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    Hungry Healthy Happy » Recipes » Mains

    BBQ Chicken Salad

    Published: Mar 28, 2021 · Modified: Sep 14, 2021 · Written by Dannii Martin · This post may contain affiliate links · 32 Comments

    677 shares
    • 457
    Diet: Low Carb
    Jump to Recipe
    BBq Chicken Salad in a bowl with a text title overlay.

    This BBQ Chicken Salad might just be the best salad you will ever try. Juicy chunks of chicken smothered in our healthy homemade BBQ sauce, loaded on a bed of greens and vegetables and then topped with crunchy tortilla chips and a creamy ranch dressing.

    A bowl of chicken salad topped with tortilla strips.

    This salad really does have it all. It's creamy, tangy, zesty and it's got so many different incredible textures going on. It's light and fresh, but still tastes super comforting too. Easy to make a huge batch to serve a crowd, this is a salad that will even concert people that say they don't like salads.

    Jump to:
    • Why you will love it
    • Ingredients needed
    • Step by step
    • BBQ Chicken
    • Salad dressing
    • Salad toppings
    • FAQs
    • Extra tips
    • More salad recipes
    • Recipe
    • Feedback

    Why you will love it

    • A salad that even salad haters will love
    • Easy to adapt
    • Protein packed
    • A great use for our homemade healthy BBQ sauce

    Ingredients needed

    All the ingredients needed to make this recipe.
    • Chicken - We used chicken breasts to keep this salad lean and protein packed. You could chop up boneless and skinless chicken breasts though. You could also use leftover chicken, like from our Slow Cooker Whole Chicken, and just fry that up with the BBQ sauce.
    • BBQ sauce - This is where so much of the flavour in this salad comes from. We have used our Homemade Healthy BBQ Sauce, however you can use your favourite BBQ sauce - this will change the nutritional information though.
    • Lettuce - Feel free to use your favourite salad greens. We used romaine for some crunch and then a butterhead and spinach mix for flavour and texture. You could add some kale to the mixture for a nutrient boost.
    • Flour tortillas - These are cut in to strips and then baked until crispy and they add a nice crunch on top of the salad. You can use white, wheat or corn tortillas to make these.
    • Vegetables - A salad is always a good opportunity to eat some more veggies, right? This salad is a good fridge raid meal, so chop up and add whatever you have. We have added carrots and sweetcorn, however you could add some bell peppers, roasted courgette and aubergine or even some artichokes.
    • Tomatoes - A great addition to salad for colour and flavour. Make sure that they are ripe and juicy. We used cherry tomatoes, but you could dice up plum/roma tomatoes too.
    • Avocado - It's not a salad without avocado, right? Dice it up and mix it in with the vegetables, our your can slice it and serve it on top.
    • Lime - We haven't mixed any kind of dressing in to the lettuce, and we just squeezed over some lime juice instead.
    • Ranch dressing - The creaminess of this goes perfectly with the BBQ sauce. You can use any good quality store bought ranch dressing, but we used our Homemade Healthy Ranch Dressing.
    • Cheese - To finish this salad off, we added a sprinkling of grated cheddar. You could add a kick of spice by using a spicy grated cheese mix.

    A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.

    Step by step

    One: Slice the tortillas in the thin strips and then spray with a little oil. Put in a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 for 3-4 minutes, until crispy.

    Strips of tortilla spread over a baking tray.

    Two: Heat some oil in a large frying pan. Add the diced chicken and cook for 5-6 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Keeping on a low heat, stir in the BBQ sauce and then take off the heat.

    Chunks of chicken cooking in a barbecue sauce.

    Three: Add the lettuce to a large serving bowl and squeeze the lime juice over it. Top with the chopped avocado, diced tomatoes, sweetcorn and grated carrot. Top with the BBQ chicken.

    Barbecue chicken chunks on top of a bowl of salad.

    Four: Add the cheese and the crispy tortilla strips.

    A bowl of chicken salad topped with grated cheese and strips of baked tortilla.

    Five: Drizzle with the ranch dressing and serve.

