BLT Chicken Salad

When I was a kid, I was obsessed with the book and movie “Harriet the Spy”.

I started carrying around my own composition notebook, writing down everything I saw during my day. I tried to be Harriet. I wanted to be her.

One thing that Harriet loved was mayonnaise and tomato sandwiches. Even though I despised raw tomatoes as a child (and to some extent, still do) I begged my mom to pack me mayonnaise and tomato sandwiches for lunch. Anything to be like Harriet, I thought.

Her sandwich is basically a BLT minus the B & L, obviously. I actually liked BLT sandwiches when I was a kid. I still like BLT sandwiches. My favorite is to add some sliced avocados and mayo and call it a day. BLT’s are often overlooked on deli menus, and I don’t see why. They’re the perfect embodiment of a sandwich: protein, two classic toppings, and bread. There’s nothing better than a simple BLT.

If BLT’s are so good, how come nobody has ever made them into a chicken salad? Tomatoes and bacon seem like they’d go perfectly with chicken and mayonnaise; a savory combination for an otherwise sweet recipe. No grapes, apples, celery or pecans here.

This chicken salad was perfection. It’s got all the simplicity that a BLT has, with the addition of chicken to make it a heartier lunch. I served my chicken salad on lettuce leaves with avocado slices—two brilliant things that pair well with the salad.

I didn’t want to mix in lettuce into the chicken salad because it would’ve just wilted and not kept in the fridge as long. If you’re really needing the ‘L’ in this BLT chicken salad, serve it on top of lettuce leaves like I did.

Enjoy!

Step-By-Step Instructions

In a large bowl, stir together cooked chicken, bacon, dill, mayonnaise and tomatoes. Add more mayonnaise if mixture isn’t wet enough.

Serve chicken salad on lettuce leaves with sliced avocado. Can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 6 days.