Ranch Chicken Salad

Chicken, bacon, and ranch – but make it high protein and lightened up! Make my easy ranch chicken salad and serve with your favorite bread, crackers, or veggies for a satisfying lunch. You’ll also love my Southwest chicken salad, classic chicken salad, and jalapeno popper chicken salad.

Lightened Up, But Extra Delicious

Packed with protein, effortless prep, and it gets even tastier as it sits in the fridge – it’s no wonder chicken salad is one of my favorite meal prep lunches as a Registered Dietitian. Here’s why you’ll love this easy ranch chicken salad:

1. High protein. This easy meal prep lunch packs over 30 grams of protein per serving to keep you full for hours.
2. Super easy to make. You’ll enjoy a healthy and flavorful lunch all week with just 20-minutes of prep.
3. The perfect meal prep staple. Leftovers can be hit or miss – but this chicken salad truly gets better as it sits on the fridge.

Need more high-protein salad recipes? Try my pesto orzo salad, Greek bean salad, or quinoa edamame salad.

Key Ingredient Notes

• Rotisserie chicken: I always use this for the base of my chicken salads because it’s so easy and way more flavorful than plain chicken breast. You can substitute homemade shredded chicken, but adjust the seasonings as needed.
• Mayonnaise and Greek yogurt: A blend of both makes for the perfect light but creamy salad. I recommend a certain ratio in my recipe – but you can use all yogurt, all mayonnaise, or any combination of the two.
• Ranch seasoning powder: Hidden Valley ranch powder gives this chicken salad the most delicious and crave-worthy flavor. You can use other brands, but this is my personal favorite.
• Turkey bacon: You can substitute regular pork bacon if preferred.

Scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredients list and detailed recipe.

How To Make Ranch Chicken Salad

Step 1: Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl.

Step 2: Mix, taste, and adjust mayonnaise or yogurt as needed. Store and enjoy all week!

If you’re making chicken salad for meal prep, store in single-serve food containers in the fridge for up to four days. Stir before serving if needed.

What To Serve With Chicken Salad

• Crackers or chips: My favorite way to enjoy this chicken salad is as a dip with a serving of whole grain crackers or tortilla chips. 
• Vegetables: For more fiber and nutrition, serve with a handful of sliced vegetables that are shaped for dipping like carrot chips, cucumber slices, or celery sticks. I also love dipping apple slices in chicken salad.
• Bread: Serve as a sandwich, on top of open-faced toast, or rolled in a tortilla and sliced into pinwheels.
• Salad: Use a big scoop of chicken salad on top of greens and your favorite salad ingredients for a lower carb option.

Tips From My Test Kitchen

1. Use rotisserie chicken. Rotisserie chicken just has way more flavor than what most people make at home. I use this as the base for almost every chicken salad recipe!
2. Chop everything small. Chop your chicken and veggies small to make sure there’s maximum flavor in every bite.
3. Chill before serving. Totally optional – but refrigerating your chicken salad for a few hours before eating helps the flavors melt together.