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BLT Chicken Salad

BLT chicken salad with grilled chicken, crispy bacon, cherry tomatoes, and crunchy croutons tossed in a creamy ranch-lemon dressing. Chopped romaine keeps the salad crisp while the chicken adds warm, savory bites.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

BLT Chicken Salad
  • 1.5 lb chicken breasts Grilled and sliced.
  • 8 bacon slices Cooked crispy and crumbled.
  • 1 head romaine lettuce Chopped.
  • 2 cup cherry tomatoes Halved.
  • 1 cup croutons
  • 0.5 cup ranch dressing
  • 0.25 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • salt To taste.
  • pepper To taste.

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Grill chicken
  1. Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and grill the chicken breasts until cooked through, about 6–8 minutes per side, then move to a plate to rest 5 minutes so juices settle.
  2. Slice the rested chicken into strips and set aside.
Cook bacon
  1. Cook the bacon slices in the same cast iron skillet until crispy, about 6–10 minutes, then drain and crumble.
Build the salad
  1. Chop the romaine lettuce and add it to a large bowl.
  2. Add sliced chicken, crumbled bacon, cherry tomatoes, and croutons to the bowl.
Make the creamy dressing
  1. Stir ranch dressing, mayonnaise, and lemon juice together until smooth.
Toss and serve
  1. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until evenly coated.
  2. Season with salt and pepper, then serve immediately so the romaine stays crisp.

Notes

For best texture, serve right after tossing; if you must prep ahead, keep romaine, chicken, bacon, and tomatoes separate from the croutons and dressing and combine within 1 day (refrigerate up to 3 days). Chicken salad is freezer-unfriendly due to the dressing and lettuce texture. To make it lighter, swap ranch dressing for a reduced-fat or Greek-yogurt ranch (the lemon keeps the flavor bright).