If you’ve been to Hudson House, you probably know the salad I’m talking about. It’s one of my absolute favorites to order when we go out. fresh greens, creamy avocado, crispy bacon, sharp cheese, and of course, that spicy chicken on top. This Copycat Hudson House Salad brings all of the flavors of the restaurant version, so you can enjoy it anytime!

I made a few changes to the salad to keep it simple and weeknight friendly. So if you want to be as close to the restaurant version as possible, keep reading!

How to Make It at Home

Prepare the Popcorn Chicken

We experimented making this chicken two ways: pan frying it in a wok with avocado oil for a more traditional fried chicken and then baking it for a healthier option. And I have GOOOD NEWS: we actually liked the baked chicken better! But if making your own popcorn chicken sounds like entirely too much work, you can totally use something like the Just Bare popcorn chicken instead — it works perfectly here.

Make the Dressing

I will say, my dressing differs a bit from the restaurant version. On the menu, they call this a green goddess dressing. But every time I order it, I feel like the “green goddess” part is majorly lacking. So instead, I opted for more of a honey mustard feel. If you want to be even closer to the original, pull out your blender and blend some fresh herbs (think basil, chives, parsley) into this dressing! For me, the minute flavor difference just wasn’t worth a dirty blender!

Assemble the Salad

The rest of this Copycat Hudson House salad stays pretty true to our favorite restaurant version with the only exception being the tomatoes. HH marinates their tomatoes in what I think is a salty red wine vinegar brine for a few hours. It softens up the tomatoes, and gives them a tangier bite to them. It’s DELICIOUS, but again, I’m probably notttt gonna remember to marinate my tomatoes 2 hours before dinner time.

Hudson House Salad

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Course Main Course, Salad

Ingredients

  

Dressing (mayo-forward “green goddess”)

• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ Tbsp Dijon mustard
• ½ Tbsp whole grain Dijon mustard
• ½ Tbsp honey
• ½ tsp cracked peppercorn
• Juice of ½ lemon

Salad Base

• Butter lettuce and arugula mix
• 1 avocado sliced (drizzled with olive oil, salt, and chopped chives)
• 2 –4 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
• Fresh chives finely chopped
• Parsley finely chopped

Spicy Popcorn Chicken

• 2 chicken breasts about 1.5 lbs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup milk
• 1 Tbsp sriracha
• 1 cup flour
• 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp paprika
• 1 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• Salt & pepper
• 1 –2 Tbsp avocado oil

Instructions

 

Prepare the Spicy Popcorn Chicken

• In a bowl, combine milk and sriracha. Add the chicken pieces and let soak for at least 30 minutes (up to 4 hours).
• In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, powdered sugar, paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
• Remove chicken from milk mixture, dredge in the seasoned flour, and shake off any excess.
• Arrange on a well-oiled sheet pan, drizzle lightly with avocado oil, and bake at 415°F for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through.
• Ensure chicken is fully cooked (internal temperature 165°F).

Make the Dressing

• In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, mustards, honey, salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
• Adjust to taste—add more lemon for brightness or honey for sweetness.
• Chill in the refrigerator while preparing the salad.

Assemble the Salad

• Start with a generous bed of butter lettuce and arugula.
• On one side, layer sliced avocado drizzled with olive oil and topped with chives.
• Add a row of halved cherry tomatoes, then bacon crumbles.
• Arrange the spicy popcorn chicken in a row, followed by shredded cheddar cheese.
• Sprinkle with parsley and extra chives for garnish.
• Drizzle with the mayo-forward green goddess dressing and serve immediately.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!