Green Goddess Nugget Salad (Printable View)

Crunchy air-fried nuggets served atop shredded cabbage, tossed with a fresh green herb dressing.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Chicken Nuggets

01 - 16 frozen chicken nuggets
02 - Cooking spray

→ Salad Base

03 - 4 cups green cabbage, finely shredded
04 - 1 cup romaine lettuce, chopped
05 - 1 cup cucumber, diced
06 - 1 cup sugar snap peas, thinly sliced
07 - 1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced
08 - 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
09 - 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

→ Green Goddess Dressing

10 - 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
11 - 1/4 cup mayonnaise
12 - 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
13 - 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
14 - 2 tablespoons fresh chives
15 - 2 tablespoons lemon juice
16 - 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
17 - 1 clove garlic
18 - 2 anchovy fillets (optional)
19 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
20 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

# How To Make It:

01 - Heat the air fryer to 400°F (200°C).
02 - Arrange the frozen chicken nuggets in a single layer in the air fryer basket and lightly coat with cooking spray. Air fry for 10 to 12 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden and crisp. Allow to cool slightly, then cut into bite-sized pieces.
03 - In a large bowl, combine the shredded green cabbage, chopped romaine lettuce, diced cucumber, thinly sliced sugar snap peas, sliced green onions, parsley, and basil.
04 - In a blender or food processor, combine Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, parsley leaves, basil leaves, chives, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, garlic, anchovy fillets if using, salt, and black pepper. Blend until smooth and adjust seasoning to taste.
05 - Pour the Green Goddess dressing over the salad ingredients and toss gently to coat evenly.
06 - Top the salad with warm chicken nugget pieces and serve immediately.

# Best Practices:

01 -
  • It comes together in under 40 minutes, so dinner can actually happen on a busy weeknight without feeling like a compromise.
  • The contrast of warm, crispy nuggets against cool, fresh greens and that herbaceous dressing is genuinely exciting to eat.
  • You can prep everything ahead and toss it together in seconds, which means less stress when friends show up hungry.
02 -
  • Don't dress the salad until you're ready to eat it—the cabbage will soften if it sits too long, and that's when it stops being a salad and starts being a sad situation.
  • Make the dressing at least 30 minutes ahead if you can; it tastes noticeably better when the flavors have time to get to know each other.
  • Those anchovies aren't meant to taste fishy—they're meant to disappear into the dressing and give you that umami depth that makes people wonder what makes it taste so good.
03 -
  • If your dressing seems too thick, thin it with a tablespoon of water or lemon juice at a time rather than adding more mayo.
  • Toast a handful of seeds or nuts over the top right before serving—pumpkin seeds or almonds catch the dressing and add an extra dimension of texture that feels intentional.
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