Two viral favorites collide in this ‘Marry Me’ chicken crispy rice salad. The iconic creamy, cheesy ‘Marry Me’ sauce meets the crunch of crispy air-fried (or baked!) rice to create a fresh, super-satisfying salad. Ready in 30 minutes, it’s perfect for easy dinners, meal prep, BBQs, or impressing your friends at potlucks.
It was only a matter of time before I combined two of my all-time faves: gorgeously creamy, savory ‘Marry Me’ chicken and the viral crispy rice salad. And let me tell you, this one’s a total match made in heaven.
I’ve turned that iconic sauce into a light, creamy dressing that clings to every bite. It’s rich, tangy, and honestly, I could drink it. Easily my new go-to.
The best part? It’s surprisingly simple. Toss cooked (or packet!) rice with a little seasoning, then air fry or bake until golden and gloriously crispy. While it’s doing its thing, blitz the dressing and prep your salad bits. From start to finish, you’re looking at 30 minutes tops, and the result is so satisfying.
Perfect for meal prep, BBQs, potlucks, or just when you want something a little bit special but still easy. And don’t hold the terrible name against it – this one is absolutely worth trying.
Ingredients
- Rice. You can use leftover cooked rice for the salad, cook it from scratch or use a packet of microwave rice. Any type of rice works – just be sure to follow the packet instructions if you’re using brown rice or short-grain rice. The instructions in the recipe below is for regular long-grain rice.
- Chicken. I’m using cooked, shredded chicken breasts, but you could use chicken thighs if you prefer. Use a rotisserie chicken to make things even easier. If you’re after a marinade or a recipe for cooking the chicken, I recommend the marinade in this grilled chicken Caesar salad recipe, or honey harissa chicken is excellent here too.
- Sundried tomatoes. A key component – we’re using these in the salad itself and in the dressing. Semi-dried tomatoes are a little softer and that’s what I like to do for, but truly any will do.
- Greek yogurt. I’m using this to lighten up the dressing and give it a lovely tang. You could swap this for sour cream, more aioli or mayo or whipped cottage cheese if you prefer.
- Fish sauce. This is my secret ingredient in SO many recipes. It doesn’t make your salad taste at all fishy, it just adds a lovely savoriness that salt alone can’t mimic. If you really don’t want to use it, add a pinch of salt instead.
How to make it
Mix your cooked rice with the smoked paprika, parmesan and olive oil, then cook until gorgeously crispy. I love using my air fryer for this because it’s super speedy, but the oven works too.
Prep the rest of the salad ingredients, and blitz your dressing until lovely and creamy. Combine everything in a mixing bowl, pour over the dressing and toss well to combine. Serve with extra parmesan on top.
Watch how to make it
Got a question?
Yes! There are a couple of ways you can do this. If you’re making this for others or to take along to an event, prep the different elements ahead and assemble the salad before serving. Keep the crispy rice and dressing separate from the rest of the salad for the best texture (the rice will lose its crispiness over time). Once mixed, it will keep well for five days in the fridge so it’s brilliant for meal prep and lunches throughout the week.
It does start to lose crispiness over time once it’s mixed with the rest of the salad. If you want to keep the crispy texture, keep the rice separate and add it just before serving. It’ll still taste delicious once mixed and stored – you just won’t have as much of the crunch factor.
Definitely! You can either just skip the chicken entirely, or use shredded tofu, pan-fried halloumi cubes, or add white beans or chickpeas for a plant-based protein source.
Like this recipe? Try these crispy rice salads next
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @DishedByKate on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.
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‘Marry Me’ Chicken Crispy Rice Salad
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Two viral favorites collide in this ‘Marry Me’ chicken crispy rice salad. The iconic creamy, cheesy ‘Marry Me’ sauce meets the crunch of crispy air-fried (or baked!) rice to create a fresh, super-satisfying salad. Ready in 30 minutes, it’s perfect for easy dinners, meal prep, BBQs, or impressing your friends at potlucks.
Ingredients
For the crispy rice –
- 2 cups cooked rice ( or ⅔ cup uncooked rice or 1 packet of microwave rice)
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
For the ‘Marry Me’ dressing –
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup garlic aioli (or mayo)
- ¼ cup sundried tomatoes
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Black pepper
- Water, to thin (if needed)
For the salad –
- 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
- ½ cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
- 300g (about 2 cups) cherry tomatoes, chopped
- 2 scallions (spring onions), finely sliced
- 1 packed cup of basil leaves, chopped
- 3 packed cups spinach leaves, roughly chopped
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook the rice (skip if you’re using leftover or packet rice). Add ⅔ cup of white rice to a pot you have a lid for and pour in 1 cup of cold water. Set over medium-high heat. Once the water starts to foam on the surface, cover with the lid and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 12 minutes, then remove from the heat and let sit, lid on, for another 10 minutes to steam. Spread the rice onto a plate or tray and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes to cool and dry out slightly (this helps it crisp up nicely).
- Make the crispy rice (air fryer instructions). Remove the tray from your air fryer basket and add the cooled rice directly into the base. Sprinkle over 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, ½ tablespoon olive oil and ¼ cup grated parmesan. Mix to coat evenly, then air fry at 400°F (200°C) for 15 minutes, stirring a couple of times to ensure even crisping.
- Make the crispy rice (oven instructions). Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). If you’re using leftover rice, spread it out on a parchment-lined baking tray. If you’ve just cooked your rice, grab the tray from the fridge. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then sprinkle over 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika and ¼ cup grated parmesan. Toss everything together directly on the tray, then spread the rice out into a thin, even layer. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes until golden and crisp. Check the rice after 15 minutes and give the tray a quick rotate if needed. Keep an eye on it from the 20-minute mark to avoid burning.
- Make the ‘Marry Me’ dressing. In a small blender, combine ½ cup Greek yogurt, ¼ cup garlic aioli, ¼ cup sundried tomatoes, ¼ cup parmesan, 2 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and a good grind of black pepper. Blitz until smooth and creamy. If it’s too thick, add a splash of water and blend again. Taste and season with salt if needed.
- Assemble the salad. In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded chicken, chopped sundried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, basil, spinach and half the remaining parmesan. Add the crispy rice and drizzle about half the dressing all over. Toss everything well to coat, then top with the remaining parmesan. Serve with extra dressing on the side.
Notes
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: The salad keeps well for five days, stored in the fridge once assembled. The rice will lose its crispiness as it sits in the dressing, so if you want to keep it crunchy, store the rice separately and mix with portions of salad as you serve.
INGREDIENT NOTES: Use a packet of microwave rice to make the recipe even easier – you can mix it straight from the packet with the ingredients to make it crispy. If you’re cooking the rice from scratch and using a different type of rice (brown or short-grain for example), make sure to follow the packet instructions for cooking it. The instructions above are for regular long-grain rice (like basmati).
SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS: Play around with the salad ingredients – swap spinach for baby kale or crunchy romaine lettuce, add chunks of pan-fried halloumi or chickpeas for extra protein. Use sour cream, more aioli or plain cottage cheese instead of Greek yogurt in the dressing if you prefer.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 15
- Category: salads
- Method: air fryer
- Cuisine: american
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 250g
- Calories: 526
- Sugar: 8.1g
- Sodium: 853mg
- Fat: 25.8g
- Saturated Fat: 7.2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18.6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 39.9g
- Fiber: 4.2g
- Protein: 32.3g
- Cholesterol: 69mg
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