Bacon Ranch Chicken Salad

Tender chicken, crispy bacon, and a creamy ranch-style dressing make this easy salad perfect for croissants, wraps, or crackers.

Why We Love This Recipe

• It’s versatile as a snack or meal! This salad is perfect as a quick snack on a piece of toast or as a meal in a wrap with veggies and a side!
• Customize to your heart’s desire! No dried parsley in your pantry? Simply leave it out. Love pickles? Chop some spears up and throw them in! Adjust the recipe to your liking in a snap.
• Done in just a few minutes! This recipe makes the perfect back-to-school snack or meal because it can be prepared in just a few minutes, chilled overnight, and be ready for school lunch prep in no time.

Ingredient Notes

Chicken: Rotisserie chicken, or poached or baked chicken breasts, are all great options. Thighs also work well if you prefer dark meat. Just make sure everything’s chopped to a similar size before mixing in.

Bacon: The bacon adds a salty, smoky crunch to every bite. Cook it until it’s good and crispy so it holds up once it’s mixed in with everything else.

Hiland Dairy Sour Cream: Using Hiland Dairy Sour Cream in addition to the mayo makes this chicken salad both tangier than you’d expect and also lighter, while still filling you up. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll never go back.

Mayonnaise: Mayo gives the salad its classic creamy base and helps balance out the tang from the sour cream.

Celery: This adds not only delicious, classic chicken salad flavor, but also some needed texture. Cut it to whatever size you like. Larger pieces mean more crunch!

Lemon Juice: Don’t worry – this salad isn’t going to be all tang! The lemon juice here is a background flavor, just hanging out and making everything taste a bit brighter.

Seasoning: The dried herbs might look like a lot in the bowl, but they mellow out beautifully once everything sits together in the fridge. And garlic and onion powder round everything out.

Step by Step Instructions

1. Chop your ingredients. Try to cut your chicken, celery, and bacon all to around the same size. The more uniform your pieces are, the better this salad holds together and eats.
2. Whisk your dressing first. Make sure the sour cream, mayo, and seasonings are fully combined before adding anything else.
3. Add the chicken, bacon, celery, and green onions. Stir until everything is evenly coated in the dressing.
4. Chill before serving. A few hours gives the dried herbs time to soften and the flavors time to meld. If you’re too hungry to wait, even 30 minutes will get it to a good chicken-salad temp.

Expert Tips and Tricks

• Use any chicken you have. When I have fresh chicken breasts, I prefer to poach them in heavily salted water along with a bay leaf and a few lemon slices.
• Let your chicken cool before shredding or chopping. If you’re cooking your own chicken or using a fresh rotisserie, allow the chicken to come down in temperature before you cut into it. This helps the chicken retain its moisture and makes it easier to handle.
• Mix your salad in your storage container. Save yourself from washing too many dishes by mixing your ingredients in the same container you plan on storing the chicken salad in.

Storage Instructions

This chicken salad will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3–4 days. Be sure to keep it chilled until you’re ready to serve.

Serving Ideas

• Sandwich: Pile it onto toasted bread or a sliced croissant with lettuce and tomato.
• Wrap: Roll it up in a tortilla with some seasoned cabbage slaw.
• Quick snack: Grab a few crackers and top each with a dollop. Perfect for an after-school snack!

For more delicious recipes, visit Hiland Dairy’s recipe page.