BBQ Chicken Salad
Published 8/13/2023
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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.
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Photography: photos taken in this post are by Erin from The Wooden Skillet.
Gee wirieklls, that’s such a great post!
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I’m all about cold food!!! Especially leftovers and especially chicken on salad!!! NOM NOM!!!!!! And I LOVE any salad with poppyseed dressing!
I remember seeing this pic on Insta yesterday! Drool! It’s unreal the things you can create with leftovers! haha heating your day old coffee on the stove…kinda gross Lee 😉 Go get some coffee at Spyhouse or Starbucks girl ;P
HAHA. That would require me to leave my house 😀 And I’m a lazy bum.
Such a twat, I started this movement before you were born. But yes….it needs to be a phenomenon like how coconut oil took over the world but we have more style. And no paleo hacks.
You need to eat leftover stirfries cold, pasta cold, curries cold…you get the message. Yes, we have curry in Australia. Tomorrow we may get the internet!
How old are you? I feel like I was born before you were born. 4/17/1990. BEAT THAT!
When I bought my house a whole year ago it didn’t come with a microwave and I still haven’t gone around to buying one. It just doesn’t have a place in the kitchen and ya know what? I don’t miss it! I have a toaster oven and use that or the stove to reheat food. I usually bring leftovers to work and microwave there. It’s so weird the things we think we need.
See that is legit! I don’t have a toaster oven, what do you use that thing for? Fish sticks. Haha jkjk. But we had one growing up and that’s what I remember cooking in it.
Hahaha! No, I don’t eat fish sticks! I use it for roasting veggies, baking small things, and reheating food. And the best part is it doesn’t heat up my house, which is essential in the AZ summertime!
Six months ago I unplugged my microwave and put it down in the cupboard. Haven’t taken it out since! I thought it would be best for me if my food wasn’t heated by that means. If you have an electric kettle it makes tea/instant oatmeal so much easier. Everything else I just reheat on the stove when needed.
The salad looks delicious!!
I NEED an electric kettle ASAP. I have actually been looking for one because I drink so much hot tea (I blame Minnesota). Where did you get yours from?
I just got the cutest kettle from Target!!! I drink hot lemon water every morning because of this thing!!! It’s great!! Plus it’s ceramic rather than plastic.
Here she is 🙂
http://www.target.com/p/bella-electric-ceramic-kettle-white-with-blue-aztec-design/-/A-14232072#prodSlot=medium_1_4
xo, Lauren
http://www.alovelysideproject.com
Doode that is adorable. NEED. I should start drinking more hot lemon water. I got on a kick a few months back, but coffee just consumes me in the AM.
Mine just came with the apartment I’m at here in Korea. And at my last house in Wisconsin, a roommate had one, so I’m not sure what to recommend. I’m sure any brand will be great – boiling water in less than a minute is so handy!
Where in Wisco are you from?!?!
Madison! I’ll be back there later this fall.
I haven’t had a microwave for nearly six years. The only thing I would like to have a microwave for is to heat up casseroles or lasagnas. Heating those up on the stovetop or in a toaster oven just doesn’t quite cut the mustard.
That salad looks delicious!
OMG THAT’S INSANE! And I kinda love it.
One time we thought our good microwave broke and we ended up throwing it out and buying a new cheaper one. Well We found out a few days later that the old microwave wasn’t working because the fuse had blown! It was perfectly fine! I was so upset….
(And cold leftovers are the best!)
LOLOLOLOL. That is totally something I would do. Simple fix. Simple fix.
I never heat up my meats! It’s so much easier to throw some cold chicken or fish on a salad and enjoy it all fresh + chilly!
Great minds think alike 😀 Plus, usually by the time I’m making lunch or dinner…I’m hangry. So the faster I eat the better 😀