Chicken salad has long been a great way to use up leftover chicken and it’s simple to throw together. For a quick lunch or even as an appetizer this ranch chicken salad has just a little more zing than plain chicken salad. This is thanks to a homemade ranch sauce for the chicken that’s insanely delicious.

You might think from the name that we were just going to add some bottled ranch dressing to the chicken. Sure we could do that, but making your own ranch mixture from scratch is even tastier.

Some mayonnaise and fresh buttermilk are the base for the all the herbs and spices that give it that ranch flavor.

In the spice mix are garlic and onion powder, as well as some dill, parsley, and chives. This extra-fresh version of ranch gives this salad a special flavor.

If you want to add some celery or other veggies to this salad you can, but the fresh herbs do triple duty here to add flavor, texture, and color.

I used the breasts from a rotisserie chicken for this recipe, but you can use any cooked chicken you like here- be it leftovers or even cubed chicken. You can use two forks to shred the chicken or use your stand mixer and paddle attachment to shred it. I used a food processor with the dough attachment to break up the chicken pieces without making them too fine and it worked really nicely.

Serve this yummy chicken salad with crackers or use it for sandwiches. It’s a fresh way to enjoy a classic no matter which way you serve it.