Broccoli tastes delicious when it’s roasted with simple seasonings, and when it’s baked in a rich, cheesy sauce. Yet broccoli’s best-kept secret is that you don’t need to cook it at all. Broccoli salad is a side dish made of bite-size pieces of raw broccoli, a tangy dressing, and tons of tasty mix-ins. Cutting the broccoli small and keeping it uncooked helps maintain the salad’s signature crunch for days. This cowboy-style broccoli salad adds smoky chipotle chile in adobo sauce and pickled jalapeño brine to ranch dressing for a big boost in flavor. But it also doesn’t skimp on the mix-ins: Cowboys love the addition of smoky bacon, creamy cheese, sharp red onion, and crisp bell pepper to add a variety of textures and flavors. 

Why You’ll Love It

• It has all of the best textures. Every bite is filled with crunchy broccoli, crisp bacon, and creamy cheese, and because there’s no lettuce, the salad stays crunchy for days. 
• The dressing couldn’t be easier. Dress up store-bought ranch dressing with bacon fat, smoky chipotle chile, and pickled jalapeño brine.

Key Ingredients in Cowboy Broccoli Salad

• Broccoli: Cut broccoli crowns into bite-size pieces so that they’re easy to eat.
• Bacon: Toss crispy bacon into the broccoli salad, and stir rendered bacon fat into the dressing to give it a smoky flavor. Regular and thick-cut bacon slices can be used. 
• Ranch dressing: Use your favorite store-bought ranch dressing or make homemade ranch. Give the dressing cowboy flavor by adding smoky chipotle chile in adobo sauce.
• Cheese: Stir in shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Other cheeses that work well here include Monterey Jack, pepper Jack, and colby Jack.
• Pickled jalapeños: Add 1 tablespoon chopped pickled jalapeños to the salad and 3 tablespoons of the brining liquid to the dressing. If you only have fresh jalapeños on hand, use distilled white vinegar in place of the brining liquid. 

The Kitchn