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!
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.