What is Ranch Chicken Salad?
Chicken salad is a staple at our house especially as a quick and easy summer meal.
Ranch chicken salad is a high-protein, flavor-packed dish that combines tender, seasoned chicken breast with chopped vegetables and a creamy dressing made with mayo, Greek yogurt, ranch seasoning, and a splash of lemon juice. It’s your favorite ranchy flavors, turned into a cool, refreshing salad you can meal prep or serve as a light dinner.
This ranch chicken salad is as easy on your wallet as it is delicious. Chicken breasts are an affordable protein, and this recipe stretches them by pairing with crunchy veggies and a creamy dressing made with pantry staples like mayo, ranch seasoning, and Greek yogurt. No need to buy expensive lunch kits when you can make this one homemade, healthier, and way more cost-effective!
Ranch chicken salad is a healthy way to keep yourself feeling full for lunches or light dinners. Poaching the chicken breast is cooking it in water so you can add a ton of flavor without adding any extra fat or calories. It seems weird at first to put chicken breasts in water to cook them, but please trust me that it is going to be your new favorite way to cook it when you want quick, easy, and healthy. Just don’t forget to season the water, otherwise, it is a little bland.
I like to use 1/2 mayo and 1/2 Greek yogurt for the dressing, but you can use any ratio of those two ingredients to make it taste the way you want. The calories will change and so will the protein content of this recipe depending on what you do.
Why You’ll Love Ranch Chicken Salad
One of the many reasons to make Ranch Chicken Salad is that it is high in protein, with the lean chicken breast and the addition of the Greek yogurt it is an easy way to get that in. All the protein keeps you feeling full for a long time!
This is a homemade chicken salad so you get to control the ingredients that go into it, making it a wholesome choice for any meal.
Ranch chicken salad is also a perfect meal for any summertime or hot day. It is a cold lunch/dinner option making it perfect if you are traveling over the lunch hour or you are needing something delicious to take to a picnic or potluck. Just make sure to keep it cold.
This ranch chicken salad is slightly lightened by working in some Greek yogurt instead of just loading it up with mayo. Mayo is delicious and adds a great texture, so I don’t cut it out all the way, but it does add a lot of calories so mixing it with the Greek yogurt makes it the best of both worlds.
If you are looking for an ideal recipe to make ahead of time for quick meal prep this is it. It is one that is easy to pack for anyone’s lunch on the go, my kids love it !
Lastly, and another reason to love the ranch chicken salad recipe is that it is packed with vegetables. Not only do you get the protein you are looking for in a balanced meal, but you are also able to work in the vegetables your body needs without it being a traditional salad.
Tips for the Perfect Ranch Chicken Salad
Dicing all the vegetables will give you equal and even bites. Making them a little smaller or at least the same size as all the other parts of the food is going to give you the best flavor experience as you eat this.
Ranch chicken salad is best when you make the chicken pieces small too. The more you shred this up the more you will be able to cover in the delicious ranchy dressing.
To save time making ranch chicken salad, or any chicken salad, use leftover or a rotisserie chicken. This way the protein is already cooked and makes meal prepping a breeze.
Achieving the perfect flavor balance is easy, and plays into the meal prep hand, because it is best when it is mixed and left to sit and chill for a couple of hours or overnight.
There is no right or wrong way to eat this ranch chicken salad, use celery, a tortilla, a pita, or put it into a lettuce wrap to really amp up the veggies for the day.
Meal Pre and Storage Tips for Ranch Chicken Salad
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Store your prepared ranch chicken salad in an airtight container like these glass ones or meal prep it as shown in the picture using these containers. This way it will stay fresh for 3-4 days.
Making ranch chicken salad makes lunch for the week a non issue. Because this is such a meal prep friendly recipe you can easily pack it as shown or use the suggestions above for serving to make an easy grab-and-go lunch or snack.
If you are serving this on a lettuce wrap, wait to package that together until you want to eat it. The acid in the lemon juice will make the greens go very limp, so keep it fresh by keeping them seperate.
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Ingredients
Method
- Cook chicken by poaching it in water. Place chicken breasts in a sauce pan with water. Add in the Mrs. Dash seasoning and salt. Next turn water on and let chicken simmer until it reaches 165 when using a thermometer, if using thawed chicken this takes about 10 minutes. If you are using frozen chicken this can take 15 to 20 minutes depending on how thick they are.
- Chop onion, celery and bell pepper, put in a bowl. Chop the chicken very finely, and let cool. Once chicken is cooled place in the bowl too.
- Stir in the mayo, ranch seasoning, and lemon juice.
- Serve cold on a salad, sandwich, or cucumbers.