Chopped chicken salad boasts juicy chicken, marinated and grilled to perfection, on a bed of crunchy romaine lettuce, topped with bacon, avocado, and blue cheese crumbles, tossed in a homemade creamy dressing that is filling, refreshing, and a real crowd pleaser.
This is by far one of the best salads that falls into the category of a quick lunch or main course meal. You could also omit the chicken, add more fresh veggies, and serve as a side dish with just about any meal. The best part is that you could also customize based on the ingredients you have on hand. The first time I made this was for a garden party and it’s fancy enough to serve for a group or an elegant luncheon. The cilantro lime dressing with yogurt really makes this salad refreshing and a step above the rest.
For those who like a creamy chicken salad, be sure to try my Citrus chicken salad, perfect for the summer. If you decide you don’t want to grill, swap out the seasoning and go with my air fryer boneless chicken breasts. You could also use leftover herb roasted chicken.
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🥗 Ingredients:
Chicken Marinade:
- boneless skinless chicken breasts – if you wanted to make just chicken for the main dish, this marinade is excellent.
- soy sauce
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- garlic cloves – if you don’t have cloves, use garlic powder instead.
Salad Ingredients:
- chopped lettuces – romaine baby green, and spinach
- bacon – chopped and cooked; to save time you could grab a bag of the real bacon bits from the grocery store.
- cherry or grape tomatoes – slice in half or use whole, you can also use whole tomatoes, cut into chunks
- blue cheese crumbles
- avocados
- red onion – the red onion really adds a nice little bite to the salad. I like to slice it very thin so that it doesn’t overpower the salad.
- limes – or ½ cup of store bought lime juice.
- plain Greek yogurt – adds a little more tanginess and makes for a healthy salad dressing.
- mayonnaise – if you can’t eat mayo, just leave it out, the dressing will be a bit thinner, but still delicious.
- fresh cilantro – rinse the cilantro well and shake off the water; stems and leaves can be used
- honey – maple syrup can also be used if needed.
- salt and pepper
For a full list of ingredients and their measurements, 📋 please view my printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Optional Garnish:
Add chopped chicken salad to a large mixing bowl and toss or serve the cilantro lime dressing on the side.
Substitutions and Variations
- Dressing: this chopped salad would also taste delicious with a creamy avocado dressing or homemade ranch dressing.
- Tex Mex: add black beans, sweet corn, crushed tortilla chips, fresh tomatoes, sour cream, and use cheddar cheese instead of blue cheese.
- BBQ Chicken: instead of the marinade, grill the chicken using bbq sauce.
- Rotisserie chicken: if you were low on time, you can use rotisserie instead of grilled chicken, but the flavor will not be the same.
- Asian chopped chicken salad: use my Chinese chicken salad and dressing recipe. Add other ingredients such as edamame, shredded carrots, and mandarin oranges.
- Autumn chopped chicken salad: go with ingredients like craisins, pecans, and chopped apples with a balsamic vinegar based dressing.
- Cabbage: swap the lettuce for crunchy cabbage.
🔪 Instructions:
Step 1: In a large bowl or Ziploc bag, combine the oil, lime juice, salt, pepper, garlic, and soy sauce.
Step 2: Add the chicken breasts and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.
Step 3: Grill the chicken over medium low heat for 7-10 minutes on each side (internal temp should reach 165°F.) Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes, then slice.
Step 4: Add the chopped lettuce to the plates. Top with the juicy chicken, a tablespoon of blue cheese crumbles, half of an avocado, sliced tomatoes, a few red onion slices, and 2 tablespoons of crumbled bacon.
Pro Tip: For advanced party prep, you can cook up the chicken and bacon the day before. The dressing should be blended up right before serving. Instead of serving guests individual salads, you can also place everything on a large platter to serve family style.
SERVE: Pulse the dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Serve with cilantro lime dressing.
Recipe Tips for Chopped Chicken Salad
- For meal prep, store this delicious salad in a small mason jar with the dressing at the bottom or on the side.
- Don’t skip the marinating time. This is the best way to infuse flavor and tenderness into chicken.
- As a better presentation for guests, add the salad to a big bowl and then allow them to drizzle the dressing on themselves.
Fun Fact
The original chopped chicken salad was allegedly created at the La Scala in the 1950s. – Chef Billy Parisi
Recipe FAQs
Keep leftovers in an airtight container for 2-3 days. If you know you will have leftovers or are using this in rotation for weekly meal prep, store the salad and salad dressing separately to keep it from getting soggy.
Yes! If you have a chicken marinade recipe that you love, feel free to use that.
More of My Favorite Salad Recipes
If you tried this Chopped Chicken Salad Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the 📝 comments below.
Chicken Chopped Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ½ C. soy sauce
- ½ C. olive oil
- salt/pepper
- 2 cloves garlic
Salad Ingredients
- 4-8 cups chopped lettuces – romaine baby green, and spinach
- 1 pound bacon chopped and cooked
- 4 Tablespoons blue cheese crumbles
- 1-2 avocados
Cilantro Lime Dressing
- 2 limes (juice) ½ cup
- 6 ounces Greek yogurt plain
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ½ C. fresh cilantro washed
- ¼ C. honey more or less to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- pinch salt to taste
Instructions
- In a large Ziploc bag, combine soy sauce, olive oil, juice of 1 lime, salt/pepper, and crushed garlic cloves to form marinade.
- Place chicken breasts in marinade and seal bag. Place in refrigerator for 30 min. – 3 hours.
- Grill chicken on low-med heat for 7-10 minutes on each, or until cooked through.
- Cool chicken and slice.
- Place 1-2 cups of salad greens on individual plate.
- Top with sliced chicken breast, 1 Tablespoon blue cheese, ½ sliced avocado, 2 Tablespoons crumbled bacon.
- Serve with Cilantro-Lime Dressing: In a blender, combine juice of 1 lime, salt/pepper, yogurt, fresh cilantro, and honey. Blend well and serve immediately.
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Notes
- For meal prep, store this delicious salad in a small mason jar with the dressing at the bottom or on the side.
- Don’t skip the marinating time. This is the best way to infuse flavor and tenderness into chicken.
- As a better presentation for a large number of guests, add the salad to a big bowl, serve family style, and then allow guests to drizzle the dressing on themselves.
- Cilantro lime dressing makes about 1 ⅔ cups total.
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Amelia says
This was oh so good!! My husband requested it for his lunches this week so I prepped the dressing yesterday. Unfortunately my blender lid wasn’t screwed on tight and it exploded all over my carpets!! Luckily we have a carpet cleaning scheduled already, but hoping for a no-mess experience next time haha.
Julie Linderman says
yum yum
Stacey says
Delish- especially the dressing! Slurp!