BBQ Chicken Salad

This healthy and hearty BBQ Chicken Salad is loaded with fresh vegetables, grilled BBQ chicken, and crunchy tortilla strips. It’s topped with a flavourful BBQ, ranch and lime dressing. Quick and tasty, it’s guaranteed to be a hit with your entire family!

You might be surprised to learn that one of my kids’ favourite foods is a salad, as with myself.

Ordinarily best known for being a plain old side dish, it was a lightbulb moment when I made a hearty entree salad and the requests for more started coming in.

We’re talking a salad with all the food groups and textures, and so good that you’d never know it was a healthy option. Now that is my kind of salad!

Recently our neck of the woods was hit with quite a doozy of a heatwave, and for those affected – you know exactly what I mean.

It was a challenge to navigate usual daily life, right down to eating. It might have been the first time I referred to a friend as ‘crazy’ for baking.

There weren’t many people turning on an oven during that time, that’s for sure.

To prep for the heatwave I grilled a big batch of boneless skinless chicken breasts and Baked BBQ Chicken Legs. That act was a summer saviour.

Chicken leftovers are simply the best because there are endless choices when it comes to new meals made with this popular protein.

The BEST BBQ Chicken Salad

One recipe I made was BBQ Chicken Salad; yet don’t let the simple name fool you into thinking it’s a basic, plain and boring salad.

This might be super easy to make and put together, but the taste is about as big as you can get with a hearty entree salad.

Plus, a filling cold bbq chicken salad was ideal for such hot summer days. It was a total win, win.

The best part about a grilled bbq chicken salad is the mix of textures. You have the crisp variety of vegetables, crunch of tortilla strips, tang of bbq chicken, and a creamy robust dressing.

It’s a combination that you’d see on a restaurant menu, but made at home with ease and for a much lower cost.

BBQ Ssalad Ingredients

As always, the full printable recipe card is at the end of this post.

• Boneless skinless chicken breasts
• BBQ sauce
• Romaine Lettuce
• Cucumber
• Red onion
• Grape tomatoes
• Tortilla Strips
• Havari Cheese
• Ranch Dressing
• Fresh lime

How to Make BBQ Chicken Salad

The first step is grilling your chicken and brushing them your choice of BBQ sauce. Make sure to choose your chicken with the ‘Raised by a Canadian Farmer’ logo on the package, and help support our local farmers. If you don’t spot it in your grocer, you can request they bring it in!

While the chicken is cooking, chop your veggies. Add your chopped romaine, cucumber, red onion and tomatoes to large bowls.

Place tortilla strips and shredded cheese on top of the tossed vegetables.

Once the chicken is cooked, set it aside and make the dressing which consists of BBQ sauce, ranch dressing and the juice from a half of a lime.

This trio makes the best dressing, confirmed by my kids as well.

To finish making your salad, add your chicken and dressing. Voila!

Tips and Modifications

• Feel free to change this recipe to suit tastes or preferences. Add corn kernels, black beans, and/or cilantro for instance to make this a Panera BBQ chicken salad. We don’t have them here in Canada, yet I’m told this is pretty close to the famous bbq chicken salad at panera.
• I buy tortilla strips in the same section you’d find salad toppings. Crushed tortilla chips will also work in their place.
• I love Havarti cheese, which is why I chose it for this recipe. Yet Monterey, Cheddar or Mozzarella will work as well.
• Try using our Keto BBQ Sauce for a low carb recipe.

More Entree Salad Recipes

• Oriental Chicken Salad – an Applebee’s copycat recipe
• Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad – with sour cream and taco seasoning
• Taco Salad – a potluck favourite
• BLT Pasta Salad – so good you’ll want it as a main dish
• Taco Pasta Salad – a quick salad recipe that won’t go soggy!