    Barbecue chicken salad with ranch sauce drizzled over it.

    BBQ Chicken

    The star of this salad is definitely the BBQ chicken. Juicy chunks of chicken breast smothered in our homemade BBQ sauce pair beautiful with all the other flavours going on in this salad. If you don't want to cook the chicken yourself, then you could just shred up some leftovers from a roast chicken and heat it through with the BBQ sauce in a pan. You could also use leftovers from our Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken.

    Not a fan of chicken? This recipe would also work really well with halloumi. Just cut the halloumi in to large chunks and then dry fry them for 3-4 minutes and then stir in the BBQ sauce.

    Salad dressing

    A dressing can really make or break a salad. It's what brings all the flavours together, so it has to be good. Whilst there is a lot of flavour from the BBQ sauce and we have added some lime juice to the lettuce, we topped everything with our Healthy Ranch Dressing and it's what makes this pretty much salad perfection.

    Made using a mixture of Greek yogurt, dill, lemon and mustard, you are going to want to put it on everything - so make sure you make a big batch. You can use any good quality store bought ranch dressing or even swap it for a Caesar dressing. If you wanted to save some calories, you could just leave it out completely.

    Strips of crispy tortilla on top of a salad with ranch dressing drizzled over.

    Salad toppings

    This BBQ chicken salad is stacked. There really isn't anything else we could have piled on top of it, as you will see when you go to eat it (which you will, because how could you NOT try this salad?), because you will bite through so many different layers and textures.

    The great thing about this salad though, is it is easy to adapt. It's a good way to use up whatever you have in your fridge and reduce food waste. Here are some of our other favourite things to add to this salad:

    • Cucumber
    • Black beans
    • Croutons
    • Edamame
    • Roasted peppers
    • Chickpeas
    • Brown rice
    • Chopped bacon
    • Artichokes
    • Crispy onions
    • Sun-dried tomatoes
    • Crushed pecans
    • Quinoa
    • Lentils
    • Flaked almond
    • Feta
    • Baked pita chips
    • Celery
    • Gouda
    • Barley
    • Sliced red onions
    • Pumpkin seeds
    • Dried cranberries
    • Stilton
    A fork being pushed into a bowl of chicken salad.

    FAQs

    Is a BBQ Chicken Salad healthy?

    Just because you see the word salad, doesn't mean it is instantly healthy. Whilst as salad is a great opportunity to add loads of vegetables, it's also easy to load it with cheese, bread and creamy dressings that can really pile on the calories. Start with a good mixed greens base, lots of crunch vegetables, lean protein and then go easy on the cheese and dressing. Making the dressing yourself, like we have, will save some calories too.

    What BBQ sauce to use?

    We used our homemade healthy BBQ sauce as it makes this BBQ chicken salad a little lighter. But you can use your favourite BBQ sauce. Use one with a hint of chilli if you want a spicy kick to it, or just mix in a little chipotle paste.

    How can I tell if chicken is cooked?

    The best way to check that the chicken is cooked, is to use a meat thermometer. Insert the meat thermometer in the middle of the chunk of chicken, and if the internal temperature of the chicken is  75°C or 165°F, then you know that it is cooked through. If it it isn't cooked, then cook it for 2 minutes longer and then check again.

    Can you make a BBQ chicken salad in advance?

    Once this salad is mixed with the dressing, it doesn't mix well as it starts to go soggy. However, you can prepare it in advance and then store all the ingredients separately. You can then mix it together when you are ready to serve. Definitely make the BBQ sauce and dressing in advance, and they can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

    heart icon

    Extra tips

    • You can use any good quality store bought BBQ sauce in this salad, however it really is worth going to the effort of making your own.
    • Add an extra bit of flavour by grilling corn on the cob and then slicing the corn off, rather than using a tin of corn.
    • If you don't want to go to the effort of baking tortilla strips, then you can just buy store bought tortilla chips and crush them on top.
    • You could also swap the tortillas for croutons instead.

    More salad recipes

    • Spicy Steak Salad in a large white bowl.
      Spicy Steak Salad with Chