Barbecue Chicken Ranch Salad
This Barbecue Chicken Ranch Salad is a quick and easy entree salad made with leftover chicken, loads of veggies, and cheese.
I love a good entree salad, especially in the summer. You know the kind: it has all of the food groups, lots of flavor, and it definitely comes in a giant bowl. It’s so large and filling that it’s the only thing you need for dinner. No extras required.
The problem with this type of salad is that they can sometimes be just as much work as a 3 course meal to make. You probably have to cook at least one component of it, prep lots of different veggies, and perhaps make homemade sauces or dressings.
Not this Barbecue Chicken Ranch Salad, though. It is decidedly a Quick and Easy meal. While I used leftover rotisserie chicken for the Barbecue Chicken component, it would only take a few more minutes to cook up some fresh chicken instead. The vegetable prep is easy and not too time-consuming, and the sauces can most certainly be store-bought. Keep reading to learn how to make it.
How to Make Barbecue Chicken Ranch Salad
To make this salad, start by prepping your ingredients. This will entail cutting or tearing and washing your romaine lettuce (using a salad spinner makes this go very quickly), cutting your tomatoes in half, slicing your green onions, chopping the cilantro, and shredding the cheese with a box grater.
Heat the chicken in a skillet over medium heat with a little bit of oil. Once the chicken is heated through, stir in the barbecue sauce. If you plan to use fresh chicken, cut it into bite-sized pieces and cook it in a skillet over medium-high heat with some oil, stirring often. Add the barbecue sauce when the chicken is cooked through.
While the chicken is heating/cooking, cook the corn by microwaving it in a microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup for 1-2 minutes on high. Drain off any water that remains before adding it to the salad.
Build the salad by dividing the lettuce evenly between 4 large bowls. Top the lettuce with the chicken, corn, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro. Top each with a drizzle of ranch dressing.
If desired, serve the salad with garlic bread, cornbread, or another bread or grain of your choice to make a complete meal.
Barbecue Chicken Ranch Salad Ingredients
- Canola oil or other neutral-flavored cooking oil
- Leftover cooked chicken – I love keeping leftover rotisserie chicken for recipes like this in the freezer. Alternatively, you can cook up some fresh chicken (see notes in the recipe)
- Frozen corn – Alternatively, you could also use canned or fresh corn.
- Barbecue sauce – Use whatever brand you prefer.
- Romaine lettuce – Or you could use iceberg lettuce or spring mix.
- Cherry tomatoes – Or use any other smaller tomatoes, or chopped slicing tomatoes.
- Green onions
- Chopped cilantro – Simply skip this if you’re a cilantro hater.
- Shredded cheddar cheese – Or you could substitute marble cheese, smoked cheddar, Monterey Jack, or pepper jack cheese.
- Ranch dressing – Use your favorite store-bought brand or make your own.
Optional Add-Ins:
I didn’t add these items to my salad, but I think they would make great additions, too, if you happen to have them on hand.
- Avocado – This would also make a great addition to this salad. I totally would have added some, but when I have them, they’re either rock-hard or they disappear immediately.
- Ham or Bacon – Either of these would contribute to the smokiness of the barbecue sauce. I recommend adding just a little bit of either, diced.
- Tortilla or corn chips – Sprinkle a few on top for a little added crunch.
Want more entrée salad recipes?
Barbecue Chicken Ranch Salad Nutrition Notes
This recipe makes 4 large, entree-sized salads. If you want to serve this salad as a side or starter, it could serve 8. The nutrition information in the recipe below is for an entrée-sized portion and includes all of the ingredients included in the recipe only.
If desired, serve this salad with garlic bread or cornbread to make a complete meal.
This recipe is gluten-free as written.
Barbecue Chicken Ranch Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat 1 Tablespoon canola oil in a medium to large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 pound leftover cooked chicken. Cook until it's heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir 1/2 cup barbecue sauce into the chicken and cook for 1-2 minutes longer. Remove the skillet from the heat.
- While the chicken is cooking, add 1 cup frozen corn to a microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup. Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes until hot. Drain off any water.
- Divide the washed and prepped romaine lettuce equally between 4 large serving bowls. Distribute the halved tomatoes, sliced green onions, chopped cilantro, shredded cheddar cheese, corn, barbecue chicken, and ranch dressing between the 4 bowls, sprinkling each over the lettuce. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Notes
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