Ranch Chicken Chopped Salad

By Sarah On May 13, 2015 | Updated: June 4, 2026

Smoky grilled chicken thighs, silky avocado cubes, cherry tomatoes, and a homemade buttermilk ranch dressing take this ranch chicken chopped salad to another level!

Ranch chicken, people. And not only that but ranch-GRILLED chicken!

In a a beeyotiful chopped salad with tons more homemade buttermilk ranch dumped on top obviously. Our salad game sure is looking promising today.

Seriously though, this is one salad that doesn’t hold back on the power of ranch. From the homemade buttermilk ranch spice rub coating the chicken to the homemade ranch dressing tossed in at the end, it gets the job done.

And makes your job, which is eating a salad once in awhile, very easy.

This Chopped Salad Features…

A base of crisp romaine lettuce
Smoky ranch-seasoned grilled chicken
Avocado, cherry tomatoes, green onions, and cucumber
A creamy homemade buttermilk ranch dressing

Making the Chopped Salad

(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)

Ingredients You Will Need

Mayonnaise
Greek yogurt
Powdered buttermilk
2% or skim milk
Spices
Olive oil
Boneless skinless chicken thighs
Romaine lettuce
Green onions
Cherry tomatoes
Avocado
Cucumber
Parmesan

Choosing Your Chicken

I recommend using boneless skinless chicken thighs for this salad. This cut of chicken is fast to cook up on the grill and turns out super tender and juicy.

If you don’t have thighs on hand, boneless skinless chicken breasts will work great instead, however, you may need to adjust the cook time slightly if they are thicker breasts. Always use a kitchen thermometer to test the internal temperature of chicken and aim for 165F.

Tips for Perfect Chopped Salad

Use powdered buttermilk – this ingredient is key in both the spice rub and the dressing for getting that signature ranch flavor.
Mix up dressing first – have the dressing ready to go so once the chicken is grilled you can assemble the salad immediately.
Chop all ingredients together – for traditional chopped salad, assemble all the salad ingredients (minus the avocado and cucumber – this is easier to chop separately) on a large cutting board and use a chef’s knife to chop all the ingredients together.
Serve salad immediately after dressing – wait to dress the salad until just before serving so all the ingredients stay fresh.

Recipe Variations

Try these ideas for a different twist on this salad.

Pan sear or roast chicken – if you don’t have a grill, you can easily cook the chicken in a little bit of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat on the stovetop or a 400F oven for 15-20 minutes.
Use another greens base – try spinach, kale, or a spring mix.
Skip the meat – you can easily leave out the chicken for a vegetarian-friendly salad.
Add more veggies – try adding diced sweet pepper, carrot, red onion, or broccoli.
Try another cheese – try fresh mozzarella, goat cheese, feta, or shredded cheddar.

Make Ahead Instructions

Follow these instructions for time-saving make ahead tips.

Make dressing – the dressing stores well in refrigerator up to 1 week.
Make ranch seasoning – combine the seasonings and store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 weeks.
Grill the chicken – grill the chicken and store in refrigerator up to 6 days.
Chop salad – chop the lettuce, chicken, green onions, tomatoes, and cucumber and store together in refrigerator up to 4 days.
Assembly – when ready to serve, cut the avocado and toss into salad with Parmesan and dressing until evenly coated.

Hands down, this might be my most-craved lunch salad. And that’s not just because I’m a bonafide ranch freak either. All the ingredients just do their part flawlessly here and I love how easy it is to eat too because of the chopped factor.

Meet your new lunch salad faveeeee.

Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.

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