Chicken bacon ranch salad packs in the flavour - chicken, bacon, tomatoes, cucumber, onion and avocado are piled onto leafy green lettuce and topped with ranch dressing in this family pleasing entree salad.

Chicken, bacon and ranch is an epic flavour combination. You can find it everywhere from pizza to sandwiches and, if you want to lower the carbs and healthify the combo up a bit, there's chicken bacon ranch salad.
This is a salad that pleases everyone. With so many families out there on different diets, it's hard to come up with meals that work for everyone sitting down at the table.
This entree salad has got it all: family friendly chicken, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber, all piled onto leaf lettuce and topped with ranch dressing. It's gluten free, sugar free, low in carbs, easy to make and just might be the perfect summer meal.
Entree salads like this are some of my favourite easy summer meals! If you love them too, you might want to check out our salmon caesar salad which is another favourite of mine!
How to make Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad
We love using our homemade buttermilk ranch dressing on this salad, but feel free to use your favourite ranch dressing! If you are making the dressing, I suggest mixing that together first to give the flavours some time to marinate.
Next, mix together the oil, apple cider vinegar, chili powder, garlic powder and onion powder and slather it on the chicken breasts. Season both sides with salt and pepper, then place them into a skillet heated over medium heat with a splash of oil in it.
Heat another pan over medium low heat and add the bacon strips. Cook to your desired level of doneness, turning when necessary.
Allow the chicken breast to cook on one side first without disrupting it for about 8 minutes. If your breasts are large give them 10 minutes. Leaving the chicken to cook without moving it around gives it time to form a nice sear.
When the first side is cooked, turn the breasts over and cook the other side for another 8 minutes or so then remove from the pan and let them sit for a couple of minutes before slicing them.
Add the leaf lettuce to a large bowl - I like low wide salad bowls for salads like these. You can place the lettuce across the bottom, then top with the toppings so it's easy to serve and portion out without all the heavy pieces of the salad falling to the bottom when you toss.
Top the greens with the sliced cucumber, red onion, tomato, bacon, and avocado.
Finally, slice the rested chicken breasts and add them to the salad before drizzling with ranch dressing.
You're going to love this salad because....
- It's family friendly and full of flavours everyone loves
- It's an easy from scratch meal
- If you are a fan of Chicken bacon ranch salads from Subway or McDonalds, this is a healthier homemade version!
- It's a great meal prep salad for lunches throughout the week
Tips and tricks:
- to make this meal even easier start with pre-cooked chicken and bacon - a rotisserie chicken is great for this!
- use a low wide bowl for serving the salad - this way you can serve it family style with easy access to all the ingredients
- make it a meal prep! Pre-pack the salad in portions for easy weekday lunches!
Dietary Considerations and Accommodations
This recipe for chicken bacon ranch salad is suitable for the following diets:
- low carb and keto friendly
- gluten free
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Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad
Ingredients:
For the Chicken:
- 3 chicken breasts - boneless & skinless
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1⁄2 teaspoon onion powder
- 6 slices cooked bacon
For the salad:
- 5 cups leaf lettuce - torn
- 1⁄2 cucumber - sliced
- 1 avocado - sliced
- 1⁄2 pint cherry tomatoes - halved
- 4 slices red onion
- 1 cup ranch dressing
Instructions
- Mix together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, chilli powder, garlic powder, onion powder and then slather it on the chicken breasts.
- Season both sides of the breasts with salt and pepper before placing them into a skillet heated over medium heat.
- Allow the chicken to cook for 8-10 minutes on the first side without disturbing before flipping them over and cooking the second side. Cook the chicken for another 8-10 minutes then remove the breasts from the pan and set aside to rest and cool.
- While the chicken is cooking, heat a second skillet over medium low heat and add the bacon. Cook to your desired level of doneness turning the bacon when necessary.
- Add the torn leaf lettuce to a low wide bowl then top with the sliced cucumber, red onion, avocado and tomatoes.
- Slice the chicken breasts then add to the salad bowl.
- Drizzle with ranch dressing and serve.
Nutrition
* nutritional information is calculated by online tools and may not be 100% accurate.
Liz says
This sounds JUST like the salad my husband gets at Chopt, but I'm glad I can make it at home for a fraction of the price! Thanks for the recipe!
Adrianne says
This salad is so good looking it is making me hungry! I love a good salad that is hearty and not light and this ticks all of those boxes. Love me some seasoned chicken breast too. Cheers!!
Noelle says
Perfect for lunch! Love all the ingredients in this recipe
SHANIKA says
Chicken Bacon Ranch is one of my favorite combos! This Salad looks so delicious and easy to whip together!
Courtney says
Thanks Shanika!
Wanda says
I adore any kind of chicken salad, any time of the year! Leftover Rotisserie chicken in a salad is one of my favourites!