This simple Grilled Chicken Salad recipe with Pesto Ranch Dressing is a quick and easy lunch or dinner that's also super healthy. The grilled chicken lemon and herb marinade keeps it moist and juicy with delicious flavor.
Included in the recipe is also our Pesto Ranch Dressing which is perfect for this grilled chicken salad or any other green salad that you like. It's made with mayo, buttermilk, ranch seasoning, and your favorite homemade or store bought pesto.
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Simple Grilled Chicken Salad Recipe
This Grilled Chicken Salad recipe is just what you need for those summer nights when you don’t want to heat up your kitchen. It’s easy enough for a weekday meal and fancy enough to entertain guests.
The chicken breast is marinated in lemon juice, oil, and Italian herb seasoning to keep it nice and moist while it grills. From there, it is sliced and added to a green salad, then topped with our fresh and zesty Pesto Ranch Buttermilk Dressing - yum!
If you love chicken salads, be sure to check out my BBQ Chicken Salad, Thai Chicken Chopped Salad, and BLT chicken salad recipe too.
Grilled Chicken Breast Salad Ingredients
- Chicken Marinade: There are a few things that make the best chicken marinades.
- Oil: I like to use Avocado Oil for this chicken marinade recipe. It has a high smoking point and doesn’t add many flavors.
- Lemon Juice- Good marinades call for some kind of acidic element- For this recipe, I like to use lemon juice. White vinegar would be another good option. The acidity in the marinade will help break down the muscle fibers and tenderize the chicken.
- Spices and/or seasonings.- I like to use the Good Seasonings Zesty Italian dressing packet in this chicken marinade. It adds a lot of flavor without a lot of calories and is really versatile.
- Avocados: You can use these sliced or in chunks. Be sure to cut up your avocados right before you serve them they are fresh and don't brown.
- Tomatoes: You can use your favorite tomato here. I used some halved cherry tomatoes but a large tomato, cut into chunks would work great too.
- Pepperjack Cheese: My family loves a little spice but you could certainly use some mozzarella cheese here too. For salads, I like to add fresh mozzarella or just slice a few cheese sticks up. That works great too.
- Lettuce: Romain lettuce, butter lettuce--use your favorite variety of lettuce!
- Pesto Ranch Dressing: This is hardly a recipe but still worth sharing. We love this dressing on everything and even just a dip for fresh veggies. To make the pesto ranch dressing, use a 3/1 ratio. (⅓ cup pesto sauce to ⅔ cup ranch dressing) Just mix it up and wa-lah, an incredible ranch dressing variation.
How to Make Grilled Chicken Salad
- Tenderize the chicken. Remove chicken from packaging and place into a large freezer bag. Use a rolling pin, mason jar, or the flat side of a meat tenderizer to pound the thickest part of the chicken breast until it is all an even ¾" thickness. (Note: This should only take a few good whacks)
- Marinate the chicken. Open the freezer bag and add the avocado oil, lemon juice, and Italian seasoning mix. Seal the bag and roll gently to mix all the ingredients together. Let the chicken marinate in the fridge for 2-24 hours. (If you can let the chicken marinate for up to 24 hours, that's ideal. The marinate will give the chicken so much flavor and it makes the most tender and juicy grilled chicken.)
- Grill the chicken. Remove chicken breasts from the marinade and place onto the hot grill. Place the chicken breasts on the grill over approximately 350 degree heat and cook until golden brown, or about 6-7 minutes. Use tongs to flip the breasts over and grill for another 6-7 minutes, or until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
- Rest the chicken. Remove chicken from the grill and place it on a platter with foil over it for 5 minutes to redistribute the juices and to keep the chicken warm and juicy.
- Assemble the salad. In a large bowl, combine the mayo, buttermilk, Ranch dressing mix, and pesto. Mix well and then set aside. Slice the chicken and prep the rest of your ingredients. Add to a large serving bowl and drizzle with the prepared Pesto Ranch Dressing. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
There are a few things to keep in mind when trying to get really tender, juicy, grilled chicken breasts. Tenderizing your chicken will really make a big difference when grilling your chicken. Don't over-pound your meat - a few good whacks will do the trick. Your chicken breast will cook a lot more evenly if the meat is a uniform thickness.
Marinating your chicken is also a great way to keep it moist. The high PH from the vinegar or lemon juice helps break down the muscle fibers in the chicken and the oil will help keep it moist.
Last but not least, don't overcook your chicken. The best way to assure you're not overcooking your chicken is to use a digital meat thermometer. Grill the chicken only until it reaches 165 degrees.
Chicken breast is done when the internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees F. It’s best to take the chicken off the grill when it reaches 162-163 degrees F.
The chicken will continue to cook after it’s take off the grill. You can take the chicken off the grill, then let sit under foil to cook to a safe internal temp.
Tips for Making the Best Grilled Chicken Breast Salad
- Tenderize your meat.
- Marinate your Chicken Breast.
- Cook at a lower heat for longer to keep the chicken breast tender and juicy.
- Cook your chicken breasts on low/medium heat until golden brown 6-7 minutes. Use tongs to flip the breast over and grill for another 6-7 minutes or until golden brown.
- Use a digital meat thermometer. The chicken breast should register 165 degrees F.
- When the chicken is done, place it on a platter with foil over it for 5 minutes to redistribute the juices and to keep the chicken warm and juicy.
Simple Grilled Chicken Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Grilled Chicken Marinade
- 3-4 medium Chicken Breasts plan on 4-6 ounces of chicken per person
- 3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice about 1 large lemon
- 3 Tablespoons Avocado Oil Olive Oil would work too
- 1 package Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix
Ingredients for Chicken Salad
- 1 large Avocado Cut into ¾" chunks
- 1.5 cup Cherry Tomatoes halved, or tomatoes cut into ½" chunks
- 1 cup Pepper Jack Cheese cut into ½" chunks. Mozzerella chunks work great too
- 12 cups Lettuce washed and cut into bite-sized pieces
Pesto Ranch Dressing
- 1 cup Mayonnaise
- 1 cup Buttermilk
- 1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
- ½ cup Pesto
Instructions
- Remove chicken from packaging and place into a large freezer bag. Use a rolling pin, mason jar, or the flat side of a meat tenderizer to pound the thickest part of the chicken breast until it is all an even ¾" thickness. (Note: This should only take a few good whacks)
- Open the freezer bag and add the avocado oil, lemon juice, and Italian seasoning mix. Seal the bag and roll gently to mix all the ingredients together.
- Let the chicken marinate in the fridge for 2-24 hours. (If you can let the chicken marinate for up to 24 hours, that's ideal. The marinate will give the chicken so much flavor and it makes the most tender and juicy grilled chicken.)
Grilling the Marinated Chicken
- Preheat the grill to medium heat.
- Remove chicken breasts from the marinade and place onto the hot grill. Place the chicken breasts on the grill over approximately 350 degree heat and cook until golden brown, or about 6-7 minutes. Use tongs to flip the breasts over and grill for another 6-7 minutes, or until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
- Remove chicken from the grill and place it on a platter with foil over it for 5 minutes to redistribute the juices and to keep the chicken warm and juicy.
Assembling the Grilled Chicken Salad
- In a large bowl, combine the mayo, buttermilk, Ranch dressing mix, and pesto. Mix well and then set aside.
- Slice the chicken and prep the rest of your ingredients. Add to a large serving bowl and drizzle with the prepared Pesto Ranch Dressing. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More of the Best Grilled Chicken Recipes
- BBQ Grilled Chicken Salad Recipe
- Southwest Chicken Kabobs
- Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken Recipe
- Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Recipe
- Garlic and Herb Grilled Chicken Drumsticks
- Rosemary Garlic Chicken Breast
- Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks
- Lemon Rosemary Chicken Kabobs
- 3 Citrus Grilled Chicken Marinade
- Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Southwest Crispy Chicken Salad
- More Chicken Recipes
- More Salad Recipes
This Grilled Ranch Chicken Breast Salad is one of the best chicken breast salad recipes. It has a simple grilled chicken marinade recipe that makes a delicious basic chicken salad recipe and a delicious pesto ranch dressing everyone will love. It's a wonderful grilled chicken recipe!
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