Description
Ranch chicken salad showcases crisp vegetables and tender grilled chicken in a light, zesty dressing. Meal prep becomes simple with this nutritious lunch option you’ll crave repeatedly.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups (473 ml) cooked, shredded or diced chicken breast
- ½ cup (120 ml) plain Greek yogurt (or light sour cream)
- 2 tbsps (30 ml) ranch seasoning mix (store-bought or homemade)
- 2 tbsps (28 g) chopped bacon
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice
- ¼ cup (40 g) diced red onion
- ¼ cup (40 g) diced celery
- ¼ cup (40 g) chopped fresh parsley or dill (optional)
- ¼ cup (40 g) shredded carrots (optional)
- ¼ cup (40 g) diced avocado (add just before serving) (optional)
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Dressing Preparation: Whisk Greek yogurt with ranch seasoning until smooth, creating a zesty, creamy base that will infuse the entire salad with vibrant flavor.
- Protein Integration: Fold diced cooked chicken into the yogurt mixture, ensuring each piece is completely coated with the tangy dressing for maximum taste absorption.
- Texture Enhancement: Introduce chopped celery and red onion to provide a dynamic crunch and sharp aromatic dimension to the salad’s overall profile.
- Herbal Accent: Sprinkle fresh parsley throughout the mixture, adding a bright green color and herbaceous undertone that elevates the dish’s complexity.
- Seasoning Refinement: Carefully adjust salt and pepper, tasting and balancing the flavors to create a harmonious and nuanced taste experience.
- Flavor Melding: Refrigerate the salad for at least 30 minutes, allowing ingredients to intermingle and develop a more cohesive and robust flavor profile.
- Serving Versatility: Present the chilled salad as a flexible dish – nestled in whole-grain bread, wrapped in crisp lettuce leaves, or arranged over mixed greens for a nutritious and satisfying meal.
Notes
- Optimize Yogurt Base: Choose full-fat Greek yogurt for richer texture and deeper flavor, ensuring a creamy consistency without excess moisture.
- Control Chicken Moisture: Pat cooked chicken completely dry before dicing to prevent watery salad and maintain robust flavor concentration.
- Enhance Flavor Depth: Allow salad to rest in refrigerator for minimum 30 minutes, enabling seasonings to penetrate ingredients and develop more complex taste profile.
- Customize Dietary Needs: Swap regular chicken with grilled tofu or shredded rotisserie chicken for vegetarian/convenience options, maintaining protein content and texture integrity.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3
- Calories: 290
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg