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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As I’m making this for dinner tonight, I thought I’d pop in and let you know my family LOVES this salad! I pinned the recipe about 3 months ago and it has been one of my go-to meals. The only difference is I quickly poach the chicken. It is delicious and I’ve shared this recipe and your blog with my friends and on my Facebook pages. Thanks!
Laura Sweet
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We Love Bullseye
The instructions never mention the chicken in the assembly. I would not forget to add it and I know you all would not as well but just to be clear.
Thank you for letting me know. The recipe has been updated.
I came across your site thru Pinterest and I made this tonight, it was so yummy. My 5 year old even said ” mommy, next time give me lots & lots of salad, it was so good”, not a sentence I thought my daughter would ever say about a salad. I’m looking forward to trying your Chinese orange chicken this weekend.
Hi 🙂 I found this recipe on pinterest some days ago and immediately decided I would have to try it soon. So yesterday I made this salad for my parents and me. It was sooooo good!
The recipe says it serves 2… I made much more of it and still: we ate all of it! 😀
When my Mom finished eating she looked at me kind of sad and said: “It’s so sad…. but I’m full! I can’t eat more of it. I want to have this again next week!”
So, all in all: We enjoyed it a lot! Thanks for this great recipe!
Greetings from Germany! 🙂
Jasmin
I’m so glad you had a chance to make this. You just reminded me that I need to make this again soon – it’s one of my favorite salads yet!
Do you have a favorite BBQ sauce recipe and also a recipe for homemade tortilla strips. I have loved looking at all of your damn delicious recipes and am getting ready to try one of the enchilada recipes tonight for my family for dinner. Can’t wait to try more of them soon too! They all look delicious!!!!!
Sheree, I personally love Trader Joe’s Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce. I also like to stock up on tortilla strips at the grocery store – sometimes, shortcuts are needed! 🙂
The very best tasting tortilla strips are made by slicing several corn tortillas and quickly frying them in a half-inch of oil until the bubbling stops. Remove them with a skimmer, draining on paper towels. Don’t overcrowd the skillet! Give them plenty of space! They are so good they don’t even need salt, and you may never want to buy commercial chips again! I do this for tortilla soup, too, and we go through about three tortillas each. If I cut them in wedges, we go crazy with homemade salsa, but it is a very healthy snack, low in sodium. Instead of dollars, it only costs pennies to make your own, and the flavor is SO MUCH better than any chip you’ve ever eaten. I would also have to cut the sugar in this salad for the diabetic I feed. I have a recipe for making ranch dressing that’s low sodium, and I’d have to make a sugar-free, low sodium BBQ sauce, too, but it is all do-able and worth it, as we eat salads for lunch almost every day. I will make this one day soon.
This was really delicious! Thanks for the great recipe. I’m going to try this next time as a mason jar salad.
I’m going to try this tonight but using pulled pork instead of the chicken. It’s clean out the fridge night for me. I have just enough meat, dressing and BBQ sauce.
Looks great and I plan to try it for a ladies lunch…is this really only 2 servings?
Jean, that really depends on how you decide to serve this – as an appetizer or as a main dish. This dish serves 2 very large main dish servings – you may even be able to stretch this to 3 servings.
I made this Salad last night… Sooooo good and very easy
Love it!!!!
Is the nutritional information available for this recipe?
Unfortunately, as I am not a registered dietician, I am not comfortable sharing nutritional information of my recipes. Please use online resources to obtain such information.
I made this salad for tonight’s dinner, and the whole family absolutely loved it! My husband said he’d like me to make up a few of these for his lunches this week. Great recipe…thanks so much for sharing. Can’t wait to try out more of your recipes!
All of your recipes look amazing. Like all the different ideas on how to use quiona.
Oh man, I am drooling over this salad! This seriously looks so amazing, I am dying to get this in front of me!
I was looking for something new to cook with some leftover chicken and found this salad recipe. Delicious and so easy! Instead of red onion I used green. This is definitely going into my rotation of meals. Now I can make at home instead of ordering while I’m out.
Awesome! Thank you 🙂
I’m sorry to ask, but can you buy the tortilla strips at the grocery store? I’ve never seen them. This looks so good! Thank you.
Yes, they should be easy to find at your local grocery store. If all else fails, you can always crush up tortilla chips!
Thank you…can’t wait to try it!
This may be a stupid question, but are tortilla strips like Fritos or something else entirely? Would they be in the chip section or somewhere else?
Not a stupid question at all. Tortilla strips are a little different from Fritos. You are looking for something like this. Hope that helps!
This was sooo good, even my 4 & 6 year old loved it (with a few exclusions for the 4 year old)! I used leftover rotisserie chicken from the night before and it turned out great and came together quickly! We love salads and I’m always looking for new ones to try! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Does anyone know how many calories this is?
Lea, please use online resources such as Calorie Count to obtain nutritional information.