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    Ranch Chicken Jar Salads

    February 21, 2019 by Denise Bustard 4 Comments

    Home / Recipes / Meal Prep Lunch / Ranch Chicken Jar Salads

    Jump to Recipe

    Ranch chicken jar salads are made with healthier ingredients including homemade ranch dressing, baked chicken breast, and tons of veggies! Low carb with 6 g net carbs, and GF.

    Salads can get a rap as being 'boring' or 'not filling', but today's jar salads are anything but boring!

    side view of Ranch Chicken Jar Salads

    It all starts out with a batch of homemade ranch dressing (of course you can purchase store-bought if you are in a rush).

    And it only gets better with baked chicken breast, tons of veggies, mozzarella and crunchy tortilla strips added just before serving.

    This is my kinda salad!

    Don't forget to pin this post to save it for later!

    We love these ranch chicken jar salads because

    • they stay so fresh, even on day 4, thanks to the layering of ingredients
    • they are easy to store in the fridge and portable for carrying to work
    • they taste DELICIOUS

    ingredients prepped for the Ranch Chicken Jar Salads

    How to make them

    This is an easy meal prep recipe you can have ready in under 30 minutes!

    1. First, get your chicken cooking: sautee bite-sized pieces for 5-7 minutes in a non-stick pan. I kept seasoning minimal because RANCH DRESSING.
    2. Next, make your ranch dressing. Full directions are here!
    3. Chop your veggies: I used romaine lettuce, cucs, tomatoes and bell peppers
    4. Shred some cheese
    5. Get layering! Dressing at bottom, then chicken, and add your veggies. The only important thing is that the dressing is at the bottom and lettuce is at the top.

    To serve: Shake your jars out into a bowl and enjoy! The dressing should evenly coat everything giving you perfectly dressed salad in seconds.

    spooning ranch dressing over Ranch Chicken Jar Salads

    Do I eat these salads right out of the jar? You could, but it's awkward, so I recommend having a clean bowl or plate to shake it into. You can make these in 1 quart jars, and give a good shake before eating, but you're also going to need a really long fork 😉

    Are these jar salads low carb? Yes, with only 6 g net carbs per serving, these can fit into the keto diet.

    Which other veggies could I use in this recipe? Think of this as a great base recipe that you can easily swap out for what you have in your fridge:

    • swap the lettuce for kale or spinach
    • swap the tomatoes, cucs and bell peppers for carrots, snap peas, red onions, cabbage, celery, roasted sweet potato, roasted cauliflower and so many more things
    • swap the mozzarella for cheddar, feta, or just leave it out!
    • swap the ranch dressing for one of these 7 Basic Vinaigrette Recipes

    Ranch Chicken Jar Salads in wooden bowl

    Tips & equipment

    • I use 1 pint jars, then shake out into a clean bowl to serve, but you could also portion out into these quart-sized jars (and eat right out of the jar)
    • I recommend a good chef’s knife to make chopping a breeze
    • I love this salad spinner to get the lettuce nice and dry (you want to make sure your veggies are as dry as possible before storing!
    • Looking for more jar salads? Try this Taco Salad, these Thai Chickpea Mason Jar Salads, and these Southwestern Sweet Potato Jar Salads
    three glass mason jars filled with ranch chicken jar salads
    Print Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Ranch Chicken Jar Salads

    Course: Lunch
    Cuisine: American
    Calories: 417kcal
    Author: Denise Bustard
    Servings: 4
    Ranch chicken jar salads are made with healthier ingredients including homemade ranch dressing, baked chicken breast, and tons of veggies! Low carb and GF.
    Prep Time20 mins
    Cook Time7 mins
    Total Time27 mins

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast (cut into bite-sized pieces; roughly 2 large chicken breasts)
    • salt & pepper
    • ½ cup homemade ranch dressing
    • 4 cups romaine lettuce (washed, dried, and cut into bite-sized pieces)
    • 1 cup cherry tomatoes
    • 1 cup cucumbers (cut into rounds)
    • 1 bell pepper (chopped into small pieces)
    • 1 cup mozarella (shredded)

    To serve (optional)

    • 1 cup tortilla strips

    Instructions

    • Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large nonstick pan.
    • Add the chicken, season with salt & pepper, and cook for 5-7 minutes, until cooked though and no pink remains. Set aside to cool.
    • While chicken is cooking, stir together homemade ranch dressing.
    • Portion: Add 2 tablespoons of ranch dressing to the bottom of four 1-pint mason jars. 
      Add cooled chicken on top, then bell peppers, cheese, tomatoes and cucumbers. 
      Press the romaine lettuce into the top of the jar, then seal.

    Storage

    • Store for up to 4 days in the fridge. 
    • To serve: shake jars out into a clean jar. OR if you prepare in 1-quart jars, you can shake the jar up and eat right out of the jar.

    Notes

    Nutritional information excludes optional toppings.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1jar | Calories: 417kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 104mg | Sodium: 645mg | Potassium: 764mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 5455IU | Vitamin C: 51.8mg | Calcium: 181mg | Iron: 1.6mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @SweetPeaSaffron or tag #sweetpeasandsaffron

    About Denise Bustard

    Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more. read more

    Previous Post: « Mexican Spaghetti Squash Casserole
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    https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/about

    Hi, I'm Denise

    Meal prep took me from feeling constantly stressed out about meals to cool, collected and in control. I want to share this amazing and transformational habit with you, so you can feel in control, too!

    Read more about it here!

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