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 down right delicious.
If you like BBQ chicken salad, you will love Easy Slow Cooker BBQ Drumsticks, BBQ Chicken Burger, and Slow Cooker Pulled Pork.
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 friends, while I was never a huge fan of Bob Evan’s, I did love this salad.
Now I make my own version of BBQ Chicken Salad that is a little bit like Panera’s, a little bit like Bob Evan’s, but a WHOLE lot of delicious.
BBQ Chicken Salad
My version of barbecue chicken salad is pretty simple to make, and you can certainly change it up however you like to suit your family’s tastes.
This salad features crunchy romaine, sweet corn, sharp red onions, juicy tomatoes, fresh cucumber, grilled barbecue chicken, shredded cheese, and crunchy tortilla chips. It is finished with a homemade barbecue ranch dressing. This BBQ Chicken Salad is fresh, filling, creamy, tangy, and just down right delicious.
And yes, Panera’s BBQ Chicken Salad has black beans, and my recipe does not call for them. And yes, Bob Evan’s Wildfire Chicken Salad features deep fried chicken strips and green onions, and I use grilled chicken and red onions.
Guess what?
If you like green onions, use them. If you love black beans, add them to your salad. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. The basics are the dressing, the chicken, and the lettuce–from their you can build your BBQ Chicken Salad HOWEVER your heart desires.
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 6 minutes on first side, flip and grill another 2 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 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
The key to Bob Evan’s salad was the slightly spicy ranch dressing. It was just BBQ sauce mixed with ranch–super simple, yet so good.
- Mix 1/2 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 on the BEST BBQ Chicken Salad
- 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.
- 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
- Southwest Chicken Salad
- Buffalo Chicken Salad
- Taco Salad
- Caribbean Salad
- Chicken Parmesan Salad with Fresh Tomato Sauce
BBQ Chicken Salad Recipe
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BBQ chicken salad
Ingredients
BBQ chicken salad
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- ½ cup BBQ sauce
- 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
- 1/2 cup ranch dressing
Instructions
Grill Chicken
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
- Season boneless, skinless chicken breasts with seasoned salt.
- Grill chicken for 6 minutes on first side, flip and grill another 2 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 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 1/2 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.
Kristen Chidsey
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This had the exact flavors I was looking for, great salad! Thank you
I am so happy this salad hit the spot for you Noelle!
This was delicious!