breast into several long thin strips. Dip the strips in the egg mixture, and then into the flour mixture, coating completely.

Fry Chicken: Add chicken strips to the hot oil and fry for 3-4 minutes or until cooked through and coating is dark golden brown.

Assemble Salad: Combine the romaine, red cabbage, napa cabbage, carrots, onions and cucumber in a bowl. Add chicken pieces on top and sprinkle with almonds. Serve this fresh chicken salad with the honey oriental dressing!

Make Ahead Instructions:

To Make Ahead: All the veggies can be chopped and the oriental dressing can be made ahead of time for the Applebee’s salad and kept all separately in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.

Recipe Variations:

• Baked Chicken: Prepare and coat chicken as instructed, and place greased or lined baking pan in a 425°F oven for 15 minutes, or until cooked through.
• Grilled Chicken: Try my Asian Chicken Salad that has similar flavors, but the chicken is marinated and grilled.
• Vegetarian: Replace the chicken with Air Fryer Tofu.

I originally shared this recipe June 2014. It’s a recipe I first made in my High School “Gourmet Foods” class in 2005! Recipe updated June 2022.