Kale Crunch Salad (Chick-fil-A Copycat)
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!
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 179kcal
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 pistachios chopped
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
- 2 tablespoon everything bagel seasoning
For The Maple Dijon Dressing
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 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
- Prepare the kale. Remove the kale from the stems, then chop, wash, and dry your kale and 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 ½ cup olive oil, ½ teaspoon Dijon, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon maple syrup, 2 tbsps red wine vinegar, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, pinch of salt, ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, and lime zest in a bowl. Whisk the ingredients together and set aside.
- Assemble your kale crunch salad! Add the kale, chopped carrot, chopped cabbage, and diced apples to a large bowl. Toss with ½ cup of the dressing. Top with ¼ cup dried cranberries, ¼ cup chopped pistachios, 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds, and 2 tablespoon everything bagel seasoning. (Note - you can add more of the nut and seed mixture to get your perfect level of CRUNCH!
Notes
- 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.
- Be careful when adding your maple dijon dressing. Add a little bit at a time - you don't want your salad swimming in dressing!
- Store for 1 day with dressing, or 3 days if storing salad ingredients and dressing separately.
Nutrition
Calories: 179kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Sodium: 209mg | Potassium: 120mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1820IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 0.5mg
