Grilled chicken BLT salad
Juicy grilled chicken BLT salad is everything you want from a salad and more. Crispy bacon, creamy avocado and punchy lemon-herb dressing? Yes please!
If you’re looking for an incredibly delish lunch or dinner recipe, you’ve found it. This BLT salad with grilled chicken and avocado is the summer meal of my dreams, combining all of my favorites in one salad.
Table of Contents
How to make BLT salad
Marinate chicken breasts (you can halve them horizontally to thin them out) in olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, garlic and salt while you heat the grill. Cook the chicken until golden brown on both sides and cooked through. Remove from the heat and allow to rest while you assemble the salad. Arrange lettuce on a large serving platter then top with ripe tomatoes, sliced avocado, crispy bacon and the sliced chicken. To make the dressing, combine olive oil, lemon juice, oregano and salt and pour over the salad before serving.
How to make grilled chicken for salad
Make a quick marinade with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, herbs of your choice (rosemary, thyme and oregano are always a safe bet) and season generously with salt and pepper. Pour over boneless, skinless chicken breasts and allow to marinate while you heat the grill or grill pan. Cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side, depending on thickness, until cooked through and golden brown on both sides. The internal temperature should be 75°C or 165°F. Remove from the heat and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.
Why is it important to let meat rest after cooking?
Resting meat or chicken allows the juices to be redistributed throughout the meat instead of running out onto the cutting board. This is because the meat tenses up during cooking and allowing it to rest, literally allows the meat to relax and will result in juicier meat or chicken.
Best way to cook bacon in the oven
Cooking bacon in the oven allows the bacon fat to render out properly and creates truly crispy bacon. Line a sheet pan with foil then add strips of bacon (you can add a wire rack too if you want the bacon to crisp even more) then place in a hot oven and allow to cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until done to your preference. Pour off the bacon grease and reserve for cooking, it makes the BEST roast potatoes.
10 Salad recipes for dinner
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- Greek chicken salad
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- Chicken quinoa salad with peas and feta
- Soy honey noodle salad
- Moroccan chicken couscous salad
- Peri-Peri chicken salad with charred corn
- Low-carb Chicken satay salad
- Chicken Caprese salad
- Moroccan chicken salad with pomegranate dressing
Grilled chicken BLT salad
Ingredients
For the grilled chicken
- 4 chicken breasts boneless + skinless
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
For the salad
- 8 strips streaky bacon cooked to your preference
- lettuce
- baby tomatoes halved
- 1 avocado sliced
For the lemon-herb dressing
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all the marinade ingredients and mix well. Pour over the chicken and allow to marinade while you pre-heat the grill or grill pan on the stove.
- Cook the the chicken for 4-5 minutes per side (depending on thickness) until cooked through and golden brown on both sides.
- Remove from the heat and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.
- To assemble the salad, add a bed of lettuce to serving plates and top with tomatoes, sliced avocado, crispy bacon and sliced chicken.
- Mix together the dressing ingredients then drizzle over the salad before serving.