Chick Fil-A Kale Crunch Salad
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This copycat recipe for the Chick-fil-A Kale Crunch Salad is spot on with all of the flavors! Full of kale & cabbage in an apple dijon vinaigrette and topped with toasted almonds – it’s a great side dish for any meal!
What You Will ❤️ About Kale Crunch Salad
- Quick to Make! This only takes about 10 minutes to put together! It also goes great with this Chick Fil A Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe!
- Healthy! Kale is a superfood and has so many nutrients – anytime you can get more into your diet – you’re taking care of you!
- Cheap! A big bunch of kale is only $1 and you need 1-2 bunches depending on their size.
Copycat Chick-Fil-A Kale Crunch Salad Ingredients
Lots of folks ask, “What’s in the Kale Crunch at Chick-fil-A?” – I have the answer! It’s a Kale & Cabbage salad with a yummy dressing featuring apple cider vinegar and dijon mustard. That combo of apple cider vinegar & dijon taste so good – very bright!!
- Kale Salad
- Curly Kale – you could also use baby kale if you want a more tender salad
- Green Cabbage – it’s about 1:5 cabbage to kale ratio – so you don’t need much – about 1/4 small head. You could also use purple cabbage if you like or even shredded brussels sprouts!
- Slivered Almonds – I’ll share how to toast the almonds but it’s not completely necessary if you don’t feel like it.
- Apple Cider Vinegar & Dijon Vinaigrette
- Apple Cider Vinegar – you could substitute white wine vinegar but it’s going to lose a bit of the citrus flavor because Apple Cider Vinegar is so pungent.
- Maple Syrup – you could also use honey – I ALWAYS have pure maple syrup on hand!
- Shallots – don’t have a shallot? Mince 2 tbsp of sweet onion.
- Dijon Mustard – no substituting here!! It’s my favorite! You could with another type of unique mustard – it will give a different flavor profile – but don’t use plain yellow!
- Lemon Juice – fresh is best, but bottled is fine.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Salt & Black Pepper
Recipe Variations for Kale Crunch Side Salad
I’m always tweaking salad recipes based on what I have in my fridge or what I’m feeling like eating. Here are some ideas for you:
- Spring Greens – not a fan of Kale? Swap out and use spring greens. Leftovers won’t last as long – but it’ll still be delicious!
- Protein – add grilled chicken or salmon to make it a complete meal
- Fruit – add mandarin oranges, dried cranberries and strawberries for some springy additions
- Nuts – switch out the roasted almonds for pecans, walnuts or even pistachios
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How to make Apple Dijon Dressing
Salad dressings are so simple to make! No need to buy a big bottle – you can make this in a couple of minutes.
- Peel and chop one small shallot.
- In a medium bowl, whisk apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, maple syrup and dijon mustard and then add in the minced shallots and whisk again.
- You could also use a food processor but its a bit of overkill for this small amount.
- While whisking, slowly pour olive oil into the vinegar mixture.
- Set aside in the fridge until ready to serve.
How to Make Chick Fil-A Kale Crunch Salad
Once your salad dressing is made – this salad goes together in less time than it takes the almonds to toast!
- Place almonds in a single layer on a cookie sheet and roast in oven (or in basket for air fryer). Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn. They’ll start to brown a little and smell more “nutty” when they are ready.
- AIR FRYER: Toast at 380º for 4-5 minutes
- OVEN: Toast at 375º for 8-9 minutes
- Rinse and roughly chop kale and shred cabbage.
- In a large bowl, add the chopped kale and cabbage.
- Drizzle with the apple cider-dijon dressing and toss to coat. Sprinkle toasted almonds over the top of the salad.
Tips, Tricks & FAQs
The Chick-Fil-A version has 120 calories in a side. My version has 160 for one cup – which is a little larger serving than Chick-fil-A
First – WASH YOUR KALE. I didn’t and had to make the salad twice. It was super gritty. Now – if you’re buy pre-packaged, chopped kale – it’s probably already been washed. I bought a “bunch” and it was not!
After that, cut the leaf part off of the stems and then chop the leaves into bite-sized pieces.
Well I have to admit – this one I had to research. We all know kale is a pretty “rough” green. Well I guess if you add a little dressing and rub the kale with your hands for a few minutes – it softens the leaves so they’re a little more palatable. I did not do this and think it still tasted fine. Also – if you’re using baby kale – this isn’t necessary because it’s already a lot more tender.
Store leftovers in an airtight container (I like these glass ones or in a mason jar) in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Kale holds up fairly well with the dressing.
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More Copycat Salad Recipes
Salad Dressing Recipes
More Kale Recipes
Chick-fil-A Kale Crunch Salad
Ingredients
Apple Cider Vinegar & Dijon Dressing
- 2 tbsp shallot minced
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Kale Crunch Salad
- 5 cups curly kale chopped
- 1 cup green cabbage chopped or shredded
- 1/4 cup almonds slivered & toasted
Instructions
Apple Cider Vinegar & Dijon Dressing
- Peel and chop one small shallot.2 tbsp shallot
- In a medium bowl, whisk apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, maple syrup, dijon mustard, salt & pepper and then add in the minced shallots and whisk again.2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp black pepper
- While whisking, slowly pour olive oil into the vinegar mixture.1/4 cup olive oil
- Set aside in the fridge until ready to serve.
Kale Crunch Salad
- Place almonds in a single layer on a cookie sheet and roast in oven (or in basket for air fryer). Keep an eye on them so they don't burn. They'll start to brown a little and smell more "nutty" when they are ready.AIR FRYER: Toast at 380º for 4-5 minutesOVEN: Toast at 375º for 8-9 minutes1/4 cup almonds
- Rinse and roughly chop kale and shred cabbage.5 cups curly kale, 1 cup green cabbage
- In a large bowl, add the chopped kale and cabbage.
- Drizzle with the apple cider-dijon dressing and toss to coat. Sprinkle toasted almonds over the top of the salad.
Can’t stop, won’t stop making this recipe. This dup is to die for. May I even say… better than the original?!?