My Bacon Ranch Chicken Salad is bursting with flavor. It is rich and creamy with cheddar, bacon, and dill. This is the BEST keto chicken salad you will ever eat. It comes together in minutes as a delicious lunch or summer dinner.
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Over the last few years, the bacon ranch flavor combination has become a favorite of my entire family. They love any dish with those flavors. Throw in some cheddar too and you have a real winner.
We love my Bacon Ranch Chicken Casserole so much that I needed to come up with a version for the warmer weather in June, July, and August. This low carb chicken salad recipe does the trick.
For an easy summer main dish try this chicken bacon ranch salad recipe.
Homemade Ranch Seasoning
I get a lot of questions about my ranch recipes because I do not use bottled ranch dressing or ranch dressing packets. I use a specific blend of herbs and spices to create a ranch flavor from scratch!
You do not need the processed versions with all their additives to get a ranch flavor. Making your own keto friendly spice mixes and dressings for your keto diet is an easy way to ensure they are low carb and gluten free.
I tend to use dried herbs but fresh dill is great if you have it. With my ranch seasoning, this really is the best homemade keto chicken salad out there.
You can change up the seasoning in this and replace the ranch with my Keto Fajita Seasoning or Smoked Paprika Rub.
Other Ingredients
Besides the ingredients in the sauce you only need three ingredients.
Cubed Cooked Chicken - Any cooked chicken is fine. I normally use chopped chicken breast but shredded chicken works too.
Chopped Bacon - Fresh crisp chopped bacon is great but bacon crumbles that come in the pantry section work well.
Shredded Cheddar Cheese - If you don't have cheddar mozzarella cheese or Monterey jack are my next choices.
How to Make Bacon Ranch Chicken Salad
Step One: Mix together the sauce ingredients in a bowl.
Step Two: Chop the bacon and chicken.
Step Three: Mix those in along with the shredded cheese. That's it!
Variations
Yogurt - If you are looking for a lighter chicken salad use Greek yogurt in place of the mayonnaise or try this healthy chicken salad.
Crunch - Want to add in some crunch? Add chopped celery, green onions, bell pepper, or red onion.
Avocado - Love avocado? That is great in this too! Or you can even serve it on top of a halved avocado.
Lettuce Wrap - Serve inside a romaine lettuce wrap for a handheld lunch. Add in some slices of tomatoes or cucumbers to boost the veggies.
Vegetarian - Swap out the chicken for broccoli florets and leave out the bacon. I use this as the base for my broccoli salad! You can also use it as a base for pasta salad.
Common Questions
What type of chicken do I use for chicken salad?
I use grilled chicken marinated in my Ranch Yogurt Marinade for this recipe for double the ranch flavor. I love ranch. Whenever we grill chicken breasts I make enough to have leftovers for quick and easy lunches. Chicken salad is one of our default summer keto recipes.
Any type of leftover cooked chicken is fine as long as it doesn't have a contrasting flavor. This is a great way to use up leftover chicken from other low carb recipes, from meal prep, grilled, baked, or made in the instant pot. I wouldn't recommend using leftover chicken with an Asian marinade or spicy Mexican rub. You can make this keto chicken salad with leftover rotisserie chicken or even canned chicken breast. If you use canned chicken breast just make sure to cut back on the salt or it might be too salty.
How many servings does this make?
This makes 2 servings of keto chicken salad. Feel free to double or triple to serve your entire family. I normally just make this for myself for lunch for a couple of days. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
How many carbs in chicken salad?
This varies A LOT. Many store-bought chicken salads add sugar so if you are buying chicken salad instead of making it always read the label.
My keto chicken salad has 1 carb per serving so it is a great choice in place of higher carb chicken salad recipes and store bought salads!
What do I serve with chicken salad?
Bacon Cheddar Ranch Chicken Salad is great served with a fork. I tend to just eat it plain but other times I'll put it inside a low carb tortilla, lettuce leaves, or serve it on top of baby spinach. If you have a low carb bread you like chicken salad sandwiches are delicious too.
You can also serve it on these Cheddar Ranch Keto Biscuits for extra ranch flavor!
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Ingredients
- 10 oz cooked chicken cubed
- ¼ cup mayo
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- ½ teaspoon parsley
- â…› teaspoon onion powder
- â…› teaspoon garlic powder
- pinch salt
- ¼ cup shredded cheddar
- ¼ cup crumbled cooked bacon
Instructions
- Combine mayo, sour cream, and spices and mix thoroughly.
- Fold in the chicken, bacon, and cheddar.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published May 20, 2016, Revised and republished April 8, 2020.
wilhelmina says
This is the best chicken salad! I love all these flavors together and it's so creamy and delicous. This recipe is amazing!
Natalie says
When summer approaches I am all about salads. I enjoyed your chicken salad last night and highly recommend it to everyone!
Janice says
So delicious 😋 and I don’t have to search the shops for ranch dressing I’ll use your recipe all the time, best salad ever
Laura says
My fave flavor combo!
Cindy says
Great recipe! Very tasty and easy to make:)
Kelley says
This is one of our favorites! It's perfect for a quick lunch!
Allison says
This was great! A delicious switch up from our usual chicken salad.
Natalie says
Delicious salad. I'm going to save this recipe to make it for my lunchbox. Thanks!
Art Teal says
I make this ALL THE TIME! So good. I add Celery and chopped Jalapenos. I skip the salt as the chicken and Jalapenos seem to have enough salt. Great with pork rinds. Yes, I now eat these disgusting things instead of potato chips. Anybody else?
Kay says
This is SOOO good! I served it topped with sliced avocado.
todd says
Bursting with flavor! Needed something worthwhile for the extra canned chix I had.
Dawn Bonner says
This is THE BEST chicken salad I have ever tasted!
Cynthia Reid says
Just made this and Yummo - no need for pre-made packets! All ingredients most people will have handy.
Lisa says
Looks delicious!!
Suzy says
I am loving the homemade sauce on this salad! Love having all of the ingredients right in my pantry or fridge! So tasty too!
Noelle says
Now this is my kind of salad! Love all the ingredients you added 🙂
Melanie says
This is so good!!!!!! Thank you so much. It actually made my boring low carb diet so much better. Have you tried to make some to keep in the refrigerator? I wonder how the bacon would do if I did? I could always add bacon before serving.
Taryn says
The bacon does get a little soft if you make it ahead. I do add the bacon right before serving.
Aimeeintx says
I might be missing it but I don't see how much bacon for the recipe. It looks great, honestly I doubt you can have too much bacon.
Taryn says
It's the last ingredient. 1/4 cup crumbled bacon. That is 3-4 pieces. I use the packaged bacon crumbles most of the time.
Ashley says
How would you adjust this to make with a whole rotisserie chicken? I am aiming to keep meals ready I'm the fridge so we aren't tempted to grab other things.
Taryn says
No real adjustments besides just salting to taste. Enjoy!
Ashley says
How much would you say a serving is in cups?
Taryn says
My guess is 1.25 cups. But that is a total guess. A serving is half the recipe so it's pretty easy to just divide into 2 containers.