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Chicken, Bacon & Broccolini Salad
Chicken, bacon and broccolini salad is hearty, fresh, and packed with plenty of savoury flavour. Tender chicken, crispy bacon, and lightly cooked broccolini come together in a salad that feels substantial enough for lunch or dinner without being overly heavy. It’s a great option when you want something fresh but still properly satisfying, with plenty of texture and flavour in every bite.
Chicken, Bacon & Broccolini Salad
My chicken, bacon and broccolini salad is fresh, filling and packed with plenty of savoury flavour, with tender chicken, crispy bacon and lightly cooked broccolini in every bite. I love this easy chicken salad for lunch or dinner because it feels substantial without being too heavy, and it’s a great way to turn a few simple ingredients into something genuinely satisfying. The bacon adds richness, the broccolini keeps things fresh, and the whole salad comes together with very little fuss.
Ingredients
- 400g chicken breast
- 6 rashes streaky bacon
- 1 bunch broccolini
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 2 heads of gem lettuce, torn
- 200g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 4 tbsp blue cheese dressing
- A sprinkling of shaved pecorino or parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C.
- Lightly coat the chicken breast and broccolini in olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Spread the chicken, bacon, and broccolini across two baking trays in a single layer.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy and the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove from the oven and set aside to rest for 10 minutes.
- Once cool enough to handle, chop the chicken, bacon, and broccolini into bite-sized pieces.
- In a large mixing bowl, toss together the chicken, bacon, broccolini, cherry tomatoes, and gem lettuce with the blue cheese dressing.
- Divide between four plates and sprinkle with shaved Pecorino or Parmesan.
Notes
- This is a brilliant main course salad that's hearty enough to stand on its own. The combination of crispy bacon, tender chicken, and charred broccolini against the cool, creamy blue cheese dressing is seriously good.
- Cooking everything in the oven rather than the stovetop means you can set it and walk away. Less washing up, less fuss, and the bacon comes out perfectly crispy every time.
- Don't overcrowd the trays. Everything needs space to roast properly rather than steam. Use two trays and spread everything out in a single layer.
- Check the chicken at the 20 minute mark by piercing the thickest part. The juices should run clear. Resting the chicken for 10 minutes before chopping is important for keeping it juicy.
- Streaky bacon crisps up beautifully in the oven and renders out its fat evenly. Don't substitute with middle or back bacon as it won't get as crispy.
- Broccolini chars slightly in the oven, which adds a lovely bitterness that balances the richness of the blue cheese dressing. Don't be alarmed if the tips go a bit dark.
- Gem lettuce holds up well under a creamy dressing without wilting too quickly. It's sturdier than baby spinach or mixed leaves and gives the salad a satisfying crunch.
- Blue cheese dressing is the backbone of this salad. A good quality store-bought one works brilliantly, but homemade with crumbled gorgonzola, creme fraiche, and a squeeze of lemon is even better.
- Toss the salad just before serving so the lettuce doesn't wilt under the warm ingredients.
- This salad is best eaten fresh. Leftovers can be stored separately in the fridge for up to 2 days, but the lettuce will wilt once dressed. Not suitable for freezing.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 452Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 115mgSodium: 695mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 8gSugar: 6gProtein: 45g
Please note, this nutrition information is to be used as a guide only. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
Serve this with
- Serve with my Crispy Lemon Thyme Roasted Potatoes for a more substantial meal. The citrus and herbs work brilliantly with the chicken and broccolini while the crisp potatoes add plenty of texture.
- Pair with my Garlic Bread for something easy and comforting. The buttery, garlicky bread works especially well with the smoky bacon and turns the salad into a proper lunch or dinner.
- Add my Marinated Cucumber on the side for a cool, sharp contrast. Its acidity cuts through the bacon and dressing while keeping the whole plate fresh and crunchy.
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A Surprise Hello
Before we get into the brilliance of this chicken, bacon and broccolini salad, I have to tell you about the odd little joy life tossed my way. Out of the blue, I got a friend request on Facebook from someone I hadn’t spoken to since I was twenty. Not because of a big falling out or anything dramatic like that – we had simply drifted apart, like people do. What’s wild is that we’d lived practically around the corner from each other at least three times since then and never once crossed paths! It was as if the universe had been saving the moment.
We messaged, we laughed, and we finally caught up over a couple of wines. And no, not the hideously sweet goon bags of our teenage years – we’re grown-ups now, thank you very much. But the second we sat down, all the years just melted away. We were giggling about all our high school antics and, more importantly, reminiscing about the hours we used to spend in the kitchen together. Cooking weird things. Burning even weirder things. Making a total mess and loving every minute of it. That kind of friendship is rare.. and it roots itself in your bones and never really lets go.
Timing-wise, though, it was bittersweet. Just as we rekindled things, I was packing up my life to move to Adelaide. Typical! But somehow, reconnecting with someone from my past made me even more sure that I was ready for this next chapter. I left that catch-up feeling full, not just from the wine and cheese but with a sense of joy I didn’t even know I needed. It felt like a little blessing, perfectly timed, even if inconvenient.
The Big Move
So here we are. Adelaide!! A brand-new city, a fresh new chapter, and a kitchen that hasn’t been renovated since the 70’s. It might sound a bit impulsive, and okay, maybe it was, but this move had been brewing in me for a while. I visited Adelaide earlier this year and fell head over heels in love – the light, the landscape, the sea air. And don’t even get me started on the produce!! This place felt like it had been waiting for me, made just for me. Brisbane has never been my vibe, and when the lease was up and my job had me pulling my hair out, I thought: why not just go?
Moving interstate is never as simple as it sounds. There were boxes, too many takeaways, and even more bubble wrap-related meltdowns. But the moment I arrived, I felt something shift – it was like my shoulders finally dropped, and even though I was surrounded by unpacked chaos and not a single decent chair to sit on, I felt at home. And the best part? That creative itch came rushing back. For weeks, I’d had zero interest in recipe development when suddenly, I couldn’t stop thinking about flavour combos and scribbling ideas on the backs of packing boxes. And that’s how we landed with this chicken, bacon and broccolini salad!
It turns out that change really does spark inspiration. With my kitchen in disarray and none of my usual tools at hand, I had to get scrappy. But there was something really freeing about that – no pressure to get it perfect. Just me, my ingredients, and the joy of cooking and it reminded me of why I started all of this in the first place. Not for polished photos or trending hashtags, but for the love of food and the way it can anchor you, even in the most chaotic moments.
Chaos Over Planning
Let me just say this now: I am not a chaotic person by nature. At work, I live in spreadsheets. My diary is colour-coded. I make lists for my lists. But when it comes to this blog, I’ve discovered that letting go of the plan is exactly what keeps me inspired. The more I try to pre-schedule every recipe and structure my creative process, the less likely I am to cook anything at all. Ironic, I know, but it turns out a little creative mess is the secret sauce.
I always thought that in order to be consistent, I had to be meticulous. I’d map out recipes weeks in advance, stock up on ingredients, plan my photography… and then burn out before I ever picked up a pan. So when I moved to Adelaide, I gave myself permission to try things differently. No long-term plans. Just cook what I feel like eating and share it when the words come. It’s a very me kind of freedom. I still thrive on routine, but I’m learning to be a little less rigid with my creativity.
That doesn’t mean I’m throwing in the towel on consistency! I’m aiming to post at least one recipe a week. It just means I’m not pinning myself to a specific theme or timeline. My meals reflect my mood, and sometimes that means soup and sadness, and sometimes it’s cake and joy. So going forward, expect a mix of both. And yes, there will be salads. Lots of salads. But not the sad kind. The exciting kind. Like this chicken, bacon and broccolini number that came out of nowhere and turned out to be a bit of a banger.
Frequently asked questions
Why cook everything in the oven rather than the stovetop? One less pan, less active attention required, and the results are consistently better. The bacon renders and crisps evenly in the dry heat of the oven without needing to be watched, the chicken cooks through without drying out, and the broccolini gets those slightly charred tips that add a bitterness that balances the richness of the blue cheese dressing. It all comes out at the same time with minimal intervention.
Why does the broccolini go dark at the tips? That’s the point. The slight char on the broccolini tips adds a pleasant bitterness that cuts through the creamy blue cheese dressing and makes the salad more interesting than it would be with perfectly green, steamed broccolini. Don’t be alarmed and don’t pull it out early to prevent it.
Why gem lettuce rather than a softer green? Gem lettuce is sturdier than baby spinach or mixed leaves and holds up under a creamy dressing and warm ingredients without wilting immediately. Softer greens would collapse the moment the warm chicken and bacon hit them. Gem lettuce stays crisp long enough to actually eat the salad rather than just look at it.
Ingredient breakdown
Chicken breast
Lightly coated in olive oil, seasoned, and roasted in the oven alongside the bacon and broccolini until cooked through. Check it at the twenty minute mark by piercing the thickest part and making sure the juices run clear. Rest it for ten minutes before chopping so the juices redistribute through the meat rather than running out the moment you cut into it. Chopped into bite-sized pieces so it distributes evenly through the salad rather than sitting as large slabs on top.
Streaky bacon
Streaky rather than middle or back bacon because the higher fat content renders out completely in the oven and produces properly crispy rashers that shatter when you chop them and distribute their salty crunch through every forkful. Back bacon won’t get as crispy and will stay chewy rather than crisp.
Broccolini
A whole bunch, coated in olive oil and seasoned before going onto the tray with everything else. Broccolini is more tender and has a more delicate flavour than regular broccoli, and the slightly charred tips it develops in the oven add a pleasant bitterness that is one of the best things about this salad. Chop it into bite-sized pieces along with the chicken and bacon once everything has rested.
Olive oil
A light coating over the chicken and broccolini before roasting, which helps them develop colour and prevents them from drying out in the oven. The bacon doesn’t need any oil because it renders its own fat as it cooks.
Gem lettuce
Torn rather than chopped, which keeps the pieces irregular and gives the dressing more surface area to cling to. Gem lettuce is sturdier than most salad leaves and holds up well under a creamy dressing and warm toppings without wilting immediately. Toss it through at the very last minute before serving so it stays crisp.
Cherry tomatoes
Halved and tossed through the salad with everything else, adding sweetness and a fresh acidity that cuts through the richness of the blue cheese dressing and the saltiness of the bacon. Use the ripest ones available.
Blue cheese dressing
The backbone of the salad and the ingredient that ties everything together. A good quality store-bought version works brilliantly, but homemade with crumbled gorgonzola, crème fraîche, and a squeeze of lemon is noticeably better if you have the time. Four tablespoons is enough to coat everything without drowning it.
Shaved Pecorino or Parmesan
Scattered over the top just before serving, adding a salty, sharp finish that complements the blue cheese dressing rather than competing with it. Shaved rather than grated so you get thin, delicate pieces that melt slightly against the warm ingredients.
Salt and pepper
Used to season the chicken and broccolini before roasting. The bacon brings its own saltiness and the blue cheese dressing is already well-seasoned, so taste before adding anything extra to the finished salad.
