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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!

Chick-fil-A Kale Crunch Salad

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.
Chick-fil-A Kale Crunch Salad

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
Chick-fil-A Kale Crunch Salad

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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Chick-fil-A Kale Crunch Salad

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.

  1. Peel and chop one small shallot.
  2. 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.
  3. While whisking, slowly pour olive oil into the vinegar mixture.
  4. Set aside in the fridge until ready to serve.
Chick-fil-A Kale Crunch Salad

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!

  1. 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
  2. Rinse and roughly chop kale and shred cabbage.
  3. In a large bowl, add the chopped kale and cabbage.
  4. Drizzle with the apple cider-dijon dressing and toss to coat. Sprinkle toasted almonds over the top of the salad.
Chick-fil-A Kale Crunch Salad

Tips, Tricks & FAQs

How many calories are in the Kale Crunch Salad?

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

How do I prepare the kale for Kale Crunch Salad?

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.

Do I need to massage the kale?

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.

How do you store leftover Kale Crunch Salad?

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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Chick-fil-A Kale Crunch Salad

Chick-fil-A Kale Crunch Salad

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!
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 people
Calories 160 kcal

Ingredients
  

Apple Cider Vinegar & Dijon Dressing

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 minutes
    OVEN: Toast at 375º for 8-9 minutes
    1/4 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. 

Notes

**We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 160kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 3gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.002gSodium: 158mgPotassium: 295mgFiber: 4gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 5592IUVitamin C: 58mgCalcium: 173mgIron: 1mg
Keyword copycat, kale, salad
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2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Can’t stop, won’t stop making this recipe. This dup is to die for. May I even say… better than the original?!?

5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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