BLT Chicken Salad is a great easy spin on the classic chicken salad recipe that you know and love. This easy recipe can make the perfect low carb lunch!
There is nothing better than an easy picnic salad that can be used for sandwiches or on it’s own. Today we are merging the classic BLT with chicken salad to make a BLT Chicken Salad that I know you are going to fall in love with. Serve this on croissants or make it low carb friendly by serving it in lettuce wraps!
Made it this evening. Very tasty! I will definitely make this one again!!
How to Make BLT Chicken Salad
This is a brief overview to show you how easy this recipe is. For the full recipe, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Cook the bacon. I like to dice the bacon and then cook it until crisp. Remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer it to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl combine the ingredients for the dressing. Whisk together and taste. You may want to consider waiting to add more salt until after it is combined with the bacon and other ingredients.
- Combine all of the ingredients. In a large bowl combine the dressing with the chicken, bacon, chopped vegetables, and dressing. Taste and add more salt and pepper to your liking.
How to Cook Bacon
For this recipe, as mentioned above, I like to dice the bacon small and then cook it. I find this easier, but if you would like to keep it in strips to cook it that works too. Just make sure to cook the bacon until it is crisp but not burnt for best results in this salad.
- Dice the bacon. I usually break the pack in half, keep the strips together, and then just cut them into small 1/2 inch pieces. Repeat with the second half of the package.
- Add it to a preheated heavy bottomed pan. Break it up with a spatula and stir it regularly.
- Remove it from the heat once it is crisp using a slotted spoon. Transfer it to a paper towel lined plate.
Air Fryer Bacon
Cooking Shredded Chicken
This recipe calls for 3 cups of shredded chicken. This is about 1 pound of chicken breasts when they are raw.
Making shredded chicken for this or other recipes is very simple and takes less than 20 minutes.
- Place the chicken in a sauce pan with enough water to cover it.
- Bring the water to a boil and simmer over low heat for 4 to 10 minutes or until the chicken registers 165 degrees on an instant read thermometer.
A note on the thermometer: I love that one because it can be easily kept in while the chicken cooks. It has an alarm that lets me know exactly when it reaches 165 degrees.
You can also use your Instant Pot to make shredded chicken. Another great option is to use a rotisserie chicken. Sometimes I like to buy several, shred them, and freeze them.
Tomatoes in Chicken Salad
You will notice that we included tomatoes in this recipe to make the T in our BLT. These tomatoes took the place of grapes in my traditional chicken salad. I love the addition of tomatoes here. They hold up perfectly in this salad, and you will love them too.
How to Serve BLT Chicken Salad
This recipe works great for sandwiches. But as I mentioned above, it is also perfect for a low carb diet. Serve these in bib lettuce like with my Chicken Lettuce Wraps for a great lunch idea.
Other Great Lunch Ideas
If you are looking for other lunch options, here are some of my favorites:
If you make this BLT Chicken Salad recipe or any of my other recipes, leave me a comment. I love to hear what you think of my recipes.
BLT Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked chicken chopped (see notes in the post for how to cook shredded chicken)
- 1 pound bacon diced and cooked until crisp
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 1/2 small red onion diced small
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used light)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine the cooked chicken, bacon, tomatoes, red onion, and celery.
- In a small bowl whisk togethr the mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. Taste and add more salt and pepper to taste being careful to start out with just a little.
- Stir the dressing into the main ingredients.
- Serve right away or store in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days. Please note that if this salad sits out for more than 2 hours, the leftovers should be thrown away.
Pat says
My picky husband liked this !
I had leftover chicken, and bacon in the fridge so,it was a zero work dinner for me Lol
I’m so glad he loved it!
Myra says
Delicious!! I’ve made this twice already. Thank you for sharing.
I’m so glad you like it!
Jessica says
Does this freeze well? Could I make ahead for an out of town baseball tournament and thaw when we get there?
I generally don’t recommend freezing chicken salad because of the mayo. This will last for a few days, so you could make it ahead still, and just not freeze it.
Jen says
I have never liked chicken salad but your picture made it look so yummy so I gave it a try……Wow!! My husband and I liked it so much we have already made it twice in the last week! Thank you for such a great recipe!
One of the best reviews ever. Thank you, Jen!
Genie says
I have some very picky eaters in my household. I doubled the recipe when I made this a couple of weeks ago and they ate all of it by the next day!
I’m so happy to hear this! Winning over picky eaters is my favorite!
Kay says
Very yummy! We occasionally add diced jalapeños to spice things up. This is the only chicken salad I make now. Thanks for the recipe.
I’m so happy you like it, Kay!
Emily says
I swapped out the mayo for geek yogurt and cut back on the salt. Very good recipe. I have never liked any sort of “salad” sandwich but I am looking forward to eating this for lunch all week.
I’m so glad you like it!
Miranda says
Might there be a substitute for the mayo?
I’ve known others to use yogurt as a substitute, but might need some tweaking of the flavor then.
Anna says
Girl, this was like crack chicken salad. it was so good, almost addicting. Definitely on my favorite sandwich just and will be making this all the time from now on. I served it with crispy garlic Parm zucchini fries. i used Rotisserie chicken and had to add 2 tbsp more mayo as it was too dry for us.
I’m so glad you liked it, Anna!
Tammy Martin says
I love this!!!
I made wraps with it!
It was out of this world!
I’m so glad it was a hit!