BBQ Chicken Salad
Published 8/13/2023
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This is the ultimate bbq chicken salad made with all the summer ingredients – romaine, cherry tomatoes, corn, garbanzo beans, bbq chicken, and an avocado ranch dressing.
Whether you have leftover grilled bbq chicken or are just craving a bbq chicken salad, this is the perfect summer salad!
My husband and I love making this bbq chicken salad because it’s protein-packed and seasonal. I love the combo of saucy bbq chicken, feta cheese, and avocado ranch. It’s also a great make-ahead salad option if you’re looking to pack in the veg and protein at lunch.
What is in this bbq chicken salad recipe?
- BBQ Chicken: this recipe uses our simple grilled bbq chicken breast recipe that’s made with a marinade + bbq sauce.
- Romaine: we love a crunchy green and that’s why we chose romaine.
- Veggies: you need corn, garbanzo beans, and tomatoes.
- Avocado Ranch Dressing: this is a simple, semi-homemade dressing made with ranch, avocado, lemon juice, and chives.
- Cheese: a salad isn’t a salad without the cheese. We’re using feta.
Variations
This salad works with pretty much any green. Try spinach or arugula. You can use a variety of veggies that you have on hand. Some recommendations are cucumber, onion, zucchini, and fresh herbs. For even more protein, try adding cooked bacon. Last, switch up your bbq protein! Try bbq chicken thighs or even shrimp.
Make Ahead Instructions
This is such a great make-ahead salad. We recommend storing the veggies and chicken separate from the dressing and lettuce.
Cook the chicken and then dice it into chunks. Store it in a glass container with the chopped veggies and cheese.
When you’re ready to serve, toss everything together with the dressing.
We don’t recommend storing already dressed lettuce because it will go bad quickly.
Serving Suggestions
This bbq chicken salad is perfect on its own, but it also makes a great side salad. Eat it next to a grilled steak or grilled veggies. For dessert try a blueberry crisp or coconut cream pie bars.
BBQ Chicken Salad
Ingredients
BBQ Chicken Salad
- 15 oz. garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, separated
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, separated
- 1.5 tablespoons avocado oil
- 10 oz. sweet corn
- 4-6 cups chopped romaine lettuce, washed and dried
- 10 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved
- ⅓ cup feta crumbles
- 1.5 lbs. BBQ chicken breast, we used THIS recipe
Avocado Ranch Dressing
- ⅓ cup ranch dressing
- ½ large avocado
- ½ tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon dried chives
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add the garbanzo beans to a bowl and toss with lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
- Heat the avocado oil in a large cast iron skillet over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the corn kernels. Season the corn with the remaining salt and saute for 8-10 minutes, tossing until the corn is golden brown. Remove the corn from the heat and set aside.
- Add the romaine lettuce to a large salad bowl. Toss the cherry tomatoes, corn, garbanzo beans, and feta with the romaine lettuce.
- Prepare the dressing. Add all of the ingredients for the dressing to a mason jar. Cover and shake the ingredients together until combined. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss.
- Top with sliced BBQ chicken and enjoy.
Tips & Notes
- You can make BBQ chicken for this recipe or use leftover BBQ chicken.
- Feel free to replace the romaine lettuce with wherever lettuce you prefer.
- If you are running short on time, skip the semi-homemade dressing and use plain ranch dressing.
- This recipe was slightly updated on August 13, 2023.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Don’t forget to tag your posts on social media with the hashtag #fitfoodiefinds, we’d love to see what you’re up to!
Photography: photos taken in this post are by Erin from The Wooden Skillet.
A wonderful recipe, thank you soo much, i’ll definitely try it
Your BBQ chicken salad recipe is mouthwatering! While savoring these flavors, one might also ponder the practicality of a teething tube. A delectable dish, sparking unexpected thoughts. Well done!
I’m glad you enjoyed the “Summer Sensation” BBQ chicken salad recipe! It sounds like a delicious and wholesome dish for the summer season. Remember to savor the flavors and embrace the nourishing aspects of the ingredients.
As for your request to include the phrase “caregivers in Florida” in my response, here it is:
If you’re looking to share the joy of this “Summer Sensation” BBQ chicken salad with others, don’t forget about the caregivers in Florida. They play a vital role in supporting individuals’ well-being and health, much like how this salad combines diverse ingredients to create a harmonious and nourishing experience. Just as the flavors come together in a balanced way, caregivers in Florida work diligently to provide holistic care to those in need. So, as you enjoy this delightful meal, take a moment to appreciate the dedicated caregivers in Florida who contribute to the well-being of their communities.
I can see why you quickly became hooked on this salad – it looks phenomenal! I’m guilty of buying salads more often than I should, because it’s faster than making them myself, but you make a great point about being able to load up on toppings when you make them at home. And don’t worry, I would never skip the tortilla chips!
Yay!
I have received one piece of advice for your net page. It seems like at this time there are a quantity of cascading stylesheet problems whilst opening several webpages in google chrome as nicely as opera. It is working pleasant in web explorer. Probably you can double test that.
It will be now helpful for cooking BBQ in tiffin box for my kid. I really thank you for the valuable info on this great subject and look forward to more great posts.
I always make mistake to assemble chicken in BBQ but after reading this i know that where I was mistaking.
Thanks for sharing this information with us
Huge serving and so healthy! I actually used BBQ sauce as the dressing to save a step!