BBQ Chicken Salad – the whole family will love this hearty and delicious salad. It’s packed with tasty ingredients, and is a perfect summer main dish!
When it’s blazing hot outside, I love a good salad for lunch or dinner. Taco Salad and lightened up Asian Chicken Pasta Salad are two more family favorites.
During the hot summer months, I am always on the lookout for dinner recipes that
1-are light and refreshing, and
2-don’t heat up the oven.
This BBQ Chicken Salad fits the bill perfectly! They served it at girls camp this year, and I loved it so much that I knew I had to recreate it at home. It turned out just as yummy as I remembered it, and my whole family cleaned their plates!
This salad may look complicated, but it really is easy to throw together. Promise. And as with most salads, you can add or omit ingredients to your family’s taste. I don’t like a ton of BBQ sauce, but if you want your chicken really saucy, feel free to add more.
How to make BBQ Chicken Salad
Ingredients needed:
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- olive oil
- garlic
- soy sauce
- salt
- bbq sauce (I used Dave’s bbq sauce, you can use your favorite)
- fresh tomatoes
- corn
- black beans
- red or green pepper
- green onions
- avocados
- sugar
- lime juice
- cilantro
- ranch dressing (homemade is best!)
- lettuce
- spinach
- grated cheese
- tortilla strips or tortilla chips
For chicken: Combine chicken, oil, garlic, soy sauce, and salt in a large ziplock bag. Chill for at least 30 minutes. Discard extra marinade. Grill or saute chicken until done. Cool and shred. Stir in desired amount of BBQ sauce. Chill.
For salsa: Combine all ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
Stir together ranch dressing and bbq sauce, chill.
To serve: Toss together the lettuce and spinach and arrange on plates. Top with shredded chicken, salsa, dressing, cheese and chips.
Tips for making barbeque chicken salad:
-If you are really in a hurry, you can just buy a rotisserie chicken, shred it, and toss the shredded chicken with bbq sauce. It works in a pinch.
-I got the idea to mix the add-in ingredients into a salsa from Jamielyn at I Heart Naptime. I let people add it to their individual servings. It works great, because if you have any leftovers, the salad doesn’t get soggy!
-Homemade ranch dressing makes a big difference in the end result of this salad. You just can’t beat the fresh flavor!
What can I serve with BBQ Chicken Salad?
At my house, this is a complete meal, but if you want to get fancy, you can serve it with some Garlic Cheddar Breadsticks. And of course, if you need a sweet finish, nothing beats homemade ice cream!
MORE EASY CHICKEN DINNER RECIPES:
- Salsa Chicken
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Instant Pot Sweet and Spicy Chicken
- Chicken Potato Casserole
- Curry Chicken Wraps
- Thai Peanut Chicken Skewers
- Chicken Flautas
- Italian Chicken Pasta
BBQ CHICKEN SALAD RECIPE
BBQ Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Chicken
- 24 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts skinless chicken breasts
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 8 cloves garlic minced (or 1 Tbsp dry minced garlic)
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ cup BBQ sauce (or more if you want) I used Dave’s
Salsa
- 3 fresh tomatoes diced
- 15.25 oz can corn drained
- 15 oz can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 red pepper chopped
- 4 green onions sliced
- 2 avocados diced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp fresh lime juice
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped (optional)
Dressing
- ½ cup ranch dressing
- 2 tsp BBQ sauce
Salad
- 7 cups of chopped leafy green lettuce
- 3 cups of fresh spinach
- ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1 cup tortilla strips
Instructions
Chicken
- Combine chicken, oil, garlic, soy sauce, and salt in a large ziplock bag. Squish around till chicken is coated.
- Chill for at least 30 minutes. Discard extra marinade. Grill or saute chicken until done. Cool and shred. Stir in desired amount of BBQ sauce. Chill.
Salsa
- 1. Combine all ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
Dressing
- 1. Whisk together ranch dressing and bbq sauce till smooth; chill.
To Serve:
- 1. Toss together the lettuce and spinach and arrange on plates.
- 2. Top with shredded chicken, salsa, dressing, cheese and chips.
Nutrition
See all my SALAD RECIPES.
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Absolutely delicious! And I totally agree, using a homemade dressing is so much better!
This salad is one of my favorite things to order at restaurants. This recipe tastes even better. I love making it at home. Thanks.