This BLT chicken salad recipe is a simple and delicious meal that only requires 5 ingredients: chicken, mayo, bacon, tomato, and black pepper. It’s a versatile dish that can be enjoyed for lunch or dinner, and it’s perfect for families who are looking for something easy to make. With its classic BLT flavors, this chicken salad is sure to be a hit with everyone at the table.
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If you love the classic flavors of a BLT sandwich, you’re going to love this BLT chicken salad.
While I love BLTs, sometimes they’re just not filling enough for me. That’s where this chicken salad comes in. It’s got all the classic flavors of a BLT with some extra protein to keep you full.
I love a good chicken salad. My mom used to make a chicken salad with grapes and cashews in the summer that the whole family fought over.
Then I visited a cafe in Oregon and ate a hazelnut pear chicken salad that was to die for.
So when I say chicken salads are my jam, I mean it. And this BLT chicken salad is a great one.
Did I mention it’s also gluten free? And easily made paleo and Whole30 compatible too if that’s how you roll.
Plus you only need 5 ingredients to make it! Read on to see how easy it is.
Grab these 5 ingredients
(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.)
- Chicken breast: use cooked, shredded, and seasoned chicken breast in this recipe. Rotisserie chicken works great, but you can also use some leftover chicken you have or chicken you’ve cooked specifically for this recipe.
- Bacon: a medium to thick cut bacon works best in this recipe. Really thin bacon tends to crumble into pieces that are too tiny. If on a Whole30, make sure the bacon is compatible.
- Tomatoes: cherry or grape tomatoes are best. You can try cutting up a roma or beefsteak tomato but it might make the salad slightly watery due to having more seeds and juices.
- Mayonnaise: use whatever kind of mayo you like. I typically use Primal Kitchen avocado mayo in my chicken salads.
- Ground black pepper: freshly ground black pepper is great because it lends so much flavor, but use what you have.
Other optional ingredients include:
- chopped green onions or pickles to go into the chicken salad, and
- lettuce or gluten-free bread for serving it. Some of my favorite gluten free breads for making a blt chicken salad sandwich are from Franz and Canyon Bakehouse.
Making a chicken BLT salad
(Note: please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the complete written instructions.)
Making this chicken salad is easy, especially if you already have cooked bacon. But don’t worry – I’m giving you instructions for cooking the bacon too.
Say no to bland chicken!
This chicken salad calls for chicken that’s already been seasoned. This could mean rotisserie chicken, brined and baked chicken, or grilled chicken breast. Just don’t use plain boiled chicken as the meat won’t be flavorful enough.
Sides dishes for chicken salad
From something simple to the classic soup and salad, there are lots of great combinations that go with this 5 ingredient chicken salad recipe!
- Try something crunchy, like potato chips or carrot sticks;
- Keep the meal cool with some apple broccoli slaw; or
- Of course, you can have something warm and classic like this loaded potato soup.
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5 Ingredient BLT Chicken Salad
Equipment
- A rimmed baking sheet
- A large mixing bowl
- A large plate
Ingredients
- 1 lb cooked shredded, seasoned chicken breast
- 12 oz medium- to thick-cut bacon
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- ½ c mayo
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Optional
- 1 head lettuce romaine or green leaf
- gluten free bread
- chopped scallions
- finely diced pickle or shallot
Instructions
- Begin by cooking the bacon. You can cook bacon on a Traeger grill, or in the oven. Follow the link in the notes section to read how to make Traeger bacon, or read on to learn how to make bacon in an oven.
- Line a rimmed sheet pan with foil. Remove the bacon from the packaging and lay the strips out in a single layer on top of the foil. Place the sheet pan in a cold oven, close the oven door, then turn the oven on to 400 degrees F. Cook the bacon until it’s at your desired crispness, typically between 17 and 22 minutes depending on how thick your bacon is and how long your oven takes to warm up.
- While the bacon is cooking, bring out a large mixing bowl and place the cooked and shredded chicken into it – this can either be rotisserie chicken, leftover chicken, or chicken you’ve cooked specifically for this chicken salad. Set the bowl aside.
- Wash the cherry tomatoes and use a sharp knife and cutting board to cut them into halves or quarters, depending on how big they are. Place them in the bowl with the chicken when done.
- If you’re eating the chicken salad with lettuce, you can also wash and chop the lettuce with the knife and cutting board at this time. Set the lettuce to the side once you’re done. You’ll also want to take out a plate and line it with paper towels to set the cooked bacon on.
- When the bacon is done cooking, remove the pan from the oven (be sure and use a hot pad or oven glove) and use a pair of tongs to remove the bacon and set it on the paper-lined plate to soak up the bacon grease. Let it rest for a couple of minutes to cool, then use the knife and cutting board to chop it into small pieces. You can do this by stacking several strips of bacon on top of each other and cutting them into small strips, then repeating until all the bacon is cut. Place the chopped bacon into the bowl with the tomatoes and shredded chicken.
- Measure out the mayo and ground black pepper and it both to the mixing bowl. Use a large spoon and mix everything together until it’s well combined.
- At this point it’s ready to serve. If you like, you can add in some chopped green onions or dill pickle to the salad, or you can eat it as is to have more of a true BLT flavor. You can serve this BLT chicken salad as is out of a bowl, on top of chopped lettuce, or in a sandwich with some gluten free bread.
Notes
- This chicken salad calls for chicken that’s already been seasoned. This could mean rotisserie chicken, brined and baked chicken, or grilled chicken breast. Just don’t use plain boiled chicken as the meat won’t be flavorful enough.
- If on a Whole30, make sure both the bacon and mayo are compatible.
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