BBQ Chicken Salad
8
Published Jul 22, 2021, Updated Jul 21, 2023
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This BBQ chicken salad has so much flavor with grilled BBQ chicken, black beans, corn, avocado, crunchy tortilla chips and a drizzle of both BBQ sauce and ranch dressing.
I have been making this BBQ chicken salad recipe for ages so I honestly don’t know what took me so long to get the recipe tested. I think it’s mostly the fact that when I make salads like this with leftover grilled chicken I don’t tend to measure anything and it doesn’t feel like a recipe.
Lucky for you, I finally perfected the recipe and I’m sharing it today.
This salad is packed with flavor from the grilled BBQ chicken, a variety of vegetables and not one, but two sauces, BBQ sauce and ranch dressing. And for added crunch, it’s topped with crushed tortilla chips!
Here’s What You Need
- grilled bbq chicken breasts – simply follow my recipe for grilled BBQ chicken. You can prep the chicken 1-2 days in advance, if desired!
- romaine lettuce – I like using romaine lettuce in this salad for the extra crunch, but you could use any greens you have on hand!
- black beans – I like using canned black beans to save time. Just make sure you drain and rinse them well!
- sweet corn – frozen or fresh both work. If you have time to grill the corn, it adds so much flavor!
- cherry tomatoes – any type of tomato works but I’m partial to cherry tomatoes because they’re so sweet.
- red onion – add a little zest to the salad with chopped red onion!
- avocados – I love the creaminess and healthy fats avocado adds. To select a ripe avocado, press the skin in gently. If it gives slightly (not too much!) it’s ripe.
- shredded monterey jack or cheddar cheese – feel free to omit the cheese to make this salad dairy-free or use a vegan version.
- crushed tortilla chips – any tortilla chips work! We’re big fans of Late July tortilla chips, but the Siete brand is great if you are looking for a grain-free option.
- BBQ sauce – make your own or use a store-bought sauce. I like the Primal Kitchen brand because there is no added sugar!
- ranch dressing – again, homemade or store-bought works! I love making my vegan ranch dressing, but if I’m short on time I like Primal Kitchen, Tessamae’s or Bolthouse Farm for a healthy store-bought dressing.
Save Some Time!
Want to whip this BBQ chicken salad up in no time at all? Here are some shortcuts you can take:
- Grill your chicken ahead of time or use rotisserie chicken. Just toss the shredded rotisserie chicken in BBQ sauce before adding.
- Use canned black beans. Instead of soaking and cooking beans just crack the can open, drain and rinse!
- Use store-bought BBQ sauce and ranch. I shared some of my favorite brands above in the ingredient section.
How to Meal Prep This BBQ Chicken Salad
There are a few ways you can meal prep this salad! If you have a large, wide-mouth mason jar, you can create a mason jar salad!
- Start by putting 2 tablespoons of ranch in the bottom of the jar.
- Add the red onion and corn.
- Layer the black beans, cherry tomatoes, romaine and cheese.
- Top with the bbq chicken!
- When ready to eat, empty the jar into a bowl and top with avocado and crushed tortilla chips.
If you don’t want to make a mason jar salad, you can also prep this in a standard glass container. Line bottom of container with the romaine lettuce and layer all ingredients in columns/sections on top. Store dressing in a separate container and save the avocado and tortilla chips for serving.
More Meal Sized Salads to Try
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
BBQ Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 2-3 grilled BBQ chicken breasts, chopped
- 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen sweet corn or fresh grilled corn
- 1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup diced red onion
- 1-2 avocados, sliced
- ½ cup shredded monterey jack or cheddar cheese
- ½ cup crushed tortilla chips, optional
- BBQ sauce, for drizzling (homemade or store-bought)
- ranch dressing, (homemade or store-bought)
Instructions
- Grill BBQ chicken, if you haven’t already.
- Prep salads by adding lettuce and the salad toppings to three bowls. Start with chopped lettuce and then add grilled chicken, black beans, corn, tomatoes, red onion, avocados and cheese.
- Add ranch dressing and add a drizzle of BBQ sauce, if using.
- Top with crushed tortilla chips, if using and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I loved this recipe. I can see me packing it for lunch to take to the office. Thank you, Brittany. You have made meals enjoyable again.
Kim
Hi Kim – Thank you so much for your kind words, I am happy your enjoyed this recipe! I appreciate you being here. Thank you for your star rating + review, it means so much!
Made this tonight – so easy and so delicious! We loved it. Thank you!
Woo!! So glad to hear, Allison! Thanks for the review 🙂
Wow It look so delicious.
Thank, Brenda! Let me know if you try it 🙂
Just want you to know how much I enjoy following you on Instagram. I love your recipes and appreciate everything you share!
Thank you!
Jill
Ah yay!! Thank you so much for letting me know, Jill! I really appreciate it 🙂