BBQ Chicken Salad
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Smoky BBQ chicken, corn, tomatoes, black beans, avocado + cheese drizzled with homemade Ranch. An instant family favorite!
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Hello, summertime bliss. We have picnics, blue skies, ice cream cones, trips to the beach, and of course, a classic BBQ chicken salad here. This is what summer dreams are made of, and one of the best summer recipes hands down.
reasons to make bbq chicken salad
- Charred, smoky BBQ chicken bites throughout (hello, dark meat)
- Double whammy barbecue goodness using BBQ seasoning and a saucy, sweet and tangy BBQ sauce
- Includes a homemade Ranch dressing that will knock your socks off
- Great for potlucks, picnics or a quick weeknight dinner
tips and tricks for success
- Prep ahead of time. Save time by making the homemade ranch dressing up to 1 week in advance, and prepping and dicing the vegetables (except the avocado) 1-2 days prior and storing them in airtight containers in the fridge.
- Use fresh, canned or frozen corn. In-season fresh corn is always a great option when available but canned corn or thawed frozen corn can also be used.
- Use your favorite beans. Canned beans is such a convenient pantry staple. Black beans, chickpeas, pinto beans or any other beans on hand will work well here.
- Homemade dressing makes all the difference. Store-bought Ranch can certainly be used here in a pinch, but this homemade Ranch dressing is oh-so-creamy and perfectly drizzly. It’s one you’ll want to use for all your salads (and everything else) this summer.
- Mix it up. Use leftover rotisserie chicken to cut down on prep time even more, add cilantro, or swap the cheddar cheese for crumbled cotija cheese.
what to serve with bbq chicken salad
Tools For This Recipe
Cast iron grill pan
BBQ Chicken Salad: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, chicken breasts can absolutely be used here but chicken thighs have more dark meat and a higher fat content which will yield juicier, more flavorful chicken.
We used Yellowstone Cowboy BBQ seasoning but there are so many good ones out there so feel free to use your favorite brand.
Yes, the chicken can be cooked and tossed in the BBQ sauce up to 1 day in advance, stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Yes! The Ranch dressing can be made 1 week in advance and stored in an airtight container (such as a mason jar) and placed in the fridge, letting it come to room temperature for about 15 minutes and shaking well before using.
BBQ Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 2 teaspoons BBQ seasoning
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup BBQ sauce
- 2 ears corn, husks and silk removed
- 1 head romaine, shredded
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
- ½ cup diced red onion
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Homemade ranch dressing
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine chicken, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, BBQ seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
- Heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a cast iron grill pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add chicken to the grill pan in a single layer and cook until golden brown and cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 6-8 minutes. Set aside and stir in BBQ sauce until well combined.
- Add corn to the grill pan, and cook, turning occasionally, until charred and tender, about 5-10 minutes; let cool before cutting the corn kernels off the cobs.
- To assemble the salad, place romaine lettuce in a large bowl; top with chicken, corn, tomatoes, black beans, avocado, red onion and cheese. Pour the ranch dressing on top of the salad and gently toss to combine.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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Excellent! Easy to make with items I have on hand.
Hi, Chungah! Wow! Another great recipe that can be a main dish, as well. Lots of healthy, yummy ingredients. I love your recipes and save a lot of them, to share with friends and family (leaving your website address so they know whose it is! and can visit). I tell my friends that you seem as charming as your great recipes are good! Thanks again, and Cheers!
I feel like this recipe changed from the “old” one that I used to follow. By any chance, do you have a link to that one?
Ahhh so I’m not crazy! I thought the same thing. I don’t remember adding avocado or onion really and thought it was different cheese and included tortilla straps. I’m looking through screenshots to see if I can find the old recipe!!
This was amazing! I have ordered out in the past but this is so easy and delicious! I charred my corn a bit just to add a bit more flavor but this is definitely on our repeat list! Thank you for sharing.
Hi,
So tasty!!! We like to use homemade buttermilk ranch and add diced avocados for an added bonus to an already delicious meal!
Thanks.
Made this over the weekend as a lunch meal prep using the ranch dressing recipe from the Buffalo Cauliflower Cobb Salad, from the Meal Prep book and wow. This one will definitely be part of my regular rotation. Simply devine. I calculated calories per serving to be 386, but might turn out to be more depending on your portion sizes, type of dressing and bbq sauce. So, yeah; a keeper for sure! Thank you!
Great salad! My husband loved it! Thank you!
So tasty!!! We like to use homemade buttermilk ranch and add diced avocados for an added bonus to an already delicious meal!
I absolutely love this salad, and it is a great way for me to corn. I’m a T2 diabetic and do not corn often because of the carb content. However, I leave out the tortillas and reduce the amount of beans. I also add peppers and cucumbers. It is the perfect portion of carbs. Top it with a sugar free bbq sauce and ranch. I have also used a no sugar added honey mustard dressing (Sweet Baby Ray’s). Unbelievably delicious! It is so colorful… I eat alot of salad, and after awhile it gets boring but not with this recipe. Give it a shot.
One of my favorites! When serving to guests, what if anything do you serve with it?
Most people enjoy a good piece of bread with a main dish salad. Think charred sourdough or warm cornbread/cornbread muffins with a compound butter, simply mashed room temp butter with a little coarse salt, minced cilantro or parsley, and a dusting of chili powder and cumin. Mix together, roll into a log on a piece of parchment/waxed paper and rechilled. Slice pats onto warm bread.
Said by my sister — the best salad she’d ever ate. I’m suprised I made a good salad. Thank you! (Best salad recipe for me too.)
Excellent salad!!! I made a salad bar of sorts (I like spicy BBQ, husband likes mild) and we assembled our own. Would definitely make this again!
This looks fabulous! I don’t have black beans. Think I could sub white kidney beans?
you could, but black beans makes it so much better.
This salad was very good. I grilled the chicken basting with the same bbq sauce I was going use as the dressing. The chicken was extremely moist and added more flavor to the salad.
Looks lovely. Just wondering though how do you make the tortilla strips?
So I subbed a chopped up chicken strip from my kids’ dinner, but otherwise made it the same. It was sooooo good.
We love your recipes!!! We have your two books and use it all the time. Love that it’s easy to follow and no complicated steps. My 13 yo daughter uses your books to make us meals!
This was fantastically delicious! I can’t believe how good this simple recipe is. All the flavors compliment each other (and I even accidentally forgot the tomatoes). This one is easy and is definitely going into the rotation. Thanks so much
One of my favorite meals to make and eat! This dish is in heavy rotation at our house :]
I liked it. I would like to get more recipes