BBQ Chicken Salad

This healthy, flavorful salad comes together so quickly and easily, and it is guaranteed to be a hit with your entire family!

After spending 10 days in Los Angeles with Jason’s family, it’s an understatement to say that we were both very well-fed with homemade Korean food and lots and lots of donuts. But now that the holidays are over and we’re back home, it’s time to shed that holiday weight!

And what better way to shed some of that excess weight than with some glorious homemade salads, right?

Now this BBQ chicken salad has been on my bucket list for years. It’s one of my favorite salads to order when eating out but it also gets to be so expensive! After all, who wants to spend $15 on a salad for lunch?

That’s where this homemade version comes in. It’s so much more inexpensive to make right at home, and you don’t have to skimp on your favorite ingredients!

Plus, you can use your favorite Ranch and BBQ dressings and pile on those crisp tortilla strips because, well, let’s be honest. That’s the best part about the salad anyway, right?

BBQ CHICKEN SALAD

yield: 4 SERVINGS prep: 10 MINUTEScook: 5 MINUTEStotal: 15 MINUTES

This healthy, flavorful salad comes together so quickly, and it is guaranteed to be a hit with your entire family!

Fast food is usually a rare occurrence around here, until I became addicted to Panera’s BBQ Chicken Salad. That “rare occurrence” started looking decided less…rare.

Between the crispy onions, smoky corn and black beans, and BBQ ranch dressing, I was hooked at first bite.

I decided to take my newfound obsession and use it to create my own, at-home recipe so that I could enjoy the salad for a fraction of the price anytime I pleased (I did the same thing with this Italian Pasta Salad).

Not only is this homemade healthy BBQ chicken salad a dead-ringer for the Panera and Cheesecake Factory BBQ chicken salad, but it’s also loaded with twice the toppings for a fraction of the cost.

By making my own BBQ chicken salad at home, I was able to load it with as large a serving of crisp veggies, juicy chicken, and crunchy tortilla chips as my heart desired.

Plus, the fact that the BBQ chicken in this recipe is freshly grilled (thank you, Grilled Chicken Breast), versus reheated in the back of a food assembly line, guarantees a richer taste and increased BBQ chicken salad satisfaction.

How to Make BBQ Chicken Salad

My one request (for this salad, Mexican Salad, and Taco Salad): don’t skip the crushed tortilla chips.

I promise this grilled chicken salad is still plenty healthy, and the salt and crunch even a few chips provide will have you addicted to this BBQ chicken salad too!

Even Ben, who does not consider “salad” and “dinner” synonymous gave this recipe a vote of approval.

It’s healthy, easy to make, and the chicken even tastes good leftover the next day.

The Ingredients

Chicken. Boneless, skinless chicken breast is grilled to perfection and slathered with a delicious homemade barbecue sauce. It’s tender, flavorful, and a large part of what makes this salad so scrumptious and filling.

ROCKPOT BBQ CHICKEN

If you don’t have a grill, or you prefer not to grill outside if the weather is not favorable, you could use this Crockpot BBQ Chicken recipe to make a shredded BBQ chicken salad.

Barbecue Sauce. The flavor star of this salad! Whether you use my homemade Barbecue Sauce or opt for a store-bought version is up to you.

Romaine. Crisp romaine leaves stand up to the creamy dressing and heaping pile of tasty toppings.

Cherry Tomatoes. Add freshness and provide a burst of sweetness.

Black Beans. Canned black beans are an easy addition that brings oodles of fiber and potassium to the salad.

Mexicorn. Since for most, fresh corn is not available year-round, I’ve suggested using canned Mexicorn for the recipe. It makes the salad super fast and easy to prepare too. (You can also use it in this Black Bean Corn Salad.)

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