Flavorful BLT Chicken Salad (Amy’s Recipe!)
Make Amy’s delicious BLT Chicken Salad! This easy recipe combines tender cooked chicken, crispy bacon, juicy tomatoes, celery, and red onion in a creamy, tangy dressing. Perfect for sandwiches or salads!
Ingredients
(Original recipe yields 8 servings)
Salad:
- ▢ 3 cups cooked chicken, chopped (from about 1-1.5 lbs raw chicken breast)
- ▢ 1 pound bacon, diced and cooked until crisp, drained
- ▢ 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- ▢ 1/2 small red onion, diced small
- ▢ 2 stalks celery, diced
Dressing:
- ▢ 1/2 cup mayonnaise (light or regular)
- ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste, bacon is salty)
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
1. Prepare Cooked Ingredients:
- If not using pre-cooked chicken, cook your chicken (grill, bake, or poach) until done, let it cool, and then chop or shred it into bite-sized pieces. You’ll need about 3 cups.
- Cook the diced bacon in a skillet over medium heat until very crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain it well on paper towels. Once cooled slightly, crumble or keep as small diced pieces.
2. Prepare Fresh Ingredients:
- Wash and halve the cherry tomatoes.
- Dice the red onion finely.
- Wash and dice the celery stalks.
- Place the prepared chicken, crumbled bacon, halved tomatoes, diced red onion, and diced celery in a large mixing bowl.
3. Make the Dressing:
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, fresh lemon juice, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper until smooth and well combined.
- Taste the dressing and adjust salt and pepper if needed. Start with a little salt, as the bacon will add saltiness to the salad.
4. Combine Salad and Dressing:
- Pour the prepared dressing over the chicken and vegetable mixture in the large bowl.
- Stir gently but thoroughly with a large spoon or spatula until all the ingredients are evenly coated with the dressing.
5. Serve or Chill:
- You can serve the BLT Chicken Salad right away.
- Alternatively, for best flavor, cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to an hour (or longer) to allow the flavors to meld together.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. (Food safety note from original: If the salad sits out at room temperature for more than 2 hours, leftovers should be discarded).