*This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclaimer here. While we may use affiliate links, we would never allow this to influence product listings or recommendations.

This salad is definitely a hearty full-meal type of salad. It’s great served warm, making it perfect for the cooler months. If you’re looking for a nutritious meal packed with veg and protein then look no further than this chicken and bacon salad.

Is it healthy?

While this isn’t the lightest salad in the world, it is packed with nutrient-dense lettuce and pepper. It also uses lean chicken breast which is a lot lighter in fat than other cuts of chicken. The full dish comes in at 600 calories and 38g of fat which is moderate for a full meal.

The dressing is a creamy mixture of mayonnaise, lemon juice and mustard. While I use full-fat mayo, you can opt for a lighter version to reduce the amount of fat and calories in the dish. You could also use a yoghurt-based dressing to lighten it up more. The dressing I use here for this healthy Waldorf salad would work really well.

Finally, you can also bake or grill the chicken and bacon rather than pan-frying. Which will reduce the amount of oil you need to add to the dish.

Can you make it in advance?

Yes you can make this in advance, however, you’ll need to follow a few simple steps to make sure it’s as fresh as possible when you serve it.

• Keep the lettuce leaves separate from the rest of the salad until you are about to serve it.
• You can keep the cooked bacon, onion, potato and peppers together in a bowl in the fridge and, if you want a warm salad, heat them on the hob before mixing.
• Store the chicken breast wrapped in clingfilm on its own if you want to use it to top the salad, or you can store it sliced with the bacon and onion mixture if you are happy to have everything mixed in.
• Make the dressing in advance but store it in the fridge on its own and don’t use it until you are about to serve.
• Make sure you store everything in the fridge covered tightly.

What can you serve it with?

This salad really is a meal in itself. It contains a great balance of nutritious vegetables, carbs and protein. You don’t need to serve it with anything else. If you do want to mix things up a little then you could serve it with some crusty bread.

You could also make this more of a side salad by omitting the chicken breast and serving it alongside a main course. It’s also great for a BBQ side dish.

Ingredients

• Yellow, red or orange pepper – if you are making more than one portion then you can use a combination to add extra colour to the salad. Deseeded and cut into quarters.
• Baby or new potatoes – cut into halves or quarters depending on the size
• Olive oil – since this is for cooking and not the dressing you can substitute for a different oil if you prefer – such as rapeseed/canola oil
• Chicken breast – skinless and boneless
• Bacon – smoked or unsmoked are both fine, cut into small strips
• Red onion – finely sliced
• Mixed leaves – you can really use any salad leaves you prefer here. Using mixed leaves adds extra visual appeal to the dish

For the dressing:

• Mayonnaise – I used classic mayo as it’s so creamy. However, you can use a lighter version if you want to reduce the calories and fat in the dish
• Dijon mustard – feel free to omit this if you aren’t a mustard fan.
• Lemon juice
• Parsley – chopped very finely

How to make it

There are a few elements to making this salad, but it’s really not that difficult. If you are good at juggling several things at once in the kitchen you can have it prepped, cooked and on the table in 30 minutes.

• Firstly get the cooked ingredients on the go. Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F and add the peppers to a baking tray. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and season. Place in the oven for 15 minutes, turning halfway through.
• Once the peppers are cooked transfer to a plate and place an upturned bowl over the top of them to allow them to steam (making them easier to peel later).
• While the peppers are cooking get a bowl of salted water on a high heat. Add the potatoes. Once they reach the boil cook for 10 minutes before draining.
• Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken breast and add to the pan and cook for 12 minutes, turning every 4 minutes (don’t turn more frequently than that, as you want the skin to seal nicely to lock in all the juices). Once the chicken breast is cooked set it aside for at least 5 minutes to rest. Leave the pan on the heat.

• While everything is cooking prepare the salad dressing by mixing together the mayo, lemon juice, dijon and parsley. Stir until fully combined and smooth.
• Peel the peppers carefully, by pulling off the thin layer of skin from the outside layer. Place in a large bowl.
• Add the bacon to the frying pan that you had cooked the chicken in and fry for around 3-5 minutes until crispy. You may need to increase the heat. Once crispy add the drained potatoes and red onion and toss everything together. Cook for a couple more minutes to warm through.
• Add the potato and onion mixture into the bowl with the peppers along with the lettuce leaves. Pour over the dressing and toss everything together until everything is coated.
• Add the salad mixture to a plate and then thinly slice the chicken breast and place on top.

If you are looking for other great salad recipes then check out this Curried Chicken Salad or this warm Seared Tuna Salad Niçoise.

Products that work great for this recipe:

Print