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kale crunch salad with crunchy toppings in bowl.

Kale Crunch Salad (Chick-fil-A Copycat)

Author: Sarah Jenkins
This is an amped up version of Chick-fil-A’s Popular Kale Crunch Salad - it packs in extra crunch with crispy apples, crunchy carrots, pistachios and a crunchy seed topping. All topped with a light maple dijon dressing. If you like the Chick-fil-A kale salad, you’ll love this version! Bonus: it's ready in 15 minutes!
5 from 3 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Appetizer, Salad, vegetable
Cuisine American
Calories

Ingredients
  

For The Kale Crunch Salad

  • 2 large bunches of curly kale
  • 1 large carrot, chopped
  • ¼ small head of red cabbage, chopped
  • 1 granny smith apple, diced
  • ¼ cup dried cranberries
  • ¼ cup chopped pistachios
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
  • 2 tablespoon everything bagel seasoning

For The Maple Dijon Dressing

  • ½ cup olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon dijon
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • pinch of salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • lime zest (from one lime)

Instructions
 

  • Massage the kale. Wash and dry your kale then place it in a large bowl. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil, plus a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt over the top of the kale. Use your hands to massage the olive oil mixture into the kale. Be sure to get every piece and give it a good rub. This should take 1-2 minutes and will help break down the kale fibers (and give the kale a touch of sweetness!)
  • Make the dressing. Combine the olive oil, dijon, lemon juice, honey, red wine vinegar, cayenne pepper, salt pepper, and lime zest in a bowl. Whisk the ingredients together and set aside.
  • Assemble your kale crunch salad! Add the kale, carrot, cabbage, and apples to a large bowl. Toss with ½ cup of the dressing. Top with cranberries, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, and everything bagel spice. (Note - you can add more of the nut and seed mixture to get your perfect level of CRUNCH!

Notes

  1. Don't skip massaging the kale! This is important as it will make your kale softer and less bitter. Skipping this step will result in a tough and bitter salad.
  2. Be careful when adding your maple dijon dressing. Add a little bit at a time - you don't want your salad swimming in dressing!
  3. Store for 1 day with dressing, or 3 days if storing salad ingredients and dressing separately.
Keyword chick-fil-a, curly kale, everything bagel seasoning, maple dijon dressing, veggie salad
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!