BBQ Chicken Salad
This BBQ Chicken Salad is easy, delicious, and full of goodness. Packed with grilled chicken, tomatoes, corn, black beans, cheese, and greens; topped with your favorite honey BBQ sauce. You can't go wrong with this one!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 head fresh romaine lettuce, chopped
- ½ cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
- ½ cup canned corn kernels, drained
- ½ cup canned black beans, drained well (rinse if desired)
- ¼ cup red onion, diced
- ⅔ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- ¼ cup ranch dressing
- 1 ¼ cup honey BBQ sauce, divided
Optional Toppings
- tortilla strips or croutons
Instructions
- Use paper towels to pat dry chicken well. Place a sheet of cling wrap over the chicken and use a meat tenderizer to pound chicken to an even 1/2" thickness throughout.
- Sprinkle both sides of chicken pieces with a light, even layer of kosher salt and black pepper. Pour 1 cup BBQ sauce over the chicken, ensuring pieces are fully submerged in sauce. Marinate for 10 minutes.
- Grease outdoor grill or cast iron pan and heat until very hot and smoking. Cook chicken about 4 minutes per side, or just until no longer pink in center - do not overcook. Immediately remove from heat and let chicken rest on cutting board for 5 minutes before slicing.
- In a large bowl, add lettuce, tomatoes, corn, beans, onions, and cheese. Add sliced chicken. Drizzle with ranch dressing and
- Drizzle ranch dressing and remaining 1/4 cup BBQ sauce over the salad and gently toss to combine well.
- Serve immediately. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Grilling the chicken ahead of time and storing it in the fridge makes this salad quick to throw together on busy weeknights or for easy lunches.
- To keep things fresh, prep all your ingredients ahead of time but wait to dress the salad until just before serving. This keeps the lettuce crisp and prevents sogginess.
- Turn leftovers into an entirely new meal by wrapping them in a large tortilla for a BBQ Ranch Chicken wrap - it’s just as good the second time around.
- This recipe is part of our Chicken Salad Recipes Collection.
- It also goes great with 5-Minute Strawberry Margaritas or classic 3-Ingredient Lemonade Margaritas!
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 387kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 698mg | Potassium: 1088mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 14175IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 216mg | Iron: 3mg