Smoky bacon, toasted walnuts, crunchy celery and sweet red onions are tossed with tender bites of chicken and a homemade honey mustard sauce. This Bacon Honey Mustard Chicken Salad is a flavorful spin on tradition chicken salad that you’ll find yourself making again and again.

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Honey Mustard Chicken Salad Recipe

• Tender chicken and smoky bacon
• Toasted walnuts, crunchy celery and sweet red onions
• Tossed in an easy homemade Honey Mustard Sauce
• Sweet and tangy twist on traditional chicken salad
• Easy to make using pre-cooked chicken

If you’re bored with the average chicken salad, wait until you make this honey mustard chicken salad recipe! Is there mayonnaise in it? Well yes, but it’s used in a way that brings much more than creaminess to the table.

It’s the base for the honey mustard sauce that gives this chicken salad incredible flavor and keeps it perfectly moist. Now you might be thinking that you can’t have honey on keto, but I actually use a sugar-free honey substitute.

It’s made using keto friendly natural sweeteners and if you’ve never tried it before, it’s amazing! I actually use it in a lot of my recipes because it tastes, smells and feels just like the real thing.

I mix in smoky bacon, sweet red onions, toasted walnuts for some nutty flavor and chopped celery for that classic crunch. The combination is spectacular and once you try it, I promise you’ll want to make it again and again!

🛒 Ingredients for Keto Honey Mustard Chicken Salad

• Cooked chicken
• Keto Honey Mustard Sauce
• Uncured bacon
• Celery
• Walnuts, toasted
• Red onion

*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.

🥣 Recommended Tools

• Mixing bowls
• Whisk

🔪 How to Make Honey Mustard Chicken Salad

Prepare the Honey Mustard Sauce per the directions, then set aside to allow the flavors to meld while you prep the salad.

Fry the bacon until crisp, then allow it to cool before chopping it into small pieces.

Chop the chicken into small pieces, then add it to a large mixing bowl.

Add in the toasted and chopped walnuts, chopped celery, diced red onion and chopped bacon.

Pour the honey mustard dressing over the top.

Toss to combine and it’s ready to serve.

☑️ Storage Instructions

Store leftover chicken salad in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.

💡 Tips

• While you can certainly poach, roast or bake your own chicken, using rotisserie chicken makes things much easier.
• If you want plan to serve it over a salad, consider doubling the honey mustard dressing recipe. This way you’ll have some extra to drizzle over the lettuce and any veggies you choose to add.
• Toasting the walnuts really helps to give them more flavor, so don’t skip this step. It only takes a few minutes on the stovetop in a dry skillet.
• Chop all your ingredients in small pieces that are similar in size. This will make it easier to eat.

🔄 Substitutions and Additions

• If you don’t have red onion, you can use scallions (green parts) instead.
• For even more depth of flavor, you can use grilled chicken instead. Just be sure to chop it up into a small dice.
• If you don’t have walnuts, you can use pecans or almonds, just make sure to toast them first for a nice nutty flavor.
• I say this reluctantly because it’s so easy to make your own honey mustard sauce, but in a pinch, you can use store bought IF it’s made using SF honey. Be sure to check the ingredients on the label first.
• If you’re not a fan of bacon, you can just omit it and the chicken salad will still have great flavor.
• If you can find sugar-free cranberries, they would make a great addition to this chicken salad.
• If you don’t want to use mayonnaise in the honey mustard dressing, you can use Greek yogurt instead.

Is honey mustard good in chicken salad?

It’s actually really good in chicken salad. It gives an otherwise ordinary chicken salad amazing tangy flavor with a hint of sweetness.

What is the secret ingredient in chicken salad?

Adding in some type of acid helps to balance the richness of the mayonnaise that’s traditionally in chicken salad. In this case, apple cider vinegar is used in the sauce.

What are some common mistakes to avoid when making chicken salad?

Using overcooked chicken will make for a dry chicken salad. Using too much mayonnaise with not enough flavorings, will give you a bland chicken salad. You won’t have that issue with this recipe, as the honey mustard sauce gives it plenty of flavor and helps to keep the chicken moist and tender.

Are you supposed to put onions in chicken salad?

Yes, onions are a fairly common ingredient to include in chicken salad. I typically opt for a sweeter variety like red onions, but also sometimes use green onions.

🍽️ More Chicken Salad Recipes

• Dill Pickle Chicken Salad
• Cottage Cheese Chicken Salad
• Asian Grilled Chicken Salad
• Buffalo Chicken Salad
• Keto Chicken Salad