This Chopped Chicken Salad only takes a couple of minutes to put together and is perfect if you’re looking for a filling salad. Super versatile and great as a meal prep as well!
There’s just something about a chopped salad that is perfect. Everything is perfectly chopped into bite sized pieces so you can get a little bit of everything with every bite you take of this chicken salad. By the way, salads always seem to taste better in large bowls so I 100% recommend enjoying this in a large bowl!
Why You’ll Love This Chopped Salad
- It’s simple — everything goes into a bowl and voila, it’s done.
- This chopped salad is quite versatile as if you don’t like something I’ve listed, simply swap it out. You can also season your chicken breasts however you wish or even buy pre-made chicken strips to chop up.
- The dressing is optional! I love loading this salad up with avocado and it’s almost like a natural salad dressing. Avocados are so creamy that it practically doubles as a dressing.
What You’ll Need
For the chicken:
- chicken breasts
- olive oil
- sriracha lime seasoning — or simply season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
For everything else:
- bacon
- romaine lettuce — here’s a step by step post on how to cut romaine lettuce.
- red onions
- cherry tomatoes
- cucumbers
- avocado
- goat cheese
How to Make Chopped Chicken Salad
To Make the Chicken
- Slice each chicken breasts in half so your two chicken breasts become four thin fillets.
- Coat in olive oil and cover with the seasoning of your choice.
- Heat a cast iron (or pan of your choice) on medium heat with additional olive oil. Place the chicken breasts in the cast iron in a single layer.
- Sear the breasts for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, turning once between cooking, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Allow the chicken breasts to rest for 5 minutes before chopping.
To Make The Bacon
- Heat oven to 400F.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, then place the bacon strips side by side.
- Bake the bacon for 18-20 minutes or until it’s reached your desired level of crispiness. Transfer the bacon with tongs to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb extra oil.
- Roughly chop into small pieces.
To Assemble
- Combine the chopped romaine lettuce, red onions, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, goat cheese, crumbled bacon, and chopped chicken.
- Top with some salad dressing if desired.
Tips and Notes
- To cut a romaine lettuce, simply the lettuce in half lengthwise, remove the core of the lettuce (I use a V shape cut). Then slice each halves in half again. Chop the lettuce from the core end to the tips, into bite sized pieces.
- Here are some more ideas of what to add to your salad or swap ingredients for: chickpeas, cubes of fresh mozzarella cheese, feta, bell peppers, roasted beets, carrots, and more!
- I usually cook my chicken while the bacon is in the oven so save time.
- In my opinion, the more avocado the better lol.
- Some salad dressings I like are my Tangy Orange Citrus Dressing, Hummus Salad Dressing, or my Creamy Roasted Garlic Dressing. You can also go with store-bought if you’d like.
Make Ahead Tips
- Meal prep: store the salads in an airtight container. Do not cut the avocado or top with dressing until ready to enjoy. The avocados will brown over time and the dressing with make the salad soggy so hold off on those! Prepped salad will last for 3-4 days.
- Freezer: You can freeze the cooked chicken and cooked bacon. Allow the chicken and bacon to cool before transferring it into an airtight container before storing them in the freezer.
Chopped Chicken Salad
This Chopped Chicken Salad only takes a couple minutes to put together and is perfect if you’re looking for a filling salad. Super versatile and great as a meal prep as well!
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Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 2 chicken breasts
- 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp for the chicken, 2 tbsp for the cast iron
- 2½ tbsp sriracha lime seasoning , or simply season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
For everything else:
- 6 strips bacon
- 4-6 cups romaine lettuce
- 1 red onions, diced
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cucumbers, sliced
- 1-2 avocado, diced
- goat cheese, as much or as little as you'd like
- salad dressing if desired, as much or as little as you'd like
Instructions
To Make the Chicken:
- Slice each chicken breasts in half so your two chicken breasts become four thin fillets.
- Coat in olive oil and cover with the seasoning of your choice.
- Heat a cast iron (or pan of your choice) on medium heat with additional olive oil. Place the chicken breasts in the cast iron in a single layer.
- Sear the breasts for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, turning once between cooking, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Allow the chicken breasts to rest for 5 minutes before chopping.
To Make The Bacon:
- Heat oven to 400F.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, then place the bacon strips side by side.
- Bake the bacon for 18-20 minutes or until it’s reached your desired level of crispiness. Transfer the bacon with tongs to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb extra oil.
- Roughly chop into small pieces.
To Assemble:
- Combine the chopped romaine lettuce, red onions, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, goat cheese, crumbled bacon, and chopped chicken.
- Top with some salad dressing if desired.
Tried this recipe?Did you make this recipe? I’m always so happy to hear about it! I’d love to see how it turned out. Tag me at @CarmysHungry on Instagram so I can see it! If you enjoyed the recipe, I’d really appreciate a comment with a 5 star rating! ♥
More Salads You’ll Love
- Lentil Salad with Hummus
- Simple Lentil Salad with Mixed Greens
- 3 Mason Jar Salads with Chicken
- Simple Avocado Bacon Corn Chicken Salad
- Chicken Strawberry Avocado Salad
- Honey Chipotle Chicken Salad
- Herb Chicken Thighs Salad
Other places to connect with me
@carmyshungry on Instagram
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Email: [email protected]
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