The Best Bacon Chicken Ranch Salad

A bacon and chicken ranch salad with mayo stuffed into a gem lettuce leaf on a wooden background

This bacon chicken ranch salad is amazingly versatile, and just bursting with flavors. Great stuffed into lettuce leaves for a light but filling lunchbox option, or in a wrap or sandwich for something more substantial. Make a big batch at the start of the week and use it in so many different ways, either for a quick lunch, or a main dish salad. No more boring salads here!

Prep Time10

Active Time20

Total Time30

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bacon chicken ranch salad, chicken salad, ranch salad

Yield: serves

Calories: 293kcal

Materials

1 lb (500g) boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced in half horizontally
6 slices bacon
¼ cup chicken broth
½ cup Greek yogurt (see notes)
2 celery ribs diced
2 teaspoons ranch seasoning
kosher salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
butter or gem lettuce to serve

Instructions

Cut the chicken breasts in half horizontally
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove the cooked bacon and place it on a plate lined with paper towels.
6 slices bacon
Keeping the pan on the heat, add in the chicken and season with salt and pepper whilst cooking. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until the chicken is cooked through to 165F or 80C.
1 lb (500g) boneless skinless chicken breasts, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper
Remove the chicken from the pan and allow it to cool.
While the pan is still hot, add the chicken broth to deglaze the pan, using a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape up the chicken bits on the bottom of the pan.
¼ cup chicken broth
Chop the cooled chiken into bite-sized pieces and crumble the bacon or chop the bacon into small pieces.
In a medium-sized bowl, add the chicken, bacon, broth mixture, Greek yogurt, ranch seasoning, and celery. Give everything a good stir until it is all combined and the chicken is coated in the yogurt mixture.
½ cup Greek yogurt, 2 teaspoons ranch seasoning, 2 celery ribs
Season with salt and pepper to your liking and serve on top of butter lettuce leaves.
kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper

Notes

Alternatives To Greek Yogurt

To keep things lighter I use Greek yogurt mixed with some ranch seasoning.

You could also sub in a mayonnaise of choice if preferred or you could use ranch dressing.

Storing

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.

If packing in a lunchbox be sure you will have access to refrigeration as chicken should not be out of the fridge for more than two hours. Packing an ice pack in the lunchbox is always a good idea with cold salads when transporting to work or school.

Nutrition