The other evening I was shopping at Sam’s Club for some groceries and I noticed a demonstration cart. The lady there was serving up some tasty Tyson Chicken Fries and so I gave one a try. The chicken fries were seriously good. The middle was more meaty than I had imagined. I liked that there wasn’t too much breading, they had a perfectly seasoned flavor. I had to buy some for my family to try. I knew that I could use them for both snacks and meals. I knew I was getting a great deal at Sam’s Club.
I made it home after a quick stop at another store and began my dinner preparation. Salads were on the menu but I thought I’d make them more filling by using some of the Tyson Chicken fries. I baked 5 servings of chicken fries at 400 F for about 13-14 minutes and then tossed them in 1/4 cup of sweet chili hot sauce. Those got set aside to cool down a bit while I prepped the rest of our salad.
I rinsed and dried some fresh baby kale and romaine lettuce. In a large bowl I tossed in bits and chunks that I tore with my hands until I had a good mix of 50:50 in there. The kale has such a lovely peppery/cabbage flavor mixed with the more earthy romaine. The two greens pair together very well and look so pretty.
Kale goes really well with bacon and so I quickly fried up a few strips of some thick cut hickory smoked that we had in the fridge. I like to fry my bacon super crispy if it is going onto a salad. Most of the time I do bake my bacon but this time I was in a hurry. While that was frying I got some water boiling to cook a few cobs of sweet corn on the cob.
I knew the sweet corn was ready when I poked it and the kernels felt soft. I took the ears out and put them into a hot cast iron skillet with a pat of butter. I wanted a nice char on some of the kernels so that they would taste like they came off of a grille. Once the corn was done I just sliced it off the pole.
Some croutons sounded good for our salad mostly because the kids enjoy them. I had some Ciabata bread lying around that I turned into salt and pepper croutons. I know you could find similar in the store pre-made though. I just tossed my bread chunks in a bit of butter then seasoned them before baking at a low heat until they were crunchy.
The night before I had put together an easy Mustard Dill Vinaigrette. The best way to make this is to just toss into a lidded jar and shake shake shake. It’s an easy way to save a little money and it tastes delicious. The kids love to help with the shaking part. My recipe is below.
Mustard Dill Vinaigrette Recipe (makes 6 servings):
1/4 c vegetable oil (could use any type of salad oil)
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp white sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp dried dill weed
*can add 2 tbsp of minced red onion (I omitted this part for my kid’s sake)
Shake everything up in a sealed container and refrigerate until chilled.
Now we are ready to put the salad together. All you need to do is toss the greens with enough of the vinaigrette to lightly coat. Fill each bowl or plate with your desired serving size. Add a sprinkle of corn, bacon, and croutons. Finally, lay 6 or 7 Tyson Chicken Fries tossed in the sweet chili hot sauce over the top and then dig in!
To make a fast dip for the kids I have turned some of my leftover vinaigrette into a creamy dip!
Creamy Mustard Dill Dip Recipe (use vinaigrette recipe above):
Just add the same amount of sour cream as you have vinaigrette left.
Sprinkle in a bit more salt and pepper and add a dash of lemon juice.
Shake or whip this mixture up and serve alongside a hot plate of Tyson Chicken Fries.
We used up our leftover sweet chili hot sauce fries for our dip. It’s a delish dipping sauce for a quick appetizer snack!