BBQ Chicken Salad
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Smoky BBQ chicken, corn, tomatoes, black beans, avocado + cheese drizzled with homemade Ranch. An instant family favorite!
Featured Comment
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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Fabulous salad! Easy to make and very well-received by our guests. I was gutsy and tried it out on them for the first time with great results.
Delicious! Really enjoyed this recipe. Only change I made was I grilled my chicken And basted it with BBQ sauce.
Wish I could go higher on the stars! This is fantastic! Only thing I did different was I made the BBQ chicken on the grill and used iceburg lettuce since that is what I had in the fridge and topped it all with just ranch dressing! Maybe next time instead of lettuce I will use a cole slaw mix!
I realize this might be a stupid question but do you boil/cook the corn? Or just rinse it straight off the cob? Same for the beans – rinsed and dried out of can or cooked on the stove first? Ik
planning to make this for a party Sunday, so any help would be amazing!
Not a stupid question at all! If you are using canned as directed in the recipe, you can prepare both the corn and beans to your liking, whether that’s straight out of the can (drained and rinsed) or cooked on the stovetop. Completely up to you! 🙂
Great salad. I take this to bbqs and parties. I also add bacon bits
Easy and delicious! Perfect for a crowd. I made extra – almost double – and I needed it as the guys all had extra helpings. I put the dressing (Stubbs Spicy BBQ and a Buttermilk ranch) and taco chips on the side and let everybody add what they wanted. I will def make this again.
Terrific! That salad looks so appetizing and beautiful. Perfect for the season.
Cheers,
darah
Loved this salad! I mixed the bbq sauce and ranch and dressed the salad, tossed chicken with bbq sauce too! Green onion instead of red, next time maybe a little jicama, but a perfect salad recipe!
This salad is delicious thanks for a recipe to make it
This was delicious and I am by no means a salad person.
Great taste! Me and my husband enjoy this salad recipe. Thanks
Thank you!
Made this today with Quorn chikn tenders and salsa-fied the corn. Love love love! Thank you!!
What is the healthy ratio for calories and sodium in a salad? The nutritional info posted for this salad has a good fiber count of 6 grams but sodium is 734 and calories is 401. Is that too high or does the high fiber count compensate? Thank you!
Unfortunately, as I am not a registered dietician, I cannot answer with certainty. My apologies.
Oh, gosh! I blended the barbecue sauce into the homemade ranch until it was a pink color. Added cilantro to the whole mess and it was AH MAZING!!!
Do you bake the tortilla strips, fry them, season them?
I actually use store-bought tortilla strips! 🙂
Realize this is in response to a very old post. A trick I learned and use…
Take a corn tortilla (or stack a few on top of another) and using a pizza wheel cutter, cut into thin strips. Using a toaster oven, line the tray with foil and spray Pam or aerosol cooking oil on the foil sheet. Transfer the cut strips onto the tray and spray a bit more on top of the strips. Hit with salt and toast until golden. Keep an eye as they can burn quickly, but it is a very easy way to get homemade tortilla strips. Hope that helps.
That looks sooo yummy! love it (:
What a great recipe! Love easy recipes and love salads so this is definitely on my to-make-pretty-soon list 🙂
I started a little group with 3 of my co-workers, one of us makes a lunch for the 4 of us each day. This was our day 2 lunch, and it’s amazing! What a great combo! thanks for the wonderful recipe!
wow, this looks so great, I’ll try to do it over the weekend. Pinning it.
I found this recipe in your cookbook and my family loved it, even the kiddos. I’ve got it pinned now so I’ll never forget where to find it. Thx for a great recipe!