BBQ Chicken Salad with Cilantro Ranch Dressing

I usually don’t like to make homemade salads but I just couldn’t resist a recipe that calls for your favorite barbecue sauce, only because I still had some leftover Phil’s BBQ sauce from San Diego, which is by far the best barbecue sauce I’ve ever had in my life. It was wonderfully complemented by the dressing, which was a nice twist on Ranch. It was a simple, hearty, delicious dish, which was just perfect for a quick, weeknight dinner.

BBQ Chicken Salad with Cilantro Ranch Dressing (adapted from Picky Palate):

Yields 2 servings

• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup BBQ sauce
• 6 cups baby lettuce mix
• 1/2 cup corn
• 1/2 cup black beans
• 16 grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup ranch dressing
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Brush chicken breasts with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Place chicken breasts into hot grill pan until marked on the bottom, about 8 minutes, then turn and grill until cooked through, about 6 more minutes. Transfer to a cutting board.

Place lettuce mix into a salad bowl. Layer with corn, black beans and tomatoes.

Dice cooked chicken breast and mix with BBQ sauce. Top over salad and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

In a small bowl, combine the ranch dressing and cilantro.

Drizzle over salad and serve.

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