If you are going to make any of my lunch meal preps, it should probably be this smoky, savory, BLT chicken salad.

Packed with flavor: smoky, savory, BLT chicken salad. One of my favorite sandwiches is a classic BLT – so I wanted to find a way to make that into a one-dish chicken salad for easy lunches. You can serve it on bread, on a wrap, or with crackers and fresh veggies for dipping. Here, I served it with some fresh baby carrots and cucumbers for dipping, as well as some huge pieces of hearty romaine to make lettuce wraps.
Here’s some key ingredients you’ll need for this recipe:
- chicken breast
- center cut bacon – I use this one
- red onion
- cherry tomatoes
- scallions
- plain, non fat Greek Yogurt
- light mayo
- apple cider vinegar
- paprika, garlic powder, onion powder
All about this smoky, savory chicken salad
I love a good chicken salad! It’s the perfect meal prep for lunch – it’s quick to assemble, requires minimal cooking and time in the kitchen, it doesn’t need to be reheated before eating, and it lasts really well in the fridge. It’s also super versatile. If one day you feel like having a sandwich, go right ahead – another day maybe you’re more in the mood for crackers and a veggie platter, that works perfectly too!
I have tons of other chicken salad recipes – some of my favorites are the following:
-
Classic Herbed Chicken Salad (your classic chicken salad, but lighter)
- Cranberry Apple Pecan Chicken Salad (this is a delicious change-up from the classic)
-
Thai Chicken Salad (this one doesn’t call for mayo!)
How I make BLT chicken salad lower calorie and lower point
It took me trial and error to figure out how to lighten up chicken salad without making it super dry and boring. Chicken salad should be moist and creamy, and usually that requires a ton of mayo! A lot of lightened-up chicken salad recipes call for yogurt in place of mayo, which I can appreciate. But mentally I couldn’t get over the fact that the salad was primarily yogurt. I just felt like I was tasting that yogurt tang.
Over time I have realized that a combination of mayo and Greek yogurt provides the perfect base for chicken salad! The yogurt just kind of helps stretch the mayo, without changing the flavor whatsoever.
These are the brands of yogurt and mayo I swear by:
The other elements of a good chicken salad
Ok – so we’ve got the dressing covered, now let’s talk about what else chicken salad needs:
- flavor
- texture
The flavor part is relatively easy: add some spices and a splash of vinegar to your dressing to give it that extra pop of flavor. Here, I use apple cider vinegar for some good acidic flavor, and for spices, I use smoky paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. The combination of these spices adds a punch of flavor that is, quite frankly, unexpected!
For texture, I add roasted red onion and fresh cherry tomatoes. The sweetness and crunch of both of these elements offsets the creamy texture of the rest of the chicken salad. I promise, you won’t be disappointed in the flavor profile of this dish.
Poaching Chicken
I’ve included step-by-step instructions on the recipe card below for how to poach chicken.
I have been poaching my chicken for chicken salads for a while now. Not only is it SUPER easy, but the chicken comes out super moist.
As always, for any of my recipes that call for poached chicken, you can use a cooked rotisserie chicken, you can use canned chicken, or you can roast your own chicken. Whatever is easiest for you, or whichever method you prefer!
I personally like poaching chicken because I use six chicken breasts for my chicken salad recipes (one breast per serving), and making my own cooked chicken breast is much more budget-friendly than buying three rotisserie chickens.
When you’re poaching chicken, you can add any flavor you want to your pot. For example, when I make my Thai chicken salad, I use ground ginger and lime in the water. For this recipe, I kept it simple with some dried bay leaf, peppercorns, and salt. This is the basic recipe I use for most of my chicken salads, since it can work with most flavor profiles.
Another key piece of advice is to invest in a meat thermometer. I use this one from OXO. It is a lifesaver in the kitchen! This is the best way to tell when you’re chicken is done.
Meal Prep
This chicken salad is perfect for meal prep. Each serving is one heaping cup (that’s a VERY generous portion of chicken salad!). I store mine in these meal prep containers from Ello – since they’re glass, I typically don’t have any issues with food spoiling. I swear it’s the glass!
You can also store this in in a large mixing bowl, covered, in the fridge.

Smoky Savory BLT Chicken Salad
Equipment
- sheet pan
- large mixing bowl
- large pot
Ingredients
- 6 cups cooked boneless skinless chicken breast, chopped into pieces – see poaching method below
- 12 pieces center cut bacon I use Oscar Mayer
- 1 large red onion chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 bunch of scallions chopped
- 1/2 cup light mayo
- 3/4 cup plain non fat Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
Poached Chicken
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp peppercorns
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 bay leaves, dried
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in the oven - I use a wire rack over a baking sheet that has been lined with foil and cook at 425F.
- At the same time, roast the red onion on a sheet pan at 425F with cooking spray and kosher salt and black pepper. They should be done at the same time (around 15-20 minutes).
- Remove from oven and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the mayo, yogurt, vinegar, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder and whisk together.
- Add the cherry tomatoes, scallions, cooked onion, and chicken, stir to combine.
- Chop or crumble the cooked bacon and fold in.
Poaching Chicken
- Add the raw chicken to a large pot, add the kosher salt, dried bay leaves, the garlic, and fresh peppercorns (note: you can use any seasonings you wish, depending on the flavor profile of your dish). Cover with water and bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Cover the pot and let the chicken cook for about 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165F.
Notes
6 WW points (green plan) 4 WW points (blue and purple plans)
Literally a family favorite – I think I’ve made this about 6 times already and the toddlers and the husband all request it often!! Definite crowd pleaser and easy to put together! You will love it!
Absolutely delicious, made a huge batch of this last summer and it hit all the right spots!
This was so easy to make and so delicious. This will definitely be on repeat!
This was so delicious and got better throughout the week! I’ve already shared it with friends.
The best chicken salad I ever made!! Such a simple and easy to make dish!
Could eat this every day and never get tired of it! Awesome on salad, crackers, a roll, bagel, or just with a spoon.
I love this chicken salad! It tastes so decadent but fits right into any healthy eating plan! You definitely won’t regret treating yourself to making this! Thank you Steph!
The best chicken salad I’ve ever had! Easy to make and my entire family eats it.
This chicken salad is heaven on a plate!
So delicious! Love this for my weekly meal prep. Roasting the onions was such a good idea. ❤️
Perfect meal prep for lunches, and it holds up through out the week!
This BLT chicken salad has become a family favorite!
This is one of my favorite chicken salad lunches!
Super creamy without the guilt!
This chicken salad is amazing! Definitely hits the spot
Made this last week for the first time and it was so good! I am not a Mayo fan but could not taste that at all. I ate on corn thin crackers! Thanks, Steph!!
Another yummy chicken salad ro meal prep! Love Steph’s recipes!! And she has several chicken salad recipes to choose from.
The best chicken salad!!
Absolutely delicious chicken salad recipe! The roasted red onions and bacon, YUMMMM!!!
Love love love!!!! Make this ALL THE TIME!
Make this! The lunch you’re going to be thinking about before you’ve even had breakfast.
Made this for my husband and he said it was the best chicken salad he’s ever had!
So yummy and tasty. I had this meal on repeat in the summer and early fall.
So delicious! My favorite chicken salad recipe.. You have to try it!
This so easy and SO good! Perfect lunchtime meal prep!
This is delicious!! I cooked the bacon and onions Together. I cannot wait to eat my lunch this week.
Stephanie had changed my Ww life for the better. I have lost 19lbs cooking all of her recipes since August!!
This was such a simple lunch prep and so yummy! This one is likely to stay in rotation!
Just made this for the first time and OhMyWOW! Amazing and delicious! Best chicken salad dressing ever!
This is one of my favorite lunch prep meals! Preparation is quick and easy. If you are thinking about making this ~ DO IT!!
I love chicken salad and knew I had to make this as soon as I saw it. I made this forr meal prep this week and it is amazing!
I don’t normally like tomatoes in recipes but thought I would give it a try. I roasted them with the onion and they were delicious.
For the past 8-9 months that I have been on WW, I have made a bunch of Steph’s recipes and this is one of my top favorites!
Super easy and delicious!
Love love love this recipe! It makes enough for me to share with my daughter for our lunch all week long! Love your mad cooking skills
Absolutely delicious, one of Steph’s top recipes on the site! Can’t wait for my lunch this week, you have to make this! So decadent without the guilt.
Made this today for lunch. So so good! Will definitely make again. I substituted plain almond milk yogurt for a dairy free version and am completely satisfied with how savory this is! 10 out 10 would recommend.
I just recently found Steph on Instagram and I am obsessed with every recipe I’ve made from her. I ate this chicken salad for weeks straight and I’m still not sick of it. So yummy for work lunches and no reheating. Love it!
Hands down one of the best recipes! I accidentally only added half of the bacon but used that extra point savings for a tumaros wrap. Yum!!
I made this for the first time this week and all I have to say is OMG! So easy to make and absolutely delicious.
I made this for meal prep this week and it’s GREAT. Super filling and I love the flavor! I think I added too much chicken (I didn’t weigh it) and I might try it shredded instead of chopped next time. I also roasted my onions too much which turns out I didn’t love! I actually thought I’d like it that way, but I think less would’ve been better. A question I had that couldn’t find an answer for and just winged it on: maybe it’s obvious to most, but I wasn’t sure if the bacon and chicken needed to cool before being mixed into the dressing. I had the time so I let it cool.
Amazing! Even my picky eater loves this recipe! So good!!
So good and flavorful! Can’t wait to make it again soon!
Brilliant recipe for lunches, I use it all the time. It’s so varsatile, you can have with greens or on a wrap/roll & crackers. It’s delicious & I look forward to my lunch when I make this for the week’s prep.
Brilliant recipe for lunches, I use it all the time. It’s so varsatile, you can have with greens or on a wrap/roll & crackers. It’s delicious & I look forward to my lunch when I make this for the week’s prep. Definitely worth trying out.
This recipe is A-MAZING! it is a regular in my lunch rotation!
Love it! My husband smoked the bacon to add a little kick. Great recipe on repeat.
Delicious, Steph! And a big, filling serving! Put mine in a wrap today.
When I made this recipe I accidentally did not cook the onion. OOPS. I made it the correct way and it was great. I can wrap it in a low point tortilla, eat it plain or even in lettuce wrap form. Its so nice to have in the fridge even as a snack
Tasty and amazing!!!!
Delicious
The only issue is that my husband keeps stealing all my chicken salad! So yummy!
Let me tell you… I didn’t even know there was such a thing as poached chicken; I was skeptical, but this turned out great! The chicken was juicy & flavorful. It was delicious! Definitely going in my dinner rotation.
This recipe is amazing! Steph did this live on IG and It was so fun to follow along! Best meal prep lunch I did in a while!
Out of this world! I have made this more times then I can count! This is a must make!
Have made this 3 times already – it really is a HEAPING serving and it is delicious. I add Cholula because I love spicy. The bacon is such a good add! Thank you for this staple.
Absolutely delicious!! Thank you so much for creating this website and sharing all of these delicious WW friendly dishes! Every week when I create my meal plan your website is my first stop!!
One of my favorite work lunches! So good!!
Made this for meal prep a few times and enjoy it every time! The flavors are all so delicious!
One of my favorite lunch preps! I’ve made this recipe several time. So much flavor!!