This BBQ Chicken Salad is one of the BEST salads ever! Grilled BBQ Chicken is tossed with crunchy romaine, sweet corn, sharp red onions, juicy tomatoes, fresh cucumber, shredded cheese, crunchy tortilla chips, and a barbecue ranch dressing.
BBQ Chicken Salad is fresh, filling, creamy, tangy, and just downright delicious. It is the perfect summer meal to enjoy--and this homemade version is much tastier and less expensive than Panera's BBQ Chicken Salad.
BBQ Chicken Salad
Do you love Panera's Barbecue Chicken Salad?
Long before Panera's BBQ Chicken Salad came into existence, there was Bob Evan's Wildfire Chicken Salad.
Wildfire Chicken Salad is made with grilled or fried barbecue chicken and topped with tomatoes, corn, onions, cheese, tortilla strips, and a spicy ranch dressing. And my favorite salad of all time!
Now I make my own version of BBQ Chicken Salad that is a little bit like Panera's, a bit like Bob Evan's, and a WHOLE lot of delicious.
My version of this recipe is fresh, filling, creamy, tangy, and incredibly simple to make. And not only do you save money by making this salad at home, but you can also change it up to suit your family's tastes or dietary preferences.
Ingredients Needed
The basics of this salad are the dressing, the chicken, and the lettuce--from there you can build your BBQ Chicken Salad HOWEVER your heart desires.
- Chicken: I use my recipe for grilled barbecue chicken. You can use chicken breasts or chicken thighs. In fact, you can even make this salad using leftover cooked chicken tossed with BBQ Sauce for a quicker version of this salad.
- Lettuce: I recommend using hearts of romaine, but a head of iceberg or any green leaf lettuce will work as the base.
- Dressing: The dressing is made by combining ranch dressing with BBQ sauce. Use your favorite store-bought variety or my homemade versions.
- Toppings: I add sweet corn, sharp red onions, juicy tomatoes, fresh cucumber, shredded cheese, and crunchy tortilla chips to this BBQ Chicken Salad, but feel free to use what your family likes.
How To Make BBQ Chicken Salad
Step One: Grill Chicken
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
- Season boneless, skinless chicken breasts with seasoned salt.
- Grill chicken for 5 minutes, flip and grill another 4 minutes.
- Brush with BBQ Sauce and continue cooking for 2 more minutes.
- Flip chicken and brush opposite side with BBQ sauce.
- Cook for 2-4 more minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- Remove chicken from grill and let rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
Step Two: Make the BBQ Ranch Salad Dressing
- Mix ½ cup ranch dressing with 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce.
Step Three: Assemble the Salad
- Toss lettuce with tomatoes, corn, onions, cheese, and cucumbers.
- Top salad with sliced BBQ chicken and tortilla strips.
- Drizzle with BBQ Ranch Dressing and serve.
Tips and Modifications
- If you happen to have fresh corn on the cob, throw your corn on the grill while you grill the chicken for an additional layer of flavor.
- If you can't find tortilla strips, replace them with crushed tortilla chips.
- I love using shredded Colby Cheese, but cheddar or mozzarella work as well.
- Feel free to leave out the onions, cucumber, corn, or tomatoes based on your family's preferences.
- Panera's BBQ Chicken Salad has black beans, and my recipe does not call for them but feel free to add them if desired.
- If you use my homemade ranch dressing, this salad can be egg-free as well as nut-free and gluten-free.
More Delicious Entree Salad Recipes
If you enjoyed this BBQ Chicken Salad, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below. I love hearing from you!
BBQ chicken salad
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- ½ cup BBQ sauce
BBQ chicken salad
- 3 heads of hearts of romaine chopped
- 1 seedless cucumber diced
- 1 small red onion minced
- 1 pint grape tomatoes sliced
- 1 cup corn kernels
- ½ cup shredded Colby jack cheese
- ½ cup tortilla strips
BBQ Ranch Dressing
- 2 tablespoons BBQ sauce
- ½ cup ranch dressing
Instructions
Grill Chicken
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
- Season boneless, skinless chicken breasts with seasoned salt.
- Grill chicken for 5 minutes on first side, flip and grill another 4 minutes.
- Brush with BBQ Sauce and continue cooking for 2 more minutes. Flip chicken and brush the opposite side with BBQ sauce. Cook for 2-4 more minutes, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- Remove chicken from grill and let rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
Make the BBQ Ranch Salad Dressing
- Mix ½ cup ranch dressing with 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce.
Assemble the Salad
- Toss lettuce with tomatoes, corn, onions, cheese, and cucumbers. Top salad with sliced BBQ chicken and tortilla strips. Drizzle with BBQ Ranch Dressing and serve.
Notes
- If you happen to have fresh corn on the cob, throw your corn on the grill while you grill the chicken for an additional layer of flavor.
- Use your family's favorite barbecue sauce for the dressing and the chicken. I love using one without high fructose corn syrup.
- If you can't find tortilla strips, replace with crushed tortilla chips.
- I love using shredded Colby Cheese, but cheddar or mozzarella work as well.
- Feel free to leave out the onions, cucumber, corn, or tomatoes based on your family's preferences.
Lindsay E.
Obsessed with this and your ranch dressing recipe. I’ve made it for my family and another family I’m helping out. I usually add black beans, green onions, bell pepper, and radish if I have it. It’s very easy to use whatever toppings you have on hand. The key is the homemade ranch!!
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing you enjoy this recipe (and the ranch dressing) so much! And how kind to help out another family--I am sure it is very much appreciated. 🙂
Ashley Jones
These meatballs are so good. My family loves them…kids included. They’ve become my “go to” turkey meatball recipe. I’ve made them quite a few times and finally decided I should say thank you for a good recipe. Thank you 🙂
Catie
Delicious and perfect for a hot summer night! I will be adding this to the salad rotation from now on!
Kristen Chidsey
It is on rotation here in the summer as well. I am so glad you enjoyed!
Ashley Jones
Thank you for this post. I’ve always believed that chicken had to be cooked to 180 using an instant read thermometer to be safe. Always dry. I do more grilling outdoors, but I’ll definitely have to look for one of those pans. Should be good for any type of meat.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Ashley! I am so glad you found this recipe and tips for cooking chicken. Your chicken will be so much juicier when cooked to 165 degrees.
Alana
I have a hard time figuring out a salad my husband likes, but both of us loved this one! I've also added black beans and bacon if I have them, and skipped cucumber when I don't have it. Always good, and will appear often in our rotation!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad that you both enjoyed this meal Alana!
Ann
Is the nutritional info for the entire salad or by servings? Thanks. I’m making this tomorrow!!
Kristen Chidsey
I hope you enjoy Ann! The nutritional info is per serving.
austin
this is so so so so good
Kristen Chidsey
YAY!!! I am so glad you enjoyed Austin!
Noelle
This had the exact flavors I was looking for, great salad! Thank you
Kristen Chidsey
I am so happy this salad hit the spot for you Noelle!
Carrie
This was delicious!