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If you love the classic flavors of a BLT sandwich – then you’re going to love this BLT Chicken Salad. packed with tender juicy chicken chunks, crispy bacon, sweet tomatoes, all tossed in a creamy and tangy dressing. This chicken salad is perfect for lunch, quick dinners, and meal prep. It’s low-carb, protein-rich, and bursting with flavor in every bite.
Be sure and check out this BLT Dip and this classic BLT Sandwich 🍅🥬🥓
BLT Chicken Salad Recipe (Easy, Creamy & Flavor-Packed!)
This blt chicken salad is everything you love about a BLT sandwich – made even better with flavorful rotisserie chicken, juicy tomatoes, crispy bacon, and an incredible fresh herb and lemon creamy dressing. It’s a hearty salad that’s perfect for lunches, quick dinners, or meal prep for the week.
I love all variations of chicken salad but this BLT version is one of my top faves! It’s so fresh, satisfying, and a delicious twist to those classic BLT flavors.
Why You’ll Love This BLT Chicken Salad
- 🍅 Quick & Easy – ready in just about 30 minutes
- 🥓 Perfect for meal prep and leftovers
- 🥬 Low carb friendly
- 🍅 Great for sandwiches, wraps, or lettuce cups
- 🥓 Classic BLT flavors and taste with a protein boost from chicken
- 🥬 Can be made into a healthy blt chicken salad with an easy fix
Simple Ingredients Needed
- Rotisserie Chicken : You can use any cooked chicken you prefer, but I highly recommend using a rotisserie chicken because it’s easy, convenient, and it tastes so good because it’s already seasoned and ready-to-use.
- Bacon : You will need 8 slices of bacon that has been cooked until crispy and then chopped. Cook back your preferred way or use store-bought bacon bits, or even microwave bacon that crisps up in the oven.
- Grape Tomatoes : Cherry tomatoes are another option.
- Fresh Chives
- Celery
- Mayonnaise : I love the creamy and amazing taste of Duke’s brand mayonnaise; however, use your favorite version, such as lite, olive oil, etc.
- Fresh Lemon Juice : About one large lemon is what you’ll need.
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Kosher Salt : Adjust this as needed depending on how seasoned the chicken is that you used and the saltiness of the bacon (store-bought bacon bits can be salty so you may need less salt if using those).
- Black Pepper
- Lettuce Leaves, Croissants, Sandwich Bread, Wraps : Use your preferred vessel for serving this chicken salad.
How To Make Chicken BLT Salad (Printable Recipe Card)
Add the rotisserie chicken, chopped bacon, halved grape tomatoes, finely chopped chives, and diced celery into a large bowl. Stir to combine everything together.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, fresh lemon juice, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, and black pepper util smooth and fully combined.
Pour the dressing over the chicken mixture. Gently stir everything together with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, until evenly coated with the dressing. Mix just until combined, and gently, so the tomatoes stay intact and don’t ‘bleed’ into the chicken salad.
The chicken salad can be served and eaten right away, but for best results, cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1-2 hours before serving. I prefer chilling the salad because it gives time for the flavor to blend and for the salad to chill.
Serve inside crisp romaine lettuce leaves, lettuce cups, croissants, slider rolls, toasted sandwich bread (my favorite!), tortilla wrap or lettuce wrap, or eat it as is.
How To Store Leftover Chicken Salad
Store leftover chicken salad in an airtight container, or keep it in the bowl covered with a lid, in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Stir gently before serving because the dressing may settle slightly.
The longer it sits in the fridge, the more the chicken salad ingredients will soak up all that creamy dressing. You may need to add some additional mayonnaise when eating leftovers on day 3-4.
This recipe can also be made ahead of time. Prepare the chicken salad up to 24 hours in a advance and store it covered in the refrigerator. For the best texture, I ejihghly recommend adding the bacon right before serving so it stays crisp (only do this if you are preparing it ahead of time, the optional 1-2 hour chill time in the recipe is fine with the bacon).
Pro Tips From The Test Kitchen
- I recommend chilling the chicken salad for at least 1 hour before serving; or for up to 2 hours. You don’t want to chill it for longer than that because the dressing does get soaked up, with results in the chicken salad not being as creamy. For best results, taste, and chilled texture, place the blt chicken salad in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving.
- Rotisserie chicken works beautifully here because it is already seasoned and very tender, which keeps the salad flavorful without needing a lot of extra ingredients.
- Crispy bacon is so important for the the best texture! If the bacon is soft, it will disappear into the salad instead of giving those classic blt flavors with that super crispy bacon. I always recommend cooking the bacon strips for longer than normal to ensure you end up with ultra super crispy bacon.
- A small splash of fresh lemon juice brightens the whole salad and balances the richness of the mayonnaise.
- For a healthy blt chicken salad, or if you want a protein boost you can use half plain Greek yogurt + half mayonnaise. I don’t recommend using all Greek yogurt as it will significantly change the final taste of the chicken salad.
- If you want an extra layer and punch of flavor, whisk 1 teaspoon of dijon mustard into the dressing. Another option is to add finely diced red onion to the chicken mixture. Onions are not a classic BLT ingredient, but some people like onions in chicken salad.
- Serve this blt chicken salad on toasted sandwich bread, inside buttery croissant, with crackers, vegetable sticks, lettuce leaves or lettuce cups, on slider buns or brioche buns, or eat it as is.
More Must-Try Chicken Salad Recipes
- Pineapple Chicken Salad
- Classic Waldorf Chicken Salad
- Dill Pickle Chicken Salad
- Jalapeño Popper Chicken Salad
- Apple Walnut Chicken Salad
- Deviled Egg Chicken Salad
- Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps
- Southern Style Chicken Salad Recipe
- Fruity Cashew Chicken Pasta Salad
- Santa Fe Chicken Salad Wraps
BLT Chicken Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- 8 slices bacon (cooked until super crispy & chopped)
- 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
- 2 tablespoons finely diced celery
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (less or more to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- lettuce cups, tortilla wraps, toasted sandwich bread, slider rolls, croissants, crackers, vegetable sticks for serving the chicken salad
Instructions
- Add the rotisserie chicken, chopped bacon, halved grape tomatoes, finely chopped chives, and diced celery into a large bowl. Stir to combine everything together.3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, 8 slices bacon, 1 cup halved grape tomatoes, 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives, 2 tablespoons finely diced celery
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, fresh lemon juice, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, and black pepper util smooth and fully combined.2/3 cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Pour the dressing over the chicken mixture. Gently stir everything together with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, until evenly coated with the dressing. * Mix just until combined, and gently, so the tomatoes stay intact and don't 'bleed' into the chicken salad.
- The chicken salad can be served and eaten right away, but for best results, cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1-2 hours before serving.*I prefer chilling the salad because it gives time for the flavor to blend and for the salad to chill.
- Serve inside crisp romaine lettuce leaves, lettuce cups, croissants, slider rolls, toasted sandwich bread (my favorite!), tortilla wrap or lettuce wrap, or eat it as is. Enjoy!
Notes
- I recommend chilling the chicken salad for at least 1 hour before serving; or for up to 2 hours. You don’t want to chill it for longer than that because the dressing does get soaked up, with results in the chicken salad not being as creamy. For best results, taste, and chilled texture, place the blt chicken salad in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving.
- Nutrition information does not include a bun, bread, croissant, etc. That will vary depending on what you use.
- Rotisserie chicken works beautifully here because it is already seasoned and very tender, which keeps the salad flavorful without needing a lot of extra ingredients.
- Crispy bacon is so important for the the best texture! If the bacon is soft, it will disappear into the salad instead of giving those classic blt flavors with that super crispy bacon. I always recommend cooking the bacon strips for longer than normal to ensure you end up with ultra super crispy bacon.
- A small splash of fresh lemon juice brightens the whole salad and balances the richness of the mayonnaise.
- For a healthy blt chicken salad, or if you want a protein boost you can use half plain Greek yogurt + half mayonnaise. I don’t recommend using all Greek yogurt as it will significantly change the final taste of the chicken salad.
- If you want an extra layer and punch of flavor, whisk 1 teaspoon of dijon mustard into the dressing. Another option is to add finely diced red onion to the chicken mixture. Onions are not a classic BLT ingredient, but some people like onions in chicken salad.
- Serve this blt chicken salad on toasted sandwich bread, inside buttery croissant, with crackers, vegetable sticks, lettuce leaves or lettuce cups, on slider buns or brioche buns, or eat it as is.
Nutrition
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