Chicken BLT Salad

Just like a BLT sandwich, but salad-style with some chicken to make it a filling lunch or dinner. It’s all here – crispy bacon, juicy cherry tomatoes, a creamy yogurt-mayo dressing, plus easy homemade croutons. This Chicken BLT Salad is great for a light dinner or prep it ahead for easy lunches.

Chicken BLT Salad

Turning a favorite sandwich into a salad is a good idea mostly because you end up with less bread and more veggies, but you also get the same feel-good feelings that the sandwich creates. I love a BLT, but right now – as I emerge from my winter hibernation and realize a few more veggies now and then is probably a good idea – I need to eat more salads.

And so I turned to a classic BLT for inspiration and ended up with a chicken BLT salad – a big bowl of greens topped with juicy tomatoes, crispy bacon, homemade croutons, and a creamy dressing with just a touch of mayo. I also added some simple pan-cooked chicken, which isn’t a traditional BLT ingredient, but delicious all the same.

How to Make Homemade Croutons

I’m not a fan of store-bought croutons mostly because the ones I’ve seen are usually big and hard as rocks. I’d never go as far to say “don’t buy store-bought croutons!” because I get we’re all busy and picking up a bag is an easy short-cut, but making your own really isn’t that hard and (!) taking the DIY route means you can customize them to your tastes.

• You’ll need one slice of sandwich bread – I used country white because that’s what I’d use if I made a regular BLT sandwich, but use whatever bread you like – maybe some whole wheat, whole grain, or sourdough bread? Cut the bread into small cubes.
• Toss the cubes with some olive oil, garlic powder, and kosher salt, but feel free to put your spice cabinet to use here – Italian seasoning, onion powder, paprika, chili powder, and dried herbs like thyme, parsley, and rosemary are all ways to switch things up.
• Bake the croutons just until they are lightly golden and crispy on the outside, but still a little soft on the inside. In my oven this took about eight minutes at 350 degrees, stopping once half-way through to give them a stir on the sheet pan. If you prefer a crunchier crouton, leave them in a little longer.

Simple Yogurt-Mayo Dressing

And while it’s tempting to whip up a mayo-only dressing for the salad in the same spirit I might slather it on a BLT sandwich, substituting some tangy Greek yogurt and adding just a touch of mayo gives you a dressing that’s lighter, but still with the flavor that makes a BLT so delicious. I added some lemon juice, fresh parsley, and a pinch of salt. So simple.

Make the croutons first and while they’re in the oven mix up the dressing. From there all you need to do is cook up some bacon, cook the chicken in the same pan in a little of the rendered bacon fat, and then make the salads. Toss all the ingredients together with some green leaf lettuce or top the lettuce with all the stuff and drizzle the dressing over the top. Either way, this chicken blt salad is delicious.

More Salad Recipes

• Taco Salad with Chili-Spiced Catalina Dressing
• Green Bean Potato Salad
• Tomato and Pickled Beet Salad
• Roasted Parsnip Salad

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