BBQ Chicken Salad

This Southwest BBQ Chicken Salad recipe (BBQ chicken chopped salad) is a crowd-pleaser! It’s made with tender bites of grilled chicken brushed with bbq sauce, black beans, avocado, tomatoes, fresh corn cut from the cob, cilantro,  black olives and Romaine lettuce all tossed in Ranch dressing.

This BBQ chicken salad  combines crunchy romaine lettuce with BBQ chicken, corn cut from the cob, black beans, avocado, cilantro, cheddar cheese, and black olives, all tossed in a light ranch dressing.

This hearty BBQ chicken chopped salad is my family’s absolute favorite salad. I love salads like this that are chock-full of fresh, vibrant, and flavorful ingredients that blend beautifully together to make a satisfying meal.

BBQ Chicken Salad Recipe

You’ll love how easy this Southwest BBQ Chicken Salad recipe is to pull together, and it’s a wonderful dish to make when you need to feed a crowd. Just make sure to add the ranch dressing at the last minute before you serve, otherwise your lettuce will turn soggy on you. Serve this BBQ chicken chopped salad with lots of hot, fluffy cornbread.  Or make cornbread croutons to toss in the salad and wow your guests.

• Chicken breasts – you can use grilled, baked or broiled chicken for this salad (I prefer grilled). You can also use store-bought rotisserie chicken if you’re in a pinch for time.
• Barbecue sauce – I personally like the flavor of Sweet Baby Rays
• Ranch Dressing – I use my Homemade Ranch Dressing for this salad
• Romaine Lettuce – I like to use a sturdy lettuce for this salad like Romaine lettuce that has a nice crunch
• Tomatoes – We toss in sliced cherry tomatoes to the mix, but you could use garden tomatoes or Roma tomatoes if you prefer
• Corn kernels – You can use fresh or frozen
• Black beans – Use either canned black beans or homemade black beans from scratch (which tastes so much better than canned)
• Avocados – This adds a nice creaminess to the mix
• Black olives – These add a nice salty flavor
• Cheddar cheese – A little grated cheese adds a lot of flavor to this salad
• Cilantro  – Chopped cilantro goes so well with just about anything that has barbecue sauce on it

Find the printable recipe with measurements below.

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Don’t buy bottled ranch to toss this BBQ ranch chicken salad with. The recipe for this dressing is too easy to pull together and it makes this Southwest BBQ Chicken Salad completely addictive!!

• Mayonnaise (I use Best Foods mayo)
• Greek yogurt
• Buttermilk (add more for desired consistency)
• Dried parsley and chives
• Garlic powder and onion powder
• Salt and freshly cracked pepper

How to Make BBQ Chicken Salad

1. Grill chicken – Grill the chicken on a barbecue, grill, or under the broiler, about 20-30 minutes depending on size and thickness. Brush barbecue sauce over the chicken. Remove from heat and set aside. Slice the chicken into strips lengthwise.
2. Make Dressing – Whisk the Ranch Dressing ingredients together in a bowl and refrigerate before serving.
3. Toss ingredients in a bowl – Toss black beans, tomatoes, olives, cheese, cilantro, and Romaine Lettuce in large bowl.
4. Add dressing – Add the Ranch Dressing a little at a time to the salad to lightly coat the ingredients. 
5. Plate salad –  Divide the salad evenly on plates and top with the BBQ chicken strips.

How to Make Homemade Ranch Dressing

1. In a bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, herbs and spices. Add the
   buttermilk and mix well. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.
2. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Variations

• Use chickpeas instead of chicken for a vegetarian salad
• Add tortilla chips or corn bread croutons
• Instead of ranch dressing, use this amazing Avocado Salad Dressing.

Looking for More Healthy Salad Recipes to Make?

• Fried Chicken Salad
• Grilled Salmon Salad
• Greek Chopped Salad
• Chicken Avocado Chopped Salad
• Best Tuna Pasta Salad
• Italian Pasta Salad

Still want more ideas? Check out all my salad recipes.

Continue to Content

Print

Yield: 4 - 6 Servings

BBQ Chicken Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

This BBQ Chicken Salad is a crowd-pleaser with tender bites of grilled chicken brushed with bbq sauce, black beans, avocado, tomatoes, fresh corn cut from the cob, cilantro,  black olives and romaine lettuce all tossed in a delicious light ranch dressing.

Ingredients

• 4 large free-range chicken breasts, grilled, baked or broiled
• 1 cup barbecue sauce (I like Sweet Baby Rays)
• 1 cup Ranch Dressing
• 2 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
• 2 15-ounce cans black beans
• 1 cup tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 2 large heads of romaine lettuce, chopped
• 2 large ripe avocados, chopped
• 2 cups black olives
• 1-1/2 cups medium sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1-1/2 cups fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup homemade ranch dressing
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use Best Foods olive oil mayo)
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 cup buttermilk (add more for desired consistency)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried chives
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

1. Whisk together the Ranch dressing ingredients.
2. Grill the chicken on a barbecue, grill, or under the broiler, about 20-30 minutes depending on size and thickness. Brush barbecue sauce over the chicken. Remove from heat and set aside. Slice the chicken into strips lengthwise
3. In a large bowl, toss the black beans, tomatoes, olives, cheese, cilantro, and Romaine Lettuce. Add the Ranch Dressing a little at a time to lightly coat. Don’t drown the salad…you want to serve it with forks, not spoons..
4. Divide the salad evenly on plates and top with sliced pieces of BBQ chicken.

Ranch Dressing

1. In a bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, herbs and spices. Add the buttermilk and mix well.
2. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1132Total Fat: 82gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 59gCholesterol: 85mgSodium: 2595mgCarbohydrates: 73gFiber: 18gSugar: 27gProtein: 32g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations.