BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad

Name: BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons butter; 1/2 teaspoon garlic (minced); 1 cup corn (frozen or fresh); 1 teaspoon lime juice; 2 heads romaine lettuce (torn or chopped); 1½ pounds chicken breasts (grilled or baked); 1 large tomato (diced); 1 large bell pepper (sliced); 1 6-ounce can black olives (sliced); 2 cups pepper jack cheese (shredded); 1 cup bacon bits; 1 15-ounce can black beans; 1 large avocado (sliced); 2 cups tortilla strips; 1 cup ranch dressing; 1/4 cup bbq sauce

This healthy grilled BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad with tangy barbecue ranch dressing is perfect for lunch or dinner. It’s quick, easy, and packed with plenty of veggies, buttery corn, bacon bits, tortilla strips, beans, and more.

While grilled chicken is preferred, you can absolutely use oven-baked chicken, leftover chicken, chicken tenders, or even rotisserie chicken. Feel free to get creative with the mix-in ingredients, too.

grilled BBQ Chicken Salad ingredients in a white bowl with a ramekin of bbq ranch dressing on the side. bbq ranch salad, bbq chicken chopped salad.

If you are a fan of loaded, hearty chopped salads, then this BBQ Chicken Salad recipe will absolutely hit the spot. It’s packed with fresh flavors, has a full serving of protein and plenty of delicious, colorful veggies. You can stay healthy and “eat the rainbow” while satisfying your craving for barbecue.

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This salad can be served fully assembled, but most of the time I’ll serve it family style with each ingredient in a separate bowl. That way, everyone can build the salad that they want. It also works great as a meal prep lunch as long as you store the ingredients separately in the fridge.

If you do grill the chicken, here’s a meal prep pro tip: grill extra and use it to make this Grilled Chicken BLT Salad, Pesto Ranch Salad, Chicken Cabbage and Ramen Salad, or use our Honey Mustard Dressing for a fun switch up.

If you love the flavors of BBQ, be sure to try our BBQ Chicken Salad, BBQ Chicken Taquitos, Bab yback Ribs and Spare Ribs Recipe.

Key Ingredients

Chicken Breast – this can be grilled chicken, air fried chicken, or baked, and sliced or diced. Plan on 4-6 oz of uncooked chicken per person. Chicken is low in saturated fat and an amazing source of protein.
Cheese – our family likes shredded pepper jack, but any type of shredded cheese would taste great. Cheese is a great source of calcium, fat and protein.
Bacon Bits – these are simple to make on your own. Just slice your bacon into ½” strips, cook, and transfer to a paper towel to drain using a slotted spoon. Voila! These are just delicious, and add a little protein, too!
Black Beans – if using canned, be sure to rinse them first.
Black Olives – you can buy these pre-sliced in the can.
Tomato – these provide potassium, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin B6 and vitamin E.
Bell Peppers – use your favorite color, or a mixture.
Avocado – sprinkle your sliced avocados with a little salt to really enhance their flavor.
Tortilla Strips – you can purchase these in a bag, or make your own. Either way, they add a great crunchy texture and are super tasty. Tortilla chips can also be used, but you may want to break them up into bite sized pieces.
Corn – cooking the corn in butter, garlic and lime juice is optional but super delicious. It’s like a party in your mouth! Use fresh, grilled, or frozen corn.
Romaine Lettuce – this is so much healthier than iceberg lettuce.
BBQ Ranch Dressing – use your favorite brand of BBQ sauce to make this dressing.

More Topping Ideas

You don’t have to stop there! Here are a few more of our favorite BBQ salad ideas:

Red onions
Green onions
Baby spinach
Pico
Cucumbers
Shelled edamame
Guacamole
Green peas
Peanuts

Grilled chicken salad recipe with topping ideas laid out on a cutting board. bbq salad recipe, grilled chicken salad recipes. bbq salad.

How to Make BBQ Chicken Salad

Cook the corn. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium high heat, then add the minced garlic and cook until the garlic is golden brown, or about 4 minutes. Add the corn and stir together until warm. Remove from heat, add the lime juice to the corn, mix and set aside.
Prep the ingredients. Slice, dice and season your ingredients as desired.
Make the BBQ Ranch Dressing. Mix together the ranch dressing and barbecue sauce, adjusting with a little more or less of either to your own taste.
Assemble the salad. Place romaine lettuce in a large serving platter or large bowl, then arrange your chicken, cooked corn, tomatoes, bell peppers, cheese, bacon bits, black beans, avocado and tortilla strips over the top. Drizzle with BBQ Ranch Dressing.
Enjoy!

Recipe Tips and Tricks

Serve with warm chicken – not hot, just a little warm–so good!
I like to serve this salad buffet style, with each ingredient in a separate bowl, so everyone can create a salad they love.
Our Southwest Chicken Breast recipe gives great tips on how to grill chicken breast.
It makes the salad so much more flavorful if each topping is already pre-seasoned, and you can also get by with less dressing.
This recipe for Baked BBQ Chicken Breast is a great alternative to grilled chicken for days when you don’t have the grill fired up.
To really save yourself some time, you can use store-bought rotisserie chicken.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the best chicken to use for BBQ ranch salad?

You can honestly use any type of cooked chicken for this BBQ Chicken Salad recipe, including leftover oven baked chicken and rotisserie chicken. Grilling the chicken is preferable, but some days that just isn’t going to happen.

How do you get juicy grilled chicken?

For extra juicy chicken, make a simple brining solution of about ¼ cup salt dissolved in 1 quart of water. Let your chicken soak for about 30 minutes while you preheat the grill or oven. Remove from the brine, brush with olive oil on both sides and cook as directed.

Once the chicken is cooked, let it rest for 5-10 minutes off of the heat before slicing in order to allow the juices to redistribute.

Do you have to let chicken rest before cutting it?

Yes! All meats should be left alone for 5-10 minutes after cooking. This allows the juices to redistribute keeping the meat nice and juicy.

More of the Best Salad Recipes

This BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad has a tangy barbecue ranch dressing and is packed with healthy, flavorful toppings. It’s perfect for lunch or dinner and is a great way to eat healthy while satisfying your craving for barbecue.

Categories:

30-Minute Meals, 4th of July, Chicken, Easy Weeknight Meals, Healthy, Main Dish, Nut-Free, Salads, Summer Recipes,

BBQ Chicken Salad Recipe