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–+ servings

Creamy Chicken Salad with Bacon

Overhead photo of bacon chicken salad in a large white serving bowl with a ramekin of sliced scallions next to the bowl.
Creamy Chicken Salad with Bacon recipe featuring tender chicken breasts, crispy bacon, rich cream cheese and everything spice. Bursting with flavor and only requiring 7 ingredients and 10 minutes of hands-on preparation, this Bacon Chicken Salad is everything you'd want in the classic sandwich!
Author: Cheyanne Holzworth
Total Time: 10 minutes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 6 servings

Equipment

  • 1 Large Mixing Bowl

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Cooked Chicken Breasts – shredded or diced
  • ½ Cup Cooked Bacon – crumbled, or more to taste (about 6 slices)
  • 1/2 Cup Celery – finely diced (about 2 small stalks)
  • 1 large Shallot – finely diced
  • 4 ounces Whipped Cream Cheese – at room temperature (SEE NOTES)
  • 1/2 Cup Mayonnaise (substitute: Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream)
  • 1 ½ - 2 TBS Everything Bagel Seasoning - or more to taste (SEE NOTES)
  • To Taste Kosher Salt & Pepper
  • Optional Mix-Ins: Sliced Scallions, Toasted Sliced Almonds, Dried Cranberries
  • Optional for Serving: Lettuce, Avocado, Sliced Tomatoes, Sliced Radishes, Sliced Cucumbers, Sliced Red Onion
  • Optional for Sandwiches: Croissants, Multigrain bread, or Bagel

Instructions

  • Make the Dressing: In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese with the mayonnaise until combined.
  • Toss the Chicken Salad: To the bowl with the cream cheese mixture, add the cooked chicken, bacon, celery, shallots, and everything bagel seasoning. Stir to combine.
  • Adjust for Taste: Taste the bacon chicken salad and adjust for seasoning as you see fit, adding more salt for overall flavor, more everything bagel seasoning for savory flavor, and mayonnaise or cream cheese for a creamier salad.
  • Optional - Chill Chicken Salad: For the best results, cover the bowl of chicken bacon salad and place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or longer to allow the flavors to develop and marry.
  • Serve as a salad, sandwich, or wrap. Serving suggestions:
    Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to dollop bacon chicken salad on sandwich bread, croissants, bagels, and english muffins.
    Stuff the salad inside lettuce wraps or tortillas.
    Serve over a bed of leafy greens.
    Enjoy the creamy chicken salad straight from the bowl with your favorite crackers and chips.

Video

Notes

  1. In my humble opinion, the best chicken for chicken salads is poached chicken. However, you can use rotisserie chicken and leftover roasted, baked, or grilled chicken as well. Just be sure to remove the skin before dicing the chicken, if applicable. 
  2. To quickly shred cooked boneless skinless chicken (breasts or thighs), place warm chicken in a large bowl and use a hand mixer (or stand mixer) on low. Or, add it to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until shredded.
  3. Whipped cream cheese has a lighter, fluffier texture than traditional block cream cheese. It lends a better texture to the chicken salad. You can purchase whipped cream cheese at the store, or whip it yourself to save some coins. Regardless, make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature for easy mixing!
  4. The amount of everything bagel seasoning in your chicken salad entirely depends on personal preference. Just like seasoning with salt and pepper, make sure you are seasoning your chicken salad with everything spice to taste!
Nutritional information is an estimate based upon 6 servings. Exact information will depend upon the brands of ingredients and precise measurements used.

Nutrition

Calories: 235kcal    Carbohydrates: 4g    Protein: 29g    Fat: 11g    Saturated Fat: 3g    Cholesterol: 77mg    Sodium: 685mg    Potassium: 276mg    Fiber: 1g    Sugar: 2g    Vitamin A: 170IU    Vitamin C: 0.6mg    Calcium: 43mg    Iron: 0.9mg
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American