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bacon ranch chicken salad in a clear Tupperware container paired with pita crackers.
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5 from 7 votes

Bacon Ranch Chicken Salad

Say goodbye to the days of lunch that look like sliced turkey and American cheese slapped between two pieces of wonder bread. Instead try this Bacon Ranch Chicken Salad that turns plain chicken into the lunch of your dreams. 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: lunch, meal prep
Cuisine: American
Servings: 5
Calories: 174kcal

Equipment

  • Whisk
  • Mixing Bowl
  • Knife
  • Cutting Board
  • Rubber Spatula
  • Handmixer optional

Ingredients

  • 3 cups shredded chicken
  • 3 tbsp light mayo
  • 5.3 oz plain greek yogurt 1 serving size cup
  • 1 tbsp sriracha
  • 2 tbsp ranch seasoning mix
  • ½ cup chopped cherry tomatoes
  • 4 pieces cooked bacon
  • 2 tbsp chopped green onion

Instructions

  • Prepare the chicken: If you’re NOT starting with already prepared shredded chicken, preheat the oven to 400° F and bake for 10-15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°.
  • Prepare the bacon: Baked bacon is best! With the oven at 400°, bake on a metal rack for 15 minutes until crispy. The bacon and chicken can go in at the same time if you are cooking both. 
  • While the chicken and bacon cook, in a mixing bowl whisk together mayo, greek yogurt, sriracha, and ranch seasoning. 
  • Finely dice tomatoes and slice green onion into small slivers.
  • When the chicken is done cooking shred each breast using two forks or a hand mixer (works like a charm!). If you’re using pre-shredded chicken, ensure there are no large chunks. Then, break your cooled bacon into small bits. 
  • Add tomato, onion, chicken, and bacon into the bowl with the yogurt mixture and mix until well combined. Enjoy! See blog post above for some tasty serving options.

Notes

Store in an airtight container for 4-5 days. This Bacon Ranch Chicken Salad is fabulous for meal prep. Make it at the beginning of the week and enjoy all week long!
Use grape tomatoes (the narrow longer ones) instead of cherry tomatoes. Grape tomatoes have less liquid and meal prepped chicken salad tends to need some stirring so the less liquid the better. 
Chicken salad is all about texture - binding ingredient (yogurt/mayo), main star (chicken), and the CRUNCH! (veggies, bacon, etc). If you modify anything, be sure to add in the key components of this dish!

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 174kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 630mg | Potassium: 113mg | Sugar: 2g