Honey Mustard Chicken Salad

Yesterday, my son Michael, who lives in Chicago traveling for work, passed through Madison and stopped for lunch.  Nothing makes me happier than to cook for my family.  I saw this recipe and knew Michael would love it as he likes to eat healthy.  This salad is fresh, sweet, savory and packed full of flavor.  I ended up going to three grocery stores to find ripe strawberries,  fresh corn on the cobb and a ripe avocado.  It was worth it to sit down to lunch with this delicious salad and the company of my son.

• Dressing/Marinade:
• 1/3 cup whole-grain Dijon mustard
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar/ cider vinegar or white vinegar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs

• For Salad:
• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 2 heads romaine, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 cups quartered strawberries
• 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels

DIRECTIONS:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together Dijon, green onions, olive oil, honey, and vinegar; season with salt and pepper, to taste; set aside 1/3 of the mixture. With remaining, 2/3 of the mixture add 1-2 Tablespoons of water to thin out dressing and put in the refrigerator until ready to serve.  (whisk again right before serving)
• In a Ziploc bag or shallow dish, combine chicken thighs and 1/3 of the  Dijon mixture; marinate for at least 2 hours up to 6 hours, turning the bag occasionally. 
• Preheat grill to medium heat and oil grates. 
• Add chicken to grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until chicken is completely cooked through about 10-15 minutes.
• While chicken is on the grill.  Cook bacon until crisp.  Crumble and set aside.
• Also, place unshucked corn in the microwave for 3 minutes.  After, when cool enough to handle, cut off the end. Starting with that end of the husk pull on husk and it will slide right off the corn, silk and all. Cut corn off the cobb and set aside.     
• To assemble the salad, place romaine lettuce in a large bowl; top with chicken, bacon, strawberries, avocado, and corn. Pour the Dijon dressing on top of the salad and gently toss to combine.
• Serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Damn Delicious