BLT Chicken Salad
Published Aug 24, 2026
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Juicy marinated chicken, smoky bacon, and fresh cherry tomatoes come together over a bed of crisp lettuce in this savory BLT chicken salad recipe! It’s all drizzled with creamy Greek yogurt dressing. This easy salad makes a light, refreshing, and high-protein lunch or dinner.
BLT Salad With Grilled Chicken
As someone who craves the flavors of a BLT sandwich, I love turning it into a delicious grilled chicken salad! Lighter than a sandwich but still substantial enough to make into a meal, this BLT chicken salad recipe has the classic combination of crispy bacon, fresh lettuce, and ripe tomatoes. It’s topped with juicy marinated chicken, and I think fans of 7-layer salad and Cobb salad will appreciate the creamy Greek yogurt-mayo dressing!
Things to Love About This BLT Chicken Salad Recipe
- Savory, tangy, creamy flavors, just like you’ll find in a chicken BLT sandwich.
- Marinating and grilling the chicken takes the flavors to another level.
- An easy salad recipe that doesn’t require tons of ingredients. You can even make it with any cooked leftover chicken!
- It’s make-ahead friendly so you can cook the chicken in advance, prep the creamy dressing, and store it in the fridge for easy meal prep.
Ingredients You’ll Need
These are the ingredients needed to make this bacon, lettuce, tomato, and chicken salad. See the recipe card for the full quantities.
- Chicken – I like to use skinless, boneless chicken breasts, but chicken thighs also work well and will be a bit juicier.
- Marinade – Mix olive oil with dried parsley, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to make a simple Italian chicken marinade.
- Bacon – Cooked to a crisp and crumbled. I like to make air fryer bacon since it’s quick and easy.
- Lettuce – Crisp chopped iceberg or romaine lettuce works well, but feel free to use any salad greens you prefer.
- Tomatoes – Any kind of tomatoes will work. I love sweet, juicy cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, sliced in half. If you’re using larger varieties, like Roma tomatoes, chop them into quarters.
- Spring Onions – Thinly sliced. You could use red onion or mild, sweet Vidalia onion instead. Pickled onions would be a nice twist.
Salad Dressing
- Greek Yogurt – I like to use half Greek yogurt, half mayonnaise for a lighter salad dressing. Sour cream is a good substitute, or, if you prefer a richer dressing, simply use only mayo instead.
- Mayonnaise – Substitute the mayonnaise with cottage cheese for a protein boost (like I do in my creamy cottage cheese chicken salad).
- Seasoning – Garlic powder and onion powder echo the flavors of the marinade. You could add additional parsley, or try dill weed for a different flavor profile.
Tips and Variations
- No grill? Cook the marinated chicken breasts using your preferred method, whether that’s baking, pan-frying, or air frying.
- Save time with pre-cooked chicken. Feel free to use any leftover baked chicken breast or a store-bought or air fryer rotisserie chicken instead.
- Keep the salad dressing refrigerated. If you can, chill the dressing before you toss your salad. You can even prepare the dressing a few days in advance. The flavors develop even more over time.
- Shred the chicken, mix it with the salad ingredients and dressing, and serve it in a buttery croissant as a chicken salad sandwich, or in a chicken wrap.
- Add extras like shredded cheese, avocado, and boiled eggs.
- Brighten up the dressing with a splash of vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice if you’d like.
- Swap the dressing. I use a creamy dressing that mimics the mayonnaise found in a classic BLT sandwich. You can add dill, or dress this salad with homemade ranch dressing if preferred.
- Add croutons. Bring the “bread” back to this sandwich-inspired salad, and bake leftover focaccia bread to make crunchy homemade croutons.
What to Serve With This BLT Chicken Salad
I like to serve this chicken BLT salad with a side of homemade truffle fries, or I’ll pair it with a cozy soup. It’s filling enough to eat on its own, but in case you want to round out the meal, try these ideas.
- Soup and salad: Enjoy this salad alongside classic minestrone, cauliflower cheese soup, or roasted tomato soup with Texas Roadhouse rolls for dunking.
- Mains: Have this chicken salad on the side of a juicy tomahawk steak or smash burgers when entertaining guests.
- Appetizers: Serve a big, sharing-style BLT chicken salad with small plates, like crispy coconut shrimp, potato skins, or air fryer garlic bread.
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BLT Chicken Salad
This easy BLT chicken salad combines juicy marinated grilled chicken, crispy bacon, and fresh lettuce and tomatoes, all tossed in a creamy Greek yogurt dressing. Perfect for lunch or dinner!
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 2 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts, (about ¾-1 pound total)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley, or Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon smoked or sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
For the salad:
- 5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 small head iceberg lettuce, chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2-3 spring onions, thinly sliced
For the dressing:
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prep the chicken. Place the chicken breasts in a Ziploc bag. Using a meat mallet, pound the chicken to a ½-inch thickness. Transfer the chicken to a bowl, or use the same Ziploc bag if the meat mallet didn't pierce it. Add the olive oil, parsley, paprika powder, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to the chicken. Set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.
- Grill the chicken. Preheat the grill pan (or an outdoor grill) to medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the grill pan (or oiled grill grates) and cook for 5 minutes per side or until the internal temperature of the chicken registers at 165ºF. Remove it from the pan or grill and let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting into bite-sized pieces. Discard any remaining marinade.
- Make the dressing. In a bowl, whisk together the yogurt, mayonnaise, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
- Assemble the salad. Add the chopped lettuce, cherry tomatoes, bacon, chicken, and spring onions to a large salad bowl.
- Serve. Drizzle the prepared dressing over the salad. Toss and serve.
Equipment
Notes
- This is a great recipe for leftover cooked chicken. You can use rotisserie chicken, too.
- Use any ripe, juicy tomatoes you like. Cherry, grape, Roma, or chopped vine tomatoes all work well.
- Use chilled ingredients or chill the dressing before you add it over the salad.
- Add dill weed to the dressing for a different flavor.
Nutrition
Serving: 3cups | Calories: 453kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 381mg | Potassium: 516mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 536IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
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How to Make BLT Chicken Salad
These are the steps to make a tasty grilled chicken salad inspired by a BLT.
- Prep the chicken. Start by pounding the chicken to an even ½-inch thickness using a meat mallet. Then, combine the chicken in a Ziploc bag with the marinade ingredients, and marinate for 30 minutes.
- Grill. Next, take your chicken out of the marinade. Add the chicken to a hot grill (or grill pan if you’re indoors) and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes per side. Chicken is cooked when the internal temperature reads 165ºF. Afterward, let the chicken rest while you prepare the salad.
- Make the dressing. Meanwhile, whisk the dressing ingredients together. Oftentimes, I actually prepare the salad dressing ahead and let it chill in the fridge while the chicken marinates. It tastes even better when it’s cold.
- Assemble the salad. When it’s time to serve, assemble the lettuce, cherry tomatoes, bacon, and cooked chicken in a bowl. Garnish with spring onions and drizzle the dressing over the salad. Enjoy!
Meal Prep and Storage
- Prep the salad ingredients. You can cook the chicken and mix the dressing in advance. Keep them stored in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days. Just assemble the salad and add the chicken and dressing when it’s time to serve.
- Store leftovers. If you have leftover BLT chicken salad that’s already dressed, it can stay covered in the fridge for 1-2 days. The veggies tend to get soggy the longer they sit in the dressing, so enjoy the leftover salad sooner rather than later.
