Rosemary Chicken BLT Salad

Our Rosemary Chicken BLT Salad is anything but boring! With crisp salad greens, spice rubbed chicken, smoky bacon, colorful tomatoes, fresh mix-ins and a dynamite dressing, this rosemary chicken salad recipe is full of flavor!

Salads often get a bad reputation for being boring, but friends don’t let friends eat boring salads!

Flavor is the name of the game with this Rosemary Chicken BLT Salad. We’ve got flavor + texture + color galore! It’s PACKED with delicious goodies, from fresh salad greens, colorful veggies, creamy dressing, crispy bacon, and savory rosemary chicken in every delightful bite.

We love this high protein salad for an easy dinner, but it’s also great for meal-prepped lunches, since you can prep the components in advance.

It’s also remarkably kid-friendly, since everyone can build their salad just the way they like. Both my kids went back for seconds on the chicken, and it’s easy to cut up the individual components for toddlers and littles. Basically? This rosemary chicken salad is a delicious, easy dinner that you’ll want to work into your meal plan.

And it all starts with simple ingredients…

Simple Ingredients To Start

• Chicken Breast. We’ll start with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. This will help pack some protein into the salad!
• Pantry Spices. Next, we’ll make a spice rub with pantry staples, like salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika, along with…
• Fresh Rosemary. I recommend fresh rosemary, since rosemary is a star flavor in this salad!
• Bacon. Since it’s a BLT salad, after all, we’ll need some crispy bacon! Check out the FAQ below for my favorite way to cook it.
• Salad Greens. Some spring mix or your favorite lettuce gives us the “L” in our BLT salad. Fresh, easy, delicious.
• Tomatoes. Then, you’ll need some tomatoes. I love using colorful cherry tomatoes for a pop of color, but any tomatoes that look ripe will work here.
• Cucumber. I like adding some sliced cucumber for freshness and a little crunch.
• Green Onion. Then, sliced green onions add a savory element without overpowering the salad.
• Maybe Avocado. It’s not pictured in the ingredients photo above, but I LOVE adding fresh avocado. The creaminess, flavor, and added fiber are both great in this salad. If you’re not a fan, feel free to skip it!
• Ranch Dressing. Our homemade ranch dressing is made from mayo, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, dill, and a little water or milk. It’s SO MUCH BETTER than anything you’ll buy from the store, but feel free to swap in your favorite ranch dressing to suit your needs.

How To Make Rosemary Chicken BLT Salad, Step By Step

As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.

1. First, Make The Spice Rub. In a small bowl, combine salt, garlic, paprika, pepper, onion powder, and fresh rosemary. Whisk or stir until evenly blended.
2. Prep The Chicken. Pound chicken out to an even thickness and rub both sides of the chicken with the spice rub. You want it well coated!
3. Cook Chicken. Air fry the chicken at 380 degrees 12-15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Alternatively, you can grill the chicken 4-5 minutes per side or pan-cook in a little olive oil 4-5 minutes per side on medium heat, or until the chicken reaches 165 degrees F. Let the chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into thin slices or cubes.
4. Assemble The Salad. In a large salad bowl (or individual bowls), combine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, green onion, bacon, avocado, and chicken. Drizzle with dressing and stir to combine.
5. Serve & Store. Enjoy salad right away and store leftover components separately in the fridge, for best results. Dressing will keep fresh up to 1 week, and chicken and bacon will keep in an airtight container in the fridge 3-4 days.

FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Rosemary Chicken Salad

Try Baking Your Bacon! I usually bake my bacon in the oven on a sheet pan lined with foil. 375 degrees F for 15-20 minutes is usually perfect. I often bake two pans at once and freeze leftovers for another night!

Pound The Chicken Before You Cook It! I know it’s an extra step, but pounding the chicken out to an even thickness (or buying thin chicken cutlets) ensures that your chicken will cook evenly and consistently. (No overcooking the thinner side while the thicker side takes longer to cook!) As always, make sure to cook chicken to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. for safety.

Can I Use Dried Rosemary? Yes. This rosemary chicken salad really packs a flavor punch when you use fresh rosemary (it’s the star flavor in the chicken rub!), but if you only have dried rosemary, you’ll want to use 1/3 of the amount. Instead of 1/2 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, you’d use 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary (or slightly less!).

More Salad Dressings To Try On This Salad

Creamy Parmesan Dressing

Easy Honey Mustard Dressing

Avocado Ranch Dressing

Recipe Card

Rosemary Chicken BLT Salad

---

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Emily Dixon, One Lovely Life
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Diet: Gluten Free

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

A protein-packed salad for BLT lovers! This flavor-packed Rosemary Chicken BLT Salad combines crisp salad greens, spice rubbed chicken, smoky bacon, colorful tveggies & a dynamite dressing you’ll LOVE.

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For The Rosemary Chicken:

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, pounded to even thickness*
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 Tablespoon minced fresh rosemary*

For the Salad:

• 6–8 cups lettuce or mixed greens
• 8 ounces bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 cups sliced baby tomatoes
• 1 cup sliced cucumbers 
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1 green onion, sliced
• 1 batch Homemade Ranch Dressing (Our recipe is naturally dairy-free & paleo!)

---

Instructions

1. First, Make The Spice Rub. In a small bowl, combine salt, garlic, paprika, pepper, onion powder, and fresh rosemary. Whisk or stir until evenly blended.
2. Prep The Chicken. If you haven’t already, pound the chicken out to an even thickness and rub both sides of the chicken with the spice rub. You want it well coated!
3. Cook Chicken. Air fry the chicken at 380 degrees 12-15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Alternatively, you can grill the chicken 4-5 minutes per side or pan-cook in a little olive oil 4-5 minutes per side on medium heat, or until the chicken reaches 165 degrees F. Let the chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into thin slices or cubes.
4. Assemble The Salad. In a large salad bowl (or individual bowls), combine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, green onion, bacon, avocado, and chicken. Drizzle with dressing and stir to combine.
5. Serve & Store. Enjoy salad right away and store leftover components separately in the fridge, for best results. Dressing will keep fresh up to 1 week, and chicken and bacon will keep in an airtight container in the fridge 3-4 days.

Notes

• Chicken. Pounding the chicken out to an even thickness helps it cook more evenly and consistently. Or, you can buy thinly sliced chicken cutlets. I usually aim for the chicken to be about 3/4 of an inch thick, but it can be as thin as 1/2 an inch or as thick as an inch. You’ll just need to adjust your cook time accordingly. 
• Salad Dressing. We love our homemade ranch dressing, but you can also serve this salad with green goddess dressing, balsamic vinaigrette, honey mustard dressing, creamy parmesan dressing, or caesar dressing. It’s all delicious!
• Bacon. I usually bake my bacon in the oven on a sheet pan lined with foil. 375 degrees F for 15-20 minutes is usually perfect. I freeze any leftovers for another night! 

• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Category: Salad
• Method: Air Fryer
• Cuisine: American