You know the drill. Loaded salads that require minimum cooking make summer dinners a breeze. The chicken has marinated with pantry staple ingredients like dried ranch seasoning, garlic powder, and chili powder and then grilled indoors on a grill pan or toss indoor on an outdoor grill until it’s perfectly cooked. Chop that chicken up, toss it in a big bowl with all your favorite salad toppings and drizzle it with that homemade bbq ranch dressing and you’ve got the most addicting weeknight-friendly bbq ranch salad! Every bite is loaded with so much crunch and flavor!
Ingredients for bbq ranch salad:
Chicken: You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts for this recipe. Either will work here.Seasonings: For the seasonings, you’ll need garlic powder, chipotle chili powder, ranch seasoning, red pepper flakes, and a couple of teaspoons of pickle juice from a jar of pickles.Romaine Lettuce: I like to use romaine hearts for this recipe, but you could also use a spring mix or even shredded iceberg!Cherry Tomatoes: I use cherry tomatoes, but again, diced Roma or beefsteak tomatoes will also work here!Cucumbers: English cucumbers are my favorite to use in a salad, but you could even use Persian cucumbers or Kirby (pickling) cucumbers here.Corn: I use charred corn in my bbq ranch salad to give it a bit more personality! I grill fresh corn while grilling the chicken! You can certainly use frozen or canned charred corn here as well.Black Beans: Make sure to rinse and drain the beans before adding them to your salad bowl.Avocados: Use ripe avocados that still hold their shape so that they don’t end up getting too mushy in the salad!Extra Add-ins: I like to use homemade quick-pickled red onions, shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, and either nacho cheese chips or crispy jalapeños in my salad for added crunch! I usually use crunchy jalapeños, but this last time, I tried it with nacho cheese chips and – it’s amazing!Mayo + Sour Cream: mayonnaise and a dollop of sour cream are the base for my homemade bbq ranch dressing. Milk: is used to help thin out the dressing a little bit.Sauces: Use your favorite bbq sauce here. Here’s my homemade version that we absolutely love, but store-bought sauce will also work here.
How to make an easy bbq ranch salad:
If you like this chicken salad recipe, you might also like:
Crispy Chicken Salad with Sriracha Honey BBQ DressingChopped Thai Chicken Salad with Skinny Peanut DressingSesame Chicken Pasta Salad with Ginger DressingHoney Mustard Chicken Cobb SaladFiesta Chili Lime Chicken Salad with Mango Avocado Salsa
pickle juice: If you don’t have a jar of pickles in the fridge to use the juice, just swap it for 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice!
