Regular chicken salad is fine. It just doesn’t have much going on. This BLT Chicken Salad fixes that by folding crisp bacon, juicy tomato, and crunchy lettuce right into the mix, so every bite tastes like a sandwich without the bread. If you’ve made basic chicken salad before and felt like something was missing, this is the version that fills the gap.
The method here is simple: cook your bacon and chicken, chop your produce, mix a creamy dressing, then fold everything together and chill. Nothing fancy, no special equipment. The whole thing comes together in about 25 minutes of hands-on work, plus a short chill in the fridge so the flavors settle in.
This works so well because bacon and tomato bring salt, smoke, and acid three things plain chicken salad usually lacks. Draining the tomatoes properly keeps the salad from turning watery, and adding the lettuce right before serving keeps it crisp instead of wilted. Follow the steps below in order and you’ll end up with a chicken salad that actually tastes like a BLT, not just chicken salad with extra ingredients dumped in.
Grab a skillet, a mixing bowl, and let’s get started.
Total Time
40 minutes
Active Time
25 minutes
Difficulty
Beginner
What You Need
- 6 slices bacon
- 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or diced
- 1 cup cherry or Roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 cup romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Paper towels, for draining
At a Glance
- Cook the bacon until crisp
- Cool and chop the bacon
- Cook (or prep) the chicken
- Shred or dice the cooled chicken
- Dice the tomatoes and drain the extra juice
- Chop the lettuce into small ribbons
- Mix the creamy dressing base
- Season the dressing to taste
- Fold the chicken into the dressing
- Add the bacon, tomatoes, and lettuce
- Chill the salad before serving
- Serve the BLT chicken salad your way
Cook the bacon until crisp
Lay 6 slices of bacon flat in a cold skillet, then turn the heat to medium. Starting in a cold pan lets the fat render slowly, so the bacon cooks evenly instead of burning on the outside while staying chewy inside. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, flipping every couple minutes, until deep golden brown and firm to the touch.
Heads Up: Bacon can go from perfectly crisp to burnt in under a minute once it darkens. Stay near the stove for the last 2 minutes of cooking and pull it early if it’s browning fast.
Cool and chop the bacon
Move the cooked bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. Warm bacon still has soft fat running through it, so chopping it now smears grease everywhere instead of making clean pieces. Let it rest for 5 minutes until it firms up and cools to room temperature, then chop it into small, bite-sized bits with a sharp knife.
Cook (or prep) the chicken
If you’re starting from raw chicken, season 2 boneless chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then cook them in a skillet over medium heat for 6 to 7 minutes per side, until the internal temperature hits 165°F. Already have rotisserie or leftover chicken on hand? Skip straight to the next step. Either way, let the chicken cool for 10 minutes before handling it hot chicken is hard to shred and it’ll warm up your dressing later.
Shred or dice the cooled chicken
Two cups of cooked chicken is what you’re aiming for here. Use two forks to pull the chicken apart into shredded strands, or cut it into small cubes with a knife if you prefer a chunkier bite. Shredded chicken soaks up more dressing, while diced chicken holds its shape better in each spoonful. Either way works pick whichever texture you actually like eating.
Dice the tomatoes and drain the extra juice
Cut 1 cup of cherry or Roma tomatoes into small pieces, about the size of a pea. Tomatoes hold a surprising amount of liquid, and that liquid is the number one reason chicken salad turns watery by the next day. Spread the diced tomatoes on a paper towel and let them sit for 5 minutes, then pat the tops dry before adding them to the bowl.
Heads Up: Skipping this drying step is the most common reason BLT chicken salad turns runny in the fridge. Don’t rush it — those 5 minutes matter more than they seem to.
Chop the lettuce into small ribbons
Stack a few romaine leaves on top of each other, roll them up like a cigar, then slice across the roll to create thin ribbons. This technique is called a chiffonade, and it keeps the lettuce from turning into big unwieldy chunks that fall out of your spoon. Aim for about 1 cup of chopped lettuce, and don’t wash it until right before you chop wet lettuce turns limp fast.
Mix the creamy dressing base
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice until smooth. The mustard adds a little tang that cuts through the richness of the mayo, and the lemon juice brightens the whole thing so it doesn’t taste flat. Whisk for about 30 seconds, until there are no streaks of mustard left.
Season the dressing to taste
Add 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder to the dressing, along with a pinch of salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Stir it in, then taste it with a clean spoon. Bacon and salty seasonings are still coming, so go lighter on salt here than you think you need you can always add more later, but you can’t take it out.
Pro Tip: If you like a little heat, a few dashes of hot sauce or a pinch of smoked paprika in the dressing plays really well with the bacon. Add it now, while the dressing is easy to taste and adjust.
Fold the chicken into the dressing
Add the shredded or diced chicken to the bowl with the dressing. Using a rubber spatula, fold the chicken into the dressing with a gentle scooping motion, turning the bowl as you go. Folding instead of stirring keeps the chicken from breaking down into mush, especially if you shredded it. Keep going until every piece is coated, about 1 minute.
Add the bacon, tomatoes, and lettuce
Now the fun part. Sprinkle in the chopped bacon and drained tomatoes, then fold them into the chicken and dressing until evenly distributed. Hold off on the lettuce for now it goes in later, right before serving, so it stays crisp instead of going soft and watery from sitting in the dressing.
Chill the salad before serving
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and set it in the fridge for 30 minutes. This short rest lets the garlic powder and mustard fully blend into the dressing, so the flavor tastes deeper instead of separate and scattered. It also firms up the texture, which makes the salad much easier to scoop.
Pro Tip: Short on time? Even 10 minutes in the fridge helps. But the full 30 minutes makes a noticeably bigger difference in flavor, so plan for it if you can.
Serve the BLT chicken salad your way
Ready to eat? Pull the salad from the fridge and fold in the chopped lettuce right before serving. From here, pile it onto toasted bread for a sandwich, scoop it over a bed of greens, stuff it into a wrap, or eat it straight with crackers. However you serve it, this BLT Chicken Salad holds up well for 3 to 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
Troubleshooting
| If This Happens | Try This |
|---|---|
| Salad turns watery after a day in the fridge | Tomatoes weren’t dried well enough before mixing. Next time, pat them for a full **5 minutes** and stir in fresh bacon and lettuce right before each serving instead of all at once. |
| Chicken tastes bland even after mixing | The dressing likely needed more salt or lemon juice. Taste and adjust the dressing before folding in the chicken, not after — it’s much easier to fix at that stage. |
| Chicken shreds are dry and stringy | The chicken was likely overcooked. Use a meat thermometer next time and pull it right at **165°F**, then let it rest before shredding to lock in moisture. |
| Lettuce is wilted and soggy by the time you eat it | The lettuce was added too early. Store it separately and fold it in only when you’re ready to serve, especially if you’re making the salad ahead of time. |
| Bacon pieces are soft instead of crisp in the finished salad | This usually means the bacon wasn’t cooked long enough, or it sat in the warm chicken too soon. Make sure it’s fully cooled and crisp before chopping and mixing it in. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this BLT Chicken Salad ahead of time?
Yes. Make the chicken, dressing, bacon, and tomato mix up to **2 days** ahead. Just keep the lettuce separate and add it right before serving so it stays crisp.
Can I use rotisserie chicken instead of cooking my own?
Absolutely. Rotisserie chicken saves time and works great here. You’ll need about **2 cups** shredded, which is roughly half of a standard store-bought rotisserie chicken.
Is there a lighter substitute for the mayonnaise?
Plain Greek yogurt works well and cuts the richness while adding a slight tang. Try swapping half the mayo for yogurt first to see if you like the balance.
How long does BLT chicken salad last in the fridge?
It stays good for **3 to 4 days** in an airtight container, as long as the lettuce is added fresh each time rather than mixed in from the start.
Can I freeze BLT chicken salad?
It’s not recommended. Mayonnaise-based dressings separate and turn watery once thawed, and the lettuce and tomato will go mushy. This one’s best made fresh.
Quick Reference Card
What You Need:
6 slices bacon • 2 cups cooked chicken • 1 cup diced tomatoes • 1 cup chopped lettuce • 1/2 cup mayonnaise • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard • 1 tbsp lemon juice • 1/2 tsp garlic powder • salt & pepper
Steps:
- Cook bacon until crisp (8-10 min)
- Cool bacon, then chop
- Cook chicken to 165°F, cool 10 min
- Shred or dice chicken
- Dice tomatoes, drain 5 min
- Chop lettuce into ribbons
- Whisk mayo, mustard, lemon juice
- Season dressing with garlic powder, salt, pepper
- Fold chicken into dressing
- Add bacon and tomatoes
- Chill 30 min
- Fold in lettuce right before serving
Conclusion
That’s it your BLT Chicken Salad is ready to eat, and it actually tastes like a BLT this time.
You’ve got crispy bacon, juicy tomato, and crunchy lettuce folded into a creamy, well-seasoned chicken salad, and it’ll hold up in the fridge for days. Next time, try it stuffed into a wrap or piled onto toasted sourdough for an easy lunch upgrade.
Save this recipe to your favorite Pinterest board so it’s ready whenever the craving hits again.
BLT Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Cook bacon in a cold skillet over medium heat, 8–10 minutes, until crisp.
- Cool bacon on paper towels 5 minutes, then chop.
- Cook chicken breasts to 165°F internal temperature (or use pre-cooked/rotisserie chicken); cool 10 minutes.
- Shred or dice the cooled chicken.
- Dice tomatoes and drain on paper towels 5 minutes.
- Chop lettuce into thin ribbons.
- Whisk mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice until smooth.
- Season dressing with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Fold chicken into dressing.
- Add bacon and drained tomatoes; fold to combine.
- Chill 30 minutes.
- Fold in lettuce just before serving.
Notes
- Keep lettuce separate if making ahead — add fresh at serving time to avoid sogginess.
- Swap half the mayo for plain Greek yogurt for a lighter version.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3–4 days (without lettuce mixed in).
- Not suitable for freezing — the dressing separates and produce turns mushy once thawed.
