Chicken, Bacon & New Potato Salad with Spring Herb & Buttermilk Dressing
This one started, like a lot of my favourite meals, as a fridge clean-up situation. Leftover roast chicken. A couple strips of bacon. Some boiled new potatoes I forgot about because — naturally — the toddlers let the chickens out of the coop – again. But somewhere between scraping by & throwing supper together, it turned into a real keeper. Hearty, salty, herby, bright — basically everything I want in a spring meal when the weather’s still playing both sides & I’m tired of soup but not quite ready for salad-salad.
This isn’t fussy food. It’s farm kitchen food. Meant to feed real hungry people who’ve been hauling kids or fixing fence or pacing through another too-cold, too-wet spring day. It’s leftovers + pantry stuff + whatever greens you can scrounge. The magic’s in the buttermilk dressing — sharp & creamy with garlic & herbs (dill’s great, lovage is better if you’ve got it — celery’s weird wild cousin, all prairie grannies knew about it). It soaks into the warm potatoes & pulls the whole thing together.
I ate this right out of the bowl standing at the counter, but it packs great for an on-the-go-sustain-me kind of meal. It’s not fancy. It’s not delicate. It’s real food — the good kind — built from what’s here, what’s now, what’s left.
That’s what I want most days anyway.
Pull up a chair. There’s enough.
Chicken, Bacon & New Potato Salad with Spring Herb & Buttermilk Dressing
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 200 g cooked chicken leftover or poached, shredded
- 200 g new potatoes halved
- 4 slices bacon cooked until crisp, crumbled
- 1 cup baby arugula or mixed greens
- 2 tbsp chives chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh dill chopped
- ¼ cup radishes thinly sliced
For the Buttermilk Dressing:
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 small clove garlic minced
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the potatoes: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the halved new potatoes and cook until fork-tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly.
- Prepare the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, garlic, salt, and black pepper until smooth. Adjust seasoning to taste.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked chicken, potatoes, crumbled bacon, arugula, radishes, and fresh herbs.
- Drizzle with the buttermilk dressing and gently toss to coat.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to a day for flavors to develop further.
Notes
- Meal-prep friendly: This salad can be stored in the fridge for up to 24 hours. If making ahead, store the dressing separately and toss before serving.
- Protein boost: Add a sliced boiled egg or an extra serving of chicken.
- Herb variations: Try parsley or tarragon instead of dill for a different flavor profile.
