Barbecue Ranch Chicken Salad

by Kayla Berman on April 18, 2023 0 comments

Barbecue Ranch Chicken Salad is an easy, healthy, and delicious lunch or dinner recipe! Made with saucy barbecue chicken, crunchy romaine lettuce, juicy tomatoes, sweet corn, black beans, tortilla strips, Mexican style cheese, and Wish-Bone Ranch Dressing … this hearty salad is fresh, flavorful, and protein packed! It is absolutely perfect to meal prep or to enjoy as a light dinner.

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Hearty, Healthy, Fresh, & Delicious Salad Recipe

One of my favorite salads to order when out is always a barbecue chicken salad! I just think it has the best flavors.

Since I am such a big fan of this salad when at a restaurant, I thought it was time to create a homemade version.

Barbecue Ranch Chicken Salad is just that! It is an easy and healthy entree salad full of delicious flavor.

Made with juicy barbecue chicken, romaine lettuce, juicy red tomatoes, sweet corn, Mexican style cheese, and crunchy thin tortilla strips … this colorful salad is protein packed, hearty, fresh, and filling. It is a great salad for meal prep or a light dinner!

Plus it is completed with perfectly creamy Wish-Bone Ranch Dressing!

This dressing is full of all the classic flavors you know and love in a ranch – onion, garlic, black pepper, and more. It is the perfect way to spice up salads as we head into May … a.k.a National Salad Month!

Ingredients

Bbq Ranch Chicken Salad is full of fresh, flavorful, and colorful ingredients!

Ingredient Notes

Chicken: This salad calls for 1 lb of thinly sliced chicken breasts! You’ll cook them up and toss with barbecue sauce for the most delicious protein.
Romaine Lettuce: Crunchy romaine lettuce is the base of this salad. Add 12 oz, which is 3 romaine hearts.
Barbecue Sauce: 1/4 cup barbecue sauce is used here for the chicken!
Wish-Bone Ranch Dressing: Wish-Bone Ranch Dressing is the star of this recipe. The salad dressing makes this recipe easy and flavorful!
Black Beans & Corn: Canned black beans and corn are key elements in any barbecue chicken salad. You’ll need 3/4 cup of each.
Tomatoes: This salad calls for 1 cup juicy tomatoes. They add such a great taste and a beautiful color too!
Red Onion: 1/3 cup of diced red onion adds the best bite of flavor here!
Tortilla Strips: I love the addition of crunchy tortilla strips in this salad. Add 1/2 cup or however much you’d like.
Cheese: Cheese is a must in any salad! I used 1/2 cup shredded Mexican style cheese.
Olive Oil: 1 tbsp olive oil is used to cook the chicken here.
Salt & Pepper: You’ll also season the chicken with salt and pepper!

Substitutions & Additions

There are a few substitutions and additions you could make to this recipe for it to meet your personal preferences, tastes, or needs!

Chicken: If you don’t feel like cooking your own chicken, no worries! Rotisserie chicken would be a fantastic replacement. Just shred it up and mix with the barbecue sauce.

Lettuce: The romaine lettuce here could be replaced with any lettuce of your choice! I think iceberg or mixed greens would be great.

Tomatoes: Grape tomatoes can super easily be swapped with cherry tomatoes.

Cheese: I used Mexican style cheese in this salad! But you could pretty much use any cheese under the sun. Perhaps cheddar cheese, monterey jack cheese, or pepper jack cheese.

Tortilla Strips: Use some crunchy tortilla chips in place of the tortilla strips. They’ll work the exact same way!

Seasonings: Spice up the chicken! I kept it simple with salt and pepper, but feel free to add more seasonings. I think garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika would be fabulous additions to add some extra flavor.

Additions: There are endless additional toppings you could add to this salad. I like the idea of bell peppers, fresh avocado, sour cream, or green onions.

Kitchen Tools

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How To Make This Recipe

This flavorful salad is super easy to make! All you have to do is cook up some chicken, coat it in your favorite bbq sauce, and combine with the rest of the salad ingredients.

Step By Step Instructions

Step 1: First pat the thin chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Season both sides with salt and black pepper.

Step 2: Add the olive oil to a large pan or skillet on the stove over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the chicken. Cook on both sides for about 3-4 minutes, depending on the thickness. I like to leave the chicken to sit on each side to develop a nice golden brown sear.

Step 3: Once cooked, remove the chicken from the pan. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and add them to a medium bowl with the barbecue sauce. Combine thoroughly and ensure that each chicken piece is coated in the sauce.

Step 4: Next assemble the salad. Place the romaine in the bottom of a large bowl and add all of the toppings on top of the lettuce – barbecue chicken, black beans, corn, grape tomatoes, red onion, cheese, and tortilla strips.

Step 5: Drizzle Wish-Bone Ranch Dressing on top. Serve and enjoy!

Expert Tips

Use fresh corn if you can! Canned or frozen works great too, but if it is sweet corn season .. I highly recommend you use the real deal, good stuff.

Use rotisserie chicken! Skip any of the cooking and save yourself lots of time by shredding up a rotisserie chicken in place of cooking chicken breasts.

Customize! Add however much of the toppings as you would like.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I meal prep this recipe?

Yes, absolutely! This recipe is fantastic to meal prep.

I like to just separate all the ingredients into four containers as soon as they are prepared. This way your lunches or dinners are already pre-portioned for the week!

I also find that this is a great way to help me eat all of the veggies I buy.

For example, if I bought these ingredients and did not assemble the salads ahead of time my lettuce would absolutely go to waste. But when the meals are ready for me to grab & go, I will eat them!

This recipe is also fabulous to meal prep because of the Wish-Bone Ranch Dressing! It cuts out one extra step – preparing your own dressing. Plus you can add however much you’d like to the salads throughout the week. It’s perfect!

How to best store this recipe?

This recipe is best stored in the refrigerator. It will keep for about 5 days!

I recommend storing the salad undressed, otherwise things will become a soggy mess.

Love this recipe? Check out some more delicious ones below…

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Connect With Me!

If you make this bbq chicken salad recipe or any of my other recipes, I would absolutely love to know! Tag me @wellnessbykay on Instagram so I can see and share your recreations.

Love this recipe? Leave a comment and a rating! I love to see and it helps me continue to develop delicious recipes for this blog.