This is a great salad you can put together really quick, especially if you make the homemade Buttermilk Dressing ahead of time. If you don’t want to use the Buttermilk Dressing or don’t have time to make it, you could substitute 3/4 cup of store-bought Buttermilk, Ranch or Vinegrette dressing. This recipe makes 4 servings.

BUTTERMILK DRESSING:

• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
• 2 tsp. cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. spicy brown mustard or honey mustard
• 1/4 tsp. minced garlic
• dash of salt and pepper

SALAD INGREDIENTS:

• 4 tightly–packed cups of chopped romaine lettuce or your favorite salad mix (I used a spring mix)
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 2 cups of your favorite salad croutons (I used a Cheese Garlic flavor)
• 4 heaping Tbsp. of real bacon pieces or bits (if you want to cook and crumble your own bacon, use 4-5 slices)
• 2 cups pre-cooked chicken, chopped in chunks or wedges (I used Tyson’s fully cooked Oven Roasted Diced Chicken Breast–it’s sold in the freezer section–but you can use any leftover chicken you have; grilled chicken or rotisserie chicken are good in this salad)

Whisk together all the Buttermilk Dressing ingredients in a large bowl (or put 3/4 cup store-bought dressing in bowl). Then add lettuce, tomatoes, croutons, half of the bacon pieces, and all of the chicken chunks; toss all ingredients together well. Serve in individual salad bowls or on salad plates, and top with the remaining bacon pieces.

OR, you can just drizzle the dressing over each individual salad and top with bacon pieces (that’s how I did it in the above photo). And if you’d like to add some additional toppings, you could try chopped avocado, sunflower seeds, and/or shredded cheese.

Find more recipes at Tasty Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.