I love a restaurant that chops their salads all together. The only thing that's ever bothered me about a loaded salad is, you can't get a bite of every ingredient on one forkful. But with a chopped salad, you can! This is one of my favorite versions.
Dressing:
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
2 lemons - juiced
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
Salad:
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon creole salt
1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders - cubed
1/2 loaf french bread (or similar) - cubed
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper
6 slices bacon - chopped
8 cups mixed greens or spinach
2 Granny Smith apples - diced
1/2 cup goat cheese - crumbled
1/4 cup dried apricots- chopped (optional)
Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, Dijon, lemon juice, mayo, and a dash of salt and pepper. Set aside.
Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together the paprika, Italian seasoning, creole salt, lemon pepper, granulated garlic, white pepper, and cayenne. On a sheet pan lined with foil, toss the cubed chicken with the spice mixture. On another sheet pan lined with foil, toss the bread cubes with olive oil, a sprinkle of kosher salt, and pepper. Place both sheet pans in the oven. Bake croutons for about 8 to 10 minutes or until golden. Roast chicken for about 10 to 12 minutes or until cooked through.
While chicken and croutons are in the oven, fry the chopped bacon. Drain and set aside. On a large chopping board or clean surface, pile together the lettuce, half the chicken, half the croutons, half the bacon, and half the apples. Drizzle half the dressing over the top. Using a large knife, chop the entire salad together until combined and all large pieces are small (* if your chopping board isn't big enough, you can do this for each salad separately). Scoop chopped salad into bowls or on plates. Top with the remaining chicken, croutons, bacon, apples, and dressing. Sprinkle goat cheese and apricots on top.