I was lucky enough to get a bunch of fresh broccoli last week, so I wanted to share this super simple salad that I made with it, along with some ideas for variations to use some other things that you might have on hand. There are several ways you can eat this Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Salad, so make sure to scroll down to the “How to Serve” section to see how I ate mine! I seriously gobbled this stuff up in record time, and was immediately wanting more, so I know this is going to be a new regular for me!
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What Kind of “Cooked Chicken” Should I use?
This recipe is pretty flexible and can use just about any type of precooked chicken like rotisserie chicken, grilled chicken, or canned chicken breast. If you have raw chicken breast on hand, simply season your chicken with a pinch of salt and cook in a skillet with a touch of oil until the chicken is browned on the outside and cooked through (internal temperature of 165ºF). Let the chicken cool before chopping and adding to the salad.
Can I Use Frozen Broccoli?
This recipe works best with fresh broccoli. Frozen broccoli florets will probably be too wet and soft to achieve the proper texture in this salad.
What Else Can I Add to This Salad?
I kept this salad pretty simple because I’m working with what I have during this lock down, but if you have some of these other ingredients on hand they would be awesome in this Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Salad:
- Cooked bacon or bacon bits
- Sunflower seeds
- Finely diced red onion in place of the green onion
- Shredded Parmesan in place of the cheddar for more of a Caesar salad vibe
- Diced hard boiled egg
- Small shaped cooked pasta like mini shells or orecchiette
When adding additional ingredients, you may need to increase the amount of dressing used to make sure everything is covered.
How to Serve Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Salad
Okay, here’s where it gets fun. I could barely stop forking it into my mouth right out of the bowl, but I also ate it a couple other ways. It’s really good rolled into a tortilla (or pita) as a wrap sandwich, especially with the tomato flavored wraps that I happened to get from Aldi. That tangy flavor was the perfect juxtaposition for the salad. The next day I also made it into a quesadilla by stuffing it inside a regular tortilla and toasting it in a skillet until the inside got warm and the cheese melted. That was so insanely good that I immediately made a second one after I finished the first! And of course you could mix this with some cooked and cooled pasta for a really good pasta salad, as mentioned above.
Love hearty salads? Check out my round up of 19 Refrigerator Salads for Eating Healthy on the Go!
Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Salad
Servings 3 about 1 cup eachIngredients
- 1 lb. fresh broccoli (about 2 cups chopped) ($1.89)
- 1 cup chopped cooked chicken* ($1.16)
- 2 oz. cheddar, shredded (about ½ cup) ($1.00)
- 2 green onions, sliced ($0.25)
- 1/3 cup ranch dressing ($0.49)
- freshly cracked pepper to taste ($0.05)
Instructions
- Finely chop the broccoli. It's important that the broccoli pieces be very small. Chop the chicken into small pieces as well.
- Add the broccoli, chopped chicken, shredded cheddar, sliced green onions, and ranch dressing to a large bowl. Stir well until everything is evenly coated in dressing. Add freshly cracked pepper to your liking.
- Serve as is, stuff into a tortilla or pita for a sandwich, or stuff into a tortilla and toast in a skillet until the inside is melted for a quesadilla. Keep any remaining salad refrigerated for up to 3-4 days.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- White Cutting Boards
- Chef’s Knife
- Grater
Notes
Nutrition
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Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Salad – Step by Step Photos
Finely chop one pound of fresh broccoli. It’s really important that the broccoli be in tiny pieces, so once you think you’ve chopped it enough, just go ahead and chop it a little more. ;)
You’ll also need about 1 cup of chopped cooked chicken. This can be any type of cooked chicken, like rotisserie chicken, grilled chicken, canned chicken breast, or a piece of chicken that you just cook up in a skillet real quick (that’s what I did). Just make sure you let your chicken cool a bit before adding it to the salad. Again, you want the pieces to be pretty small.
You also need two ounces shredded cheddar (about ½ cup) and two sliced green onions.
Add the chopped broccoli, chopped chicken, shredded cheddar, and sliced green onions to a large bowl, then add ⅓ cup ranch dressing.
I used this ranch dressing that I got from Aldi. Another brand that I really like is Ken’s Steakhouse buttermilk ranch. Or you can make your own ranch dressing using my Homemade Ranch Dressing recipe!
Stir until everything is coated really well with the ranch dressing. I also added some freshly cracked black pepper just for an extra kick!
So good as is, or made into a wrap sandwich, quesadilla, or even a pasta salad!
Love this recipe! I used precooked Southwest-style sliced grilled chicken and used a chipotle-style ranch because that is what I had onhand. I also threw in some bacon bits and sunflower seeds. Super tasty and a good, versatile go-to!
I had broccoli, cooked chicken and cheddar on-hand, so this was perfect. When I saw that you don’t cook the broccoli, I feared my husband wouldn’t like it. I was so wrong! He loved it, I loved it, and I foresee a fight over the leftovers. Great recipe!
I made this last night and it is SO simple and delicious! Next time, I’ll add a little bacon and some sunflower seeds. And when I have leftover Caesar dressing, I’ll try it with that instead of Ranch. Thank you, Beth!
I’ve made this twice! Doesn’t matter that it’s so simple- it’s versatile, inexpensive. and mostly nutritious! Chopped raw veg + cooked cubed chicken + cheese + binding sauce = win. My fiance kept packing the first batch for sandwiches. This time, I had a carrot I needed to use, so that went in roughly chopped, and I used a garlic parmesan dressing. We’re moving and it’s summer, so this is great for a cool, quick energy-refill, meal.
Can i su substitute ranch dressing for greek yogurt instead?
I think that would be great!
Yep this was fantastic! I had a giant broccoli crown and my kids decided they don’t like broccoli this week sooooo made this! I didn’t have green onions but it was still great. My husband likes it as it is and I made a quesadilla (with some extra cheese bc I’m part mouse lol). Oh man was that good! Will definitely be making this again and again, and trying different dressings for sure!
This is just such a homerun. I made it for the third time today and all I can think about is when can I get to some leftovers, haha. I was worried I wouldn’t have enough for surprise guests so I added some small pasta like you suggested and it was delicious! I love that a lot of your recipes have space for substitution/variety, it makes me a more confident cook :) I also love to do it with your honey mustard sauce, it balances the salty cheddar super nicely. Will eat this all summer and more!!!
I subbed caesar dressing because I’m not a fan of ranch, but this is absolutely delicious as a wrap and I’ll definitely be making this again!!
Caesar dressing dounds really good too!
Made this tonight and it was so easy/delicious. I used a food processor to break down the stems, used fresh grilled chicken (marinated in Italian dressing and a little mayo). I also used more cheese than recommended and a little less ranch. To make up for that I added some olive oil.
I find I have a bit of trouble digesting completely raw broccoli. I’m wondering if I can briefly cook and blanch it without making it too soft or watery?
Thanks for all your great recipes!
A quick blanch could be okay but not too long as it will get pretty soft.
I always blanch my broccoli for 30 seconds for fresh salads or veggie trays. It brings out the color, removes some of the bitterness of the raw broccoli and still is crunchy. I do drain/dry it well so that I don’t bring extra water into a recipe
My kids are picky about their broccoli, so I’m going to try roasting it tonight since that usually keeps it pretty dry. I’ll let you know how it turns out!
Rachel, did you try roasting the broccoli? How did it turn out?
Wow! This one is a keeper. Even with some quarantine kitchen substitutions this is fantastic. I made it with a can of chickpeas as suggested by a previous commenter to keep it vegetarian. Today I added a scoop to my toast and topped with a 6 minute soft boiled egg. Perfect work from home lunch! Thanks for another great versatile recipe!!
I’m a new cook so this is probably a dumb question but is the broccoli supposed to be cooked in any way? You don’t mention it but having raw broccoli seems weird? Is raw broccoli weird?
Hi Vicky! Yes it’s fresh and raw broccoli. Not weird, delicious!
I love Broccoli! And Rolls! It’s an extraordinary idea. I will try it and let you know how it was :)
If you hate food wastage as much as I do, this is a great recipe to use the broccoli stems as well. I use a little hand-powered food processor for this as it’s fast and easy to clean. (this also brings the $ per serving down) Just trim off the gnarly outer bits before running it through the FP.
Also, I didn’t have ranch dressing and I subbed in with cesear and mayo (half and half) and it tasted great. I’m going to try the burrito melt method you suggested too!
Thanks for your great site.
Do you think your homemade ranch dressing would make about the right amount of dressing for this recipe?
Yes the ranch recipe here https://www.budgetbytes.com/homemade-ranch-dressing/ should be more than enough.
Thank you!