BBQ Chicken Salad

Things to Love About This BBQ Chicken Salad

• Quick to make. Once you’ve cooked the chicken and prepared the dressing (both are very easy), this BBQ chicken salad comes together in minutes. It’s especially quick if you use leftover chicken!
• Delicious flavors and textures. I love the combination of juicy chicken, crunchy lettuce, sweet grape tomatoes, veggies, and cheese. The crispy fried onions are the cherry on top! There are endless ways to customize this chicken salad, too.
• Satisfying. Whether I serve this salad as a meal or a side, it always hits the spot. It’s great to take along for easy work lunches or whip up as a side salad for dinner.

Ingredients You’ll Need

You can make this BBQ chicken salad with leftover chicken, or I include a quick and easy seasoned chicken breast recipe that you can cook to your liking. Below are some notes on what you’ll need for the chicken and the salad. 

As with most salad recipes, these ingredients are more of a guideline and you can customize them in more ways than one!  Scroll down for easy variations, and keep scrolling to the recipe card after the post for the printable recipe with the full amounts and details.

For the Chicken

• Chicken – You’ll need your choice of boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs.
• Seasoning – This can be your favorite dry rub, chicken seasoning, or simply salt and pepper. Feel free to season or marinade your chicken however you’d like. You can also make this salad with any cooked, leftover chicken, like an Instant Pot whole chicken or rotisserie chicken.
• Olive Oil – Or another cooking oil, for coating the chicken.
• Barbecue Sauce – Putting the “BBQ” in our BBQ chicken! You can use homemade barbecue sauce or your preferred store-bought brand.

For the Salad

• Lettuce – I love romaine lettuce, but you can use any type of lettuce or a mix of leafy greens.
• Tomatoes – Ripe grape or cherry tomatoes are sweeter than larger tomatoes, but anything goes. Cut smaller tomatoes in half, or dice large tomatoes into bite-sized pieces.
• Avocado – Choose a dark green avocado that gives a little when you gently squeeze it, but doesn’t feel mushy. My favorite is Hass avocados.
• Corn Kernels – These can be frozen, canned, or shaved fresh from corn on the cob. If you’re using canned corn, be sure to drain and rinse the kernels first. Frozen corn should be thawed completely beforehand.
• Red Onion – Sweet onions, like red or Vidalia onions, are best for salads since the flavor isn’t too sharp. Slice or chop the onion up finely.
• Cheese – I use diced or shredded Colby Jack cheese, but you can use cheddar, Pepper Jack, Monterey Jack, or pretty much any kind. Crumbly cheeses like feta or goat cheese are another option.
• Fried Onions – Optional, for serving. Choose your favorite brand of crispy fried onions from the store.
• Dressing – I make a simple dressing for this BBQ chicken salad by combining prepared ranch dressing (from either a store-bought or homemade mix) with a couple of spoonfuls of barbecue sauce. It can be the same sauce that you used for the chicken.

How to Make a BBQ Chicken Salad

Here’s an overview of the steps to prep your chicken and assemble this sweet and smoky BBQ-inspired salad. You’ll find the printable instructions in the recipe card.

Recipe Tips

• Check that the chicken is cooked. Cook the chicken to an internal temperature of 165ºF. Use an instant-read thermometer to check that it’s done.
• Rest the chicken. After cooking and before chopping the chicken, be sure to rest it first! Resting chicken after cooking allows the juices to redistribute, for extra tender and juicy slices.
• Use shredded chicken. Sometimes, I’ll replace the diced chicken breast in this recipe with leftover Instant Pot BBQ chicken. It’s saucy and shredded. Delicious! See below for more easy salad variations.
• Assemble right before serving. You can prepare the chicken, salad ingredients, and salad dressing in advance, but I recommend storing everything separately until you’re ready to assemble and serve. This keeps the salad from becoming soggy. Refrigerate everything in individual containers in the meantime (see the section below for detailed storage tips).

What Else Can I Add to This Salad?

• Different leaves. Instead of or in addition to romaine lettuce, try iceberg, butter lettuce, arugula, baby spinach, radicchio, frisée lettuce, or a combination of greens. Leafy herbs like basil, parsley, mint, and cilantro are also great for adding flavor.
• Veggies. Add fresh sliced bell peppers, cucumbers, green onions, etc.
• Fruit. Add chopped pineapple, mango, apple slices, or dried cranberries for a sweet-meets-savory contrast.
• More add-ons. Change up this salad with more add-ins like capers, olives, beans (remember to drain them if you’re using canned), roasted chickpeas, cooked crumbled bacon, and more. Anything goes!
• Different salad dressing. Feel free to dress this salad with any dressing you prefer. Good alternatives are creamy avocado dressing and this zesty cilantro lime dressing. You could also use a lighter lemon vinaigrette.

Serving Suggestions

I’ll eat this BBQ chicken salad as-is for an easy lunch any day of the week. It’s hearty and the flavors are super satisfying. If I’m still hungry, I’ll blend up a quick mango pineapple smoothie (pineapple and mango pair deliciously with BBQ chicken!), or I’ll pair this salad with a side of fruit skewers. 

For a light dinner, enjoy this chicken salad with a starter of tortilla chips and salsa. Or, serve it with bruschetta or air fryer garlic bread on the side. It’s also a great side salad to a pasta dinner, like this creamy sausage penne or sun-dried tomato pasta.

Storing Leftovers

• Refrigerate. Whenever possible, try to store any leftover salad, chicken, and dressing in separate airtight containers. This way, the ingredients won’t become soggy as quickly. The salad and chicken will last for 2-3 days in the fridge, while the barbecue ranch dressing lasts up to 2 weeks.
• Reheat the chicken. If you’d like to reheat the BBQ chicken, warm the chicken in the oven, air fryer, or microwave until it’s hot again. You may wish to toss the chicken pieces in extra barbecue sauce afterward.

More Chicken Salad Recipes

• Buffalo Chicken Salad
• Chicken Fajita Salad
• Chicken Caesar Salad
• Grilled Chicken Antipasto Salad
• Chickpea Chicken Salad