Bacon-Wrapped Grilled Chicken Salad With Avocado and Lime

By Clare de Boer

Total Time: 1¼ hours
Rating: 4(553)
Notes: Read community notes

Wrap your chicken with bacon, grill it and drizzle it with this nearly green goddess, almost-guacamole dressing and you might even convert burger eaters into salad fiends. Covering the butterflied breasts in bacon helps baste the lean chicken and accelerates char as fat melts onto the coals. Flare-ups are inevitable, but don’t be alarmed: They will ensure rich color on the bacon while protecting the breast from overcooking. When assembling the salad, avoid weighing down the leaves with hot and heavy toppings: Dollop plenty of the dressing on the plate first, and layer most of the chicken and fudgy eggs below the lightly dressed leaves. There should be a little leftover dressing to satisfy the people that will want to dip each bite of chicken into the herby, lime-laced avocado.

Featured in: Glorious Chicken on the Grill

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

For the Chicken

4boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 10 ounces each)
1½teaspoons flaky sea salt
⅛teaspoon black pepper
16slices bacon

For the Dressing

½cup any and all soft herbs, such as tarragon, dill, parsley or cilantro, plus more for garnish
2teaspoons sea salt
1garlic clove
¼cup fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)
3ripe avocados
¼cup extra-virgin olive oil
⅛teaspoon black pepper
2jalapeños, thinly sliced into rounds

For the Salad

2½pounds any mixture of crunchy salad leaves: endive, watercress, radicchio, romaine or Little Gems (about 4 quarts)
Olive oil, as needed
Kosher salt
4fudgy soft-boiled eggs, peeled and halved
Lime wedges, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Take the chicken breasts out of the fridge to come to room temperature. Soak wooden toothpicks or skewers in water while you ready your grill. Clean the grate thoroughly and build a hot fire. This chicken needs to be cooked over intense, direct heat.
Step 2
While the coals heat, butterfly the chicken breasts: On a chopping board, place one hand on top of the breast, and slice into its side, starting at the thick end and moving toward the thin point. Make sure not to cut all the way through. Then, open up the breast, cover with plastic wrap and, using a rolling pin, roll the chicken to an even thickness of ½ inch; set aside.
Step 3
Prepare the dressing: Crush the herbs, salt and garlic in a pestle until you have a thick, bright-green paste (or finely chop them); stir in the lime juice. Scoop the avocados into the pestle and crush, then stir in the oil, pepper and half the jalapeños. Prepare the salad components so they’re ready to be assembled when the chicken is cooked.
Step 4
When the coals are burning red and the grill hisses when you drop water on it, salt and pepper the chicken breasts on both sides. Lay 4 slices of bacon flat on each breast crosswise, then turn the chicken over and fold the bacon ends over like you’re wrapping a parcel. Secure the ends of the bacon with toothpicks or skewers.
Step 5
Place the bacon-wrapped breasts on the grill, with the side without the toothpicks facing down. There will be some flare-ups as the bacon fat hits the coals; if it’s burning, pull the parcels off the grill and give the coals a few minutes to cool. Otherwise, when the parcels have nice color on the first side, after about 3 or 4 minutes, flip them over. Cook on the second side until cooked through, about 2 to 4 minutes more; transfer to a cutting board to rest.
Step 6
Assemble the salad: Toss the leaves with about ⅓ of the avocado dressing and some additional olive oil to thin it. Use your hands to toss until coated and season to taste with salt.
Step 7
Pull the toothpicks or skewers out of the bacon-wrapped breasts and slice them into strips. Dollop ⅓ of the avocado dressing onto the serving platter, then arrange the leaves, chicken and eggs on top. Dollop with the remaining avocado dressing to taste. Finish with more herbs, remaining jalapeños, lime wedges and some extra olive oil for gloss.

Ratings

4 out of 5

553 user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Mike4 years ago

Could use a picture of what the bacon-wrapped breasts should look like pre-grill... not really sure based on description alone...

Mike4 years ago

Also, what do you plate first, the chicken or the egg?

Adam3 years ago

Just cook the bacon separately and crumble the crispy bacon bits into the salad. Pre-marinate the chicken in mayonnaise, lime juice, garlic and grated ginger, and slap that on the grill. Same effect, much better textures IMO.

Emily4 years ago

Agree. Would like to make this over weekend but need guidance on bacon covered chicken. What does that look like?

Meredith Draycott-Greverie4 years ago

Try laying out 4 strips of bacon side by side and then place the chicken breast across them perpendicularly. Pull up each end of the bacon and tuck under the other end across the topside of chicken breast. If you tuck them in well you don't even need toothpicks. When it comes to cooking put the topside down first on the grill or hot pan (works great stove top too) and it will sear the bacon and fuse the ends together so they stay in place when you turn it to cook the other side.

Minda4 years ago

Agree with Mike; the instructions are ambiguous.

blsmadrid4 years ago

This particular mixture, ripe avocados with unusual bacon-wrapped chicken slices, is really something! I didn't use a grill for the novel chicken-bacon fillets, but used the oven instead, popped the wrapped pieces in for 35-40 min at 390º, covering them with foil 20 min, until I turned them over, so both sides were sure to be done. I imagine they are special with the grill but the oven method worked like a charm. The chicken sliced up beautifully, with the bacon intact. I highly recommend it

Becky4 years ago

Come on, Clare, throw us a bone. "Lay 4 slices of bacon flat on each breast crosswise, then turn the chicken over and fold the bacon ends over like you’re wrapping a parcel. Secure the ends of the bacon with toothpicks or skewers." How does one turn chicken over that has bacon laying on top of it? Does anybody still wrap a parcel? What are we securing the bacon to with toothpicks or skewers? I have no clue how this is supposed to work. Also, what is a "fudgy" egg?

Bougeotte4 years ago

I've never seen such an aggressive notes section. Confinement is making us all testy!

Linda3 years ago

A fudgy or jammy egg is one cooked between soft boil and hard boil - usually cooked 6-1/2 to 7 minutes, then put immediately into an ice bath. They are typically used on ramen. You won’t have any trouble finding a recipe. They can be addictive, especially if marinated in soy sauce and mirin.

Hollie4 years ago

Just made the dressing...is it really supposed to have 2 teaspoons of salt? It was so salty I had to throw out 1/2 and add 2 more avocados to what was left and another 1/4 cup of lime juice. It's still saltier than I would like.

beverly4 years ago

Agreed!! Need a photo of this bacon wrapping technique. Anyone have suggestions to modify this dressing to make without avocado? I can’t eat avocado, much to the rest of my family’s disappointment.

Carla3 years ago

I knew in my heart that bacon over direct heat was a bad idea. I was right. Not only were the parcels impossible to cook evenly because of the flare ups, it was downright dangerous. I was so busy putting out fires, there was no time to check for proper doneness on the chicken. A complete disaster and waste of meat. The dressing, however is a keeper.

Marcia4 years ago

Mike. You rule!

Tamara3 years ago

I don’t have access to a grill, so I simply cooked bacon and chicken separately on the stovetop, chopped them each up, and tossed them into the salad. Still incredibly delicious! Plus: it’s quite a large salad, so I made all the components ahead of time and placed the bacon, chicken, and eggs (unpeeled until I was ready to serve) into individual containers, and kept all the dressing in a mason jar. Made it so easy to throw together a side salad for the next three days!

Valerie2 weeks ago

Very good! Chicken sliced 1/2 on the depth, criss-crossed bacon wrap & cooked on the stovetop with olive oil was fine. Served whole with dressing as a thick dip. Omitted the salad due to time. I agree with Hollie's comment on the portion of SALT; try 1/2 the portion; then taste & adjust is necessary (can always add more). Good with garden soft herbs: Italian parsley & chives was what we had growing. Will definitely make again!

Mary Day1 year ago

This one is a family favorite. I usually cook the bacon separately and often use a rotisserie chicken (cut off the breast meat only) if I'm in a hurry. I find as long as you get the same ingredients into this salad, it's pretty forgiving. Jammy eggs are essential!

roger2 years ago

Delicious salad. Makes a nice main course. Next time I will cook the bacon and chicken breast separately. The bacon drippings caused flare ups and it did not crisp properly.

AG2 years ago

Thought this was delicious. I didn't use a grill bc I don't yet have one (or space for one) so I put my large toaster on the "roast" setting at 425 degrees for 38 min. I more or less halved the recipe because a few of my avocados just weren't getting ripe. I also included green onions with the herbs in the salad and excluded a tiny bit of salt from the chicken. First Cobb-like salad I've enjoyed to this level!

Robert Q. Mathews2 years ago

I am confused as to how to wrap the chicken. Really confused. Can someone please post a pic? I'm not getting it. Help, because this sounds really good.

Nancy2 years ago

What is the purpose of butterflying if not stuffing or seperating?

Sally2 years ago

I used a left over chicken thigh and didn't bother with the bacon problem. Delicious dressing. I added a small potato. Might try adding sautéed pancetta next time, but wouldn't bother with the grilling with bacon.

Louise2 years ago

It was pretty easy to wrap the flat chicken breast in bacon according to the description. It cooked quickly on the grill and was very tasty. A bit like a Cobb salad without the blue cheese. I added the avocado to the salad and used vinegrette and lime and didn't make the salad dressing. Easy and delicious. My family loved it.

Dana2 years ago

Seems like the breasts might be tasty if they were sliced thin then wrapped in bacon and "brick" cooked by placing them in a cast iron pan on the stovetop with a heavy heat proof object on top. I use a cast iron skillet and another smaller heavy cast iron pan on top. Flip halfway through cooking, probably around 8-10 minutes total. That would make the pieces easier to cut after cooking and the bacon would be cooked into the chicken so it doesn't fall off so easily in the salad.

DRK2 years ago

For all those with fears of flipping chicken and bacon, here are two ideas: try using skewers or even better a fish grill basket. A fish basket usually has two parts with handles, one of which is a bottom with sides into which you put the fish or in this case the chicken with the bacon wrapped around it and the second grid which slides over food, allowing you to flip the whole

Jessica R2 years ago

Fudgey eggs = bring the eggs to a boil. Turn off the heat and allow to stand for nine minutes. Never called it a fudgey egg before but that’s what it looks like in the photo: a soft, hard boiled egg

Kimmy2 years ago

Tangy and delicious. Added cucumber and it went nicely. I will make this salad again as it was a family hit.

Peter2 years ago

I don’t have a grill, so I cooked the bacon in lardons, then browned whole chicken breasts in the fat before folding them in a foil pouch and steaming them in the 450 degree oven for 10 minutes. I added sliced celery to the salad because I love celery. It was perfect.

kimses3 years ago

I made a few adjustments to this and cooked on the grill. I grilled romaine and afterwords mixed it with the dressing. For the chicken, I grilled one side, flipped it, and laid pre-cooked bacon strips over the top. Since the precooked bacon from the store is not fully cooked, it crisped up nicely and adhered to the chicken. No flareups either because the bacon has had most of the fat cooked off already.

Adam3 years ago

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