Crispy Chicken Salad
Is anyone else out there a bit obsessed with the Crispy Chicken Salad from Friendly’s? I can’t be alone in that, can I? Well our local Friendly’s just went out of business, so I felt the need to call upon my own culinary skills ASAP. This is a perfect replica for how the restaurant makes their salad, but there is plenty of room for variation! We all know that the best part of this salad is the crispy chicken, so I’ll walk you through that part step-by-step. Learn how to keep your breading intact while it fries, and how to get it super-duper golden and crispy like the restaurants do! Let’s do it.
Making the Chicken Strips
Prep Work: Whisk 1 egg in a small bowl and set aside. Combine the flour, breadcrumbs, and seasonings on a plate and set aside.
Cut the chicken breast in half to create 2 thinner pieces of equal size. Slice each half into strips about ½ inch thick. Note that they will plump up slightly when cooked.
Pat the strips completely dry and dip them in the whisked egg. Use your fingers to slide off the excess, if it’s too wet it will leak through the breading. Coat generously in the breading mixture.
Salad
Iceberg Lettuce – Ideally a mix that contains carrots and red cabbage. Cherry Tomatoes Eggs– see below for perfect hard boil instructions Tri-Colored Tortilla Strips Cheddar Cheese Monterey Jack Cheese Honey Mustard
Chicken Strips
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Eggs All-purpose flour Breadcrumbs– Italian or Panko Seasoned Salt Paprika Cayenne Pepper Black Pepper Vegetable Oil– Or Canola
See below for other optional additions to this salad.
Frying: Heat 1 cup of vegetable oil in a 10-inch cast iron skillet. If possible, use an oil thermometer to wait until the oil reaches 350 degrees.
Once the oil is heated, carefully add the chicken strips, leaving space around each one so that they don’t touch each other. You’ll need to fry in batches. Use kitchen tongs to carefully turn the chicken over once the first side is golden brown, 3-4 minutes per side.
Set fried chicken aside on a cooling rack to keep it crispy underneath. Add more chicken to the pan as soon as you take some out. Slice them into bite-sized pieces once cool enough to handle and place them on the salad just before serving.
Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs
As I’ve learned from Martha Stewart, if you make your eggs this way, they’ll come out perfect every time!
Submerge the eggs in 2 inches of cool water in a pot on the stove-top. Gradually bring them to a boil. Once the boil is reached, cover the pot and remove them from the heat. Let them sit for 12 minutes. Peel, and serve!
PRO TIP: Spin your hard boiled eggs on a hard surface. If they wobble when you spin them, the yolk isn’t cooked yet. If they spin nice and fast, they’re done!
What To Add to Crispy Chicken Salad
This recipe contains the same ingredients used in Friendly’s crispy chicken salad. Here are some delicious optional additions:
Avocado, Cucumbers, Bell Peppers, Onions, Olives, Parmesan Cheese, Bacon, and Homemade Croutons.
Pro Tips
Bread the chicken right before you fry them for crispiest results. Otherwise the moisture from the chicken/egg will leak through the breading. This will make them soggy and can cause your breading to fall off when frying. Adjust the heat as needed throughout the cooking process. The oil gets hotter as the chicken browns and cooks, don’t be afraid to turn it down a little. Making slight temperature adjustments throughout will ensure everything cooks evenly. If your oil gets too dirty, add a little more oil to clarify it a bit. (Note that this will temporarily cool the oil down.)
Storage
This salad is best enjoyed fresh, although any extra strips can be stored in an airtight container and reheated until warmed through in a 350° oven or in a 375° air fryer. Let the chicken sit out at room temperature for 10-15 minutes first, if possible.
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Oil Thermometer 10-inch Cast Iron Skillet Kitchen Tongs– To handle the chicken during frying Salad Spinner – To clean and dry the lettuce Cooling Racks
