Let’s be realistic – we don’t always have the time (or energy) to cook every single thing from scratch, especially during the weekdays when you just need a good meal that takes minimal brain power. This 20-Minute Crispy Chicken Salad is my go-to quick and easy meal for when I’m hungry, but still want something a little fresh.
Why I love this 20-minute crispy chicken salad
- It’s fast and easy to cook. Seriously, it takes about 20 minutes. While the air fryer is cooking the chicken, you’re making the rest of the salad!
- It’s realistic. No shame in the prepackaged game. I have a full-time day job and it’s 2026, let’s be efficient.
- It’s filling. The chicken schnitzel combined with a simple salad that has my healthy rice blend (white rice, purple rice, quinoa and barley) mixed in, plus an egg, keeps me full and satisfied.
- It’s crunchy. Who doesn’t love crispy chicken? The lettuce and cucumber also give a good crunch.
- It’s full of flavour. The dressing is zesty, creamy, and garlicky. And healthier than the bottled stuff.
- It’s a good balance. I’m not saying it’s the healthiest meal out there, but I still love it. On top of the protein, my rice blend featuring quinoa is a good source of fibre as well.
I’m currently using the Lilydale Free Range Chicken Schnitzels with a nice herbed crumb, and I also added a boiled egg to make it a high-protein lunch but that’s optional.
Recipe: 20-Minute Chicken Crispy Salad with Creamy Garlic Yoghurt Dressing
Servings: This is a salad for one person with extra dressing. If you’re making a meal for two, I recommend multiplying the dressing ingredients by 1.5.
Prep & cook time: 20 minutes (timing might vary depending on the cooking instructions of the chicken schnitzel you buy)
Ingredients
Salad base
- 1 chicken breast schnitzel
- Salad greens – I used a handful of chopped lettuce and cucumber – but add whatever greens you want!
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup of a rice blend – I used my weekly healthy rice blend, BUT you can also buy packet rice from the shops. If you want less or no rice, just double the amount of salad greens
- 1 egg to boil (optional)
Dressing
- 1/4 cup Greek yoghurt (or start less with 2 tbsp if you want it less saucy).
- 1 tbsp Mayonnaise
- 1 clove Garlic (from my weekly garlic confit or finely minced fresh).
- 1-2 tbsp Oil (from my garlic confit oil or extra virgin olive oil).
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- A good squeeze of lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
PS. This garlic yoghurt dressing is one of the ways that I make it, and it came about from playing around with all of the listed ingredients above. Once you’ve got the hang of it, have a go at adapting the ratios to find a taste that’s best for you! Think more roasted garlic for that flavour hit, extra parmesan for umami, less mayo if you’d like it to be more healthy, etc.
Instructions
Step 1: The chicken schnitzel. Preheat air fryer to 180°C for about 3-5 minutes. Pop your chicken schnitzel into the air fryer and let it cook for 20 minutes, flipping halfway. Note: Temperature may vary depending on the instructions from your prepackaged chicken. So whatever the package says, follow that temperature and timing.
Step 2: The boiled egg (optional – skip if you’re going without). Boil a small pot of water and cook your egg for 9 minutes for a firm but jammy yolk.
Step 3: The dressing. Use wide single-serve bowl. Add all dressing ingredients and whisk together. Taste as you go – add more garlic for a punch, or lemon for zing, and parmesan for more umami.
Step 4: The salad base. Chop up lettuce and cucumber (or whatever greens you decided to use). Add to the bowl along with the rice blend. Mix base and dressing together.
Step 5: The final touches. Once the chicken schnitzel is done, cut into thick slices and add to salad bowl. If you’ve got that boiled egg, peel and add that too.
Make weekday meals work for you
At the end of the day, your weekday meals are supposed to work for you, not the other way around. There’s no point in stressing over a 3-course meal from scratch if you’re exhausted after a long day.
Whether you choose to go fully homemade or lean heavily on pre-prepped shortcuts, the real win is simply getting a nourishing, tasty meal on the table without too much fuss.
For me, it’s all about finding that balance. That’s why I’m such a big believer in the “building blocks.” By spending a bit of time on ingredient prepping on a particular day, these 20-minute wins become effortless. Having a jar of my Air Fryer Garlic Confit in the fridge and a batch of my Healthy Rice Blend sorted and ready to go means I’m already halfway to a great dinner.
What’s next?
‘Ingredient prepping’ has been around forever. I’m no professional at it compared to other people and parents who are way busier… But this approach has completely changed how I manage my kitchen and meals, and I can’t wait to share more of my weekly staples with you.
Stay tuned! I’ll be sharing the recipes for two of my absolute weekly favourites: my crazy-easy homemade cashew milk and choc peanut butter bliss balls I keep on hand for those afternoon sweet cravings.
One More Foodie 