Bacon Ranch Chicken Salad with Cheddar (Low Carb)

by Kayla Berman on March 17, 2023 0 comments

Bacon Ranch Chicken Salad is the perfect quick, easy, and delicious lunch recipe! Made with rotisserie chicken, cheddar cheese, bacon, ranch dressing, and green onions … this protein packed recipe is low carb, flavorful, and rich. Enjoy in salads, sandwiches, and wraps all throughout the week!

Looking for more low carb recipes? I’ve got you covered! Check out my Italian Grinder Salad, Cottage Cheese Pizza Bowl, or Burger Salad Bowls.

Easy & Delicious Low Carb Lunch Recipe

I lived in a big chicken salad household growing up! It was always either cold cut sandwiches or chicken salad sandwiches for a quick lunch. And I loved the chicken salad ones!

However, my mom’s chicken salad (although quite tasty!) was simply made with chicken and mayonnaise. Probably because as kids my sisters and I would never eat it if it had celery or onion in it.

But since the days of my childhood, the doors have opened to a whole new chicken salad world. A world where there are literally endless flavor options out there!

Like Chicken Bacon Ranch Chicken Salad! I mean, I used to believe that chicken salad just had mayo and bacon ranch was just a pizza topping. But boy was I wrong!!

This quick and easy chicken salad is anything but plain and boring! It is creamy, cheesy, flavorful, rich, and delicious. Plus it’s low carb and protein packed!

It is a great recipe to meal prep too! The whole family can enjoy throughout the week in salads, sandwiches, wraps, and more. It’s the perfect filling and tasty 10 minute meal!

Ingredients

Chicken bacon ranch salad only calls for a handful of simple ingredients!

Ingredient Notes

Chicken: For this cold chicken salad you need 2 cups cooked chicken. I love to use a rotisserie chicken!
Cheddar Cheese: Add 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese to this salad. It is such a delicious addition!
Bacon: The star of this chicken bacon salad is of course bacon. 1/3 cup chopped bacon adds the perfect salty, rich, and smokey flavor in every bite.
Ranch Dressing: Ranch dressing makes this chicken salad perfectly creamy. You’ll need 1/4 cup!
Mayo: 2 tbsp mayonnaise adds an extra bit of creaminess too. But if you want all the ranch flavor, just use 2 extra tbsp ranch.
Green Onions: Green onions are a great addition here! They give a bright and fresh flavor. Add 2 tbsp.
Seasonings: Lastly, this easy recipe is perfectly seasoned with 1 tsp garlic powder and 1 tsp onion powder. You’ll also add salt and pepper to taste.

Substitutions & Additions

There are a few substitutions and additions you could make to this recipe for it to meet your personal preferences, tastes, or needs.

Chicken: I personally use rotisserie chicken in recipes like this. It is just so easy! But you could really use any type of chicken. If you don’t have rotisserie chicken, just cook up some chicken breasts in whichever way you’d like. You can even use canned chicken!

If you’re using a rotisserie and have some leftover chicken, check out my Buffalo Chicken Flatbread or Easy Chicken Salad.

Ranch Dressing / Mayo: I love to use both light mayo and light ranch dressing in this recipe. It makes the salad a bit less heavy! And the recipe is still loaded with flavor.

Greek Yogurt: Greek yogurt is a great option for chicken salad! You could add in a bit to boost the protein and make the recipe extra creamy.

Extra Mix-Ins: I think there are so many more delicious ingredients you could add to this bacon chicken salad. Perhaps red onion, cherry tomatoes, or celery!

Seasonings: Ranch seasoning would be a fantastic addition to this recipe. It would give it even more ranch flavor! I think dried dill or dried parsley would also be great.

Kitchen Tools

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How To Make This Recipe

Bacon cheddar ranch chicken salad is incredibly easy to make! All you have to do is combine the ingredients into a flavorful, rich, and delicious meal.

Plus if you use a rotisserie chicken it’s even easier! No cooking required.

Step By Step Instructions

Step 1: First add the ranch dressing, mayo, garlic powder, and onion powder to a small bowl. Combine thoroughly.

Step 2: Next add the cooked chicken, cheddar cheese, green onions, and cooked bacon to a large bowl.

Step 3: Pour the ranch dressing mixture on top. Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Step 4: Serve on sandwiches, salads, or lettuce wraps. Enjoy!

Expert Tips

Bake your bacon! Just pop it in the oven at 400 degrees on a baking sheet for about 20 minutes. So easy, not too greasy!

Use rotisserie chicken! It makes this recipe 10x easier than it already is.

Chop the chicken (whichever kind you use) into fairly small pieces.

Light ranch and light mayo! It makes this recipe …. well, lighter! I find that there is enough richness from the cheese and bacon that you don’t really need the full fat options.

Add some extra ranch dressing to the chicken salad after storing. The salad gets a bit dry, so it’s a great idea to just liven it back up!

Turn this chicken salad into a dip! You could serve it with crackers or fresh veggies. Like carrots or bell pepper.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I meal prep this recipe?

Yes, absolutely! This is a great recipe to meal prep. You can make a big batch at the start of the week and then enjoy all throughout.

I personally love to do this for my lunches! It’s the perfect quick and easy thing to grab in the middle of a work day.

How to best serve this recipe?

This recipe can be served in so many ways!

My personal favorite way is in a lettuce wrap. I like to use butter lettuce because the leaves are the perfect size and shape!

You could also make chicken salad sandwiches, enjoy on top of a salad, or just eat with a fork.

If you’re looking to keep things low carb, try cucumber boats or even dip in with some low carb crackers.

How to best store this recipe?

You can store this low carb chicken salad in the refrigerator. It should keep for about 5 days!

Love this recipe? Check out more easy lunches below…

Connect With Me!

If you make this bacon and ranch chicken salad recipe or any of my other recipes, I would absolutely love to know! Tag me @wellnessbykay on Instagram so I can see and share your recreations.

Love this recipe? Leave a comment and a rating! I love to see and it helps me continue to develop delicious recipes for this blog.