Bacon Broccoli and Ranch Chicken Salad

A super flavorful chicken salad made with bacon, broccoli, ranch and shallots. It is perfect for a high protein lunch!

Course Lunch

Cuisine American

Keyword bacon ranch chicken salad, chicken bacon ranch salad

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Servings servings

Calories 457kcal

Bake bacon until crispy - I like to bake mine at 400F for 15-20 minutes depending on how thick it is
Fill a pot with water (or chicken broth for more flavor) and place 2 chicken breasts in the pot. Place the pot on the stove and bring liquid to a boil.
Once boiling cover the pot and simmer covered for 15-20 minutes depending on the size of the chicken breasts.
While the chicken and bacon cook, dice the shallot and chop the broccoli into smaller pieces. I like the broccoli really finely chopped.
Check the cooked chicken breast for an internal temp of 165F. Then, remove from the pot and allow to cool slightly. Shred the chicken with two forks and add to a large mixing bowl.
Add chopped bacon, broccoli, shallots and ranch dressing to the bowl with the chicken. Mix it all together so that the ranch dressing coats all of the other ingredients
Serve immediately or chill before serving. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days

Cut down on cook time with premade chicken - you can rotisserie chicken breast or canned chicken to cut down on cook time. Some stores even sell pre-shredded chicken breast! You can also grab some pre-cooked bacon bits.
Pump up the protein with greek yogurt ranch dressing - Mix 1/2 cup of non fat plain greek yogurt with 1 tbsp oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp vinegar and 2 tbsp ranch seasoning then use that in place of the ranch dress.
Poach chicken in broth for extra flavor - I like to poach my chicken breasts in chicken broth or chicken bone broth instead of water. This adds a ton of extra flavor to this already amazing chicken salad recipe.
Try these chicken shredding shortcuts - While the chicken is still warm, you can shred it easily using a hand mixer or a stand mixer. You can also use a food processor, but it will be finely shredded using that. I personally like to use this twist shredder.