BBQ Chicken Salad
by Chungah
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This BBQ chicken salad is perfect for quick dinners, picnics, and potlucks! With smoky, juicy BBQ chicken, corn, tomatoes, and creamy Ranch!
Featured Comment
I made this salad last night and it was a hug hit with the family. Even my boys said it was hearty enough for dinner. (they are big meat eaters, so never really sure what to expect with them) When I went to buy ranch dressing, I noticed there was a BBQ ranch flavour. It worked perfectly!! I did add a small drizzle of BBQ sauce on top, but really was not needed. Next time I think I will add avocado. thanks for the great recipes, yours are always a hit at our table.
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.
Why you’ll love this bbq chicken salad recipe
- Smoky, saucy BBQ chicken. First, this salad is wonderfully packed with charred, smoky, juicy BBQ chicken bites throughout. And you can cook the chicken on the stovetop or grill (weather permitting)!
- Double whammy barbecue goodness. Next, this recipe uses both BBQ seasoning and a velvety, sweet and tangy BBQ sauce for an extra flavor punch.
- Includes the creamiest Ranch. Of course this recipe includes a homemade Ranch dressing that will knock your socks off, one that you will want on anything and everyhting.
- Perfect for any occasion. Finally, this salad is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner, picnics, potlucks, or any get-together. It’s truly a guaranteed crowd-pleaser for everyone!
How to make bbq chicken salad
- Season the chicken. Coat the chicken with vegetable oil, BBQ seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Cook the chicken. Cook the chicken in a cast iron grill pan until golden brown and cooked through (165°F). Toss with the BBQ sauce until combined.
- Cook the corn. Add the corn to the grill pan and cook until charred and tender, letting it cool before cutting off the kernels. This is my favorite tool to remove the kernels easily and quickly.
- Assemble the salad. Spread the shredded romaine on a large platter. Top with the BBQ chicken, corn, tomatoes, black beans, avocado, red onion, and cheese, drizzling the Ranch dressing on top.
variations, substitutions and swaps
Protein
- Chicken: use boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- Pork: swap out the chicken for pulled pork
- Seafood: grilled shrimp or salmon, basting with BBQ sauce
- Vegetarian: substitute with baked tofu (or plant-based alternative), tossing with BBQ sauce until well coated
- Rotisserie: repurpose leftover rotisserie chicken for a quick-dinner hack
Greens and veggies
- Romaine: substitute (or mix) with iceberg lettuce, kale, baby spinach, or arugula
- Corn: use fresh, canned or frozen corn
Toppings
- Cheese: substitute the cheddar cheese with feta, queso fresco, or goat cheese
- Tortilla chips: top with crushed tortilla chips or tortilla strips for an added crunch
what to serve with bbq chicken salad
Tools For This Recipe
Cast iron grill pan
BBQ Chicken Salad: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use chicken breasts?
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.
What BBQ seasoning do you recommend?
We used Yellowstone Cowboy BBQ seasoning but there are so many good ones out there, so feel free to use your favorite brand.
Can I make the chicken ahead of time?
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.
Can I make the dressing ahead of time?
Yes! Make the Ranch dressing 1 week in advance and store in an airtight container (such as a mason jar) in the fridge, letting it come to room temperature for about 15 minutes and shaking well before using.
BBQ Chicken Salad
This BBQ chicken salad is perfect for quick dinners, picnics, and potlucks! With smoky, juicy BBQ chicken, corn, tomatoes, and creamy Ranch!
Video
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.
Notes
- 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.
- Fresh, canned or frozen corn all works. In-season fresh corn is always an excellent option when available but canned corn or 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.
- Grill outdoors. When the weather permits, use an outdoor grill for even more smoky, charred flavors, grilling the chicken whole, then dicing into bite-sized pieces. Ensure that the grill is properly cleaned (to prevent sticking) and preheated prior to grilling. This will allow for a better sear for those grill marks and evenly cooked chicken.
- Rotisserie chicken will be the ultimate shortcut. Use leftover rotisserie chicken for a lightning fast dinner.
- Use an instant-read thermometer for the most accurate results. The internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165°F.
- Toss the dressing just before serving. This will avoid a soggy salad and allow for maximum, crisp freshness, keeping the vegetables and BBQ chicken in separate airtight containers if meal prepping ahead of time.
Did you make this recipe?
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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
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!