Chicken Bacon Avocado Ranch Salad (Paleo, Gluten-Free)

Chicken Bacon Avocado Ranch Salad – This chicken bacon ranch salad is loaded with goodies & finished with our creamy homemade ranch dressing. You’ll LOVE it! (Paleo & Whole30 Friendly)

As I always say: friends don’t let friends eat boring salads.

This goodie-loaded salad is full of color and flavor. It’s a great dinner on a busy night, and I love that my kids will happily eat it, too! Like the name suggests, this main dish salad is full of lots of my favorite things!

Here’s what you’ll need to get started on this bacon ranch chicken salad recipe…

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Here’s What You Need To Make Our Chicken Bacon Avocado Ranch Salad:

• Salad Greens. I like a mix of crunchy greens as the base for this salad. Romaine lettuce, green leaf lettuce, or mixed greens are great! I save softer greens (like spinach or arugula) for other salads.
• Chicken. A salad like this is a perfect way to use leftover cooked chicken. Grilled, roasted, poached, or rotisserie chicken all work!
• Bacon. Crispy, savory bacon adds a delightful smoky flavor to this salad. SO GOOD.
• Avocado. Creamy avocado is one of my love languages. Slice or dice a ripe avocado to toss in here!
• Tomatoes. Fresh and lovely. These add some tang and happy color to the salad. Multicolor, or baby heirloom tomatoes can add an extra layer of color if they’re in season or on sale!
• Green Onion. More mild than raw onions or red onions, green onions add lovely flavor.
• Our Creamy Ranch Dressing. You can certainly use store-bought ranch, but if you have the extra 2 minutes, I highly recommend our creamy homemade ranch dressing. It’s dairy-free and paleo-friendly!
• Optional: Croutons Or Seeds. You don’t *have* to add croutons, but I’ll just say they add a lovely satisfying crunch. Salty pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds can be another yummy option that works well for paleo & Whole30 diets!

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How To Make Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad, Step By Step:

1. Add greens to a large mixing bowl. 
2. Layer chicken, bacon, avocado, tomatoes, and green onion.
3. Drizzle with ranch and toss gently to coat the salad.
4. Alternatively, let everyone build their own salad with the components and dress their salad as desired. 

More Yummy Mix-Ins & Toppings To Try On This Salad:

• Hardboiled Eggs Or Soft-boiled Eggs. Add some extra protein with soft-boiled or hard-boiled eggs. This gives the salad an almost Cobb-salad feel.
• Our Homemade Croutons. My kids LOVE our homemade gluten-free croutons. They make a delightful crunchy addition to the salad.
• Sliced Cucumber. For a cool, crisp veggie note.
• Shredded Carrots. Grating the carrots first makes them blend in a bit better.
• Honey Mustard Dressing. If ranch isn’t your jam, we love the tang and sweetness of this easy honey mustard dressing. It’s fabulous with the chicken, bacon, and avocado!
• Chopped Cilantro or Dill. Some fresh herbs always add a note of freshness and brightness. If I have some on hand, I love tossing them in. Cilantro and dill both lend themselves well to this chicken bacon avocado ranch salad, but parsley and chives can be lovely, too!
• Grilled Corn. In the summer, I love to toss in some fresh or grilled corn. Yum!

FAQ + Tips For The Best Chicken Bacon Avocado Ranch Salad

PRO TIP: BAKE YOUR BACON! I almost always bake my bacon these days. If you’re making croutons, you can do both at the same time–win!

HOW TO PICK A RIPE AVOCADO. I like to buy mostly green avocados and let them ripen on the counter. You want the skin to be purply black, and the avocado to feel firm with just a slight give. I love these tips for ripening & choosing ripe avocados!

TRY OUR OTHER RANCH RECIPES! If you like, you can double-up on avocado goodness by swapping out our regular homemade ranch for Avocado Ranch, or put a southwest spin on the salad with Tomatillo Ranch or Cilantro Lime Ranch. Each one is DELICIOUS!

MOM TIP: If you’ve got picky or particular eaters at your house, try serving the components in individual bowls, rather than mixing the whole salad together. Everyone can build their salad just the way they like it, and you’re all getting to eat the same meal. My kids LOVE when I serve salads or meals this way.

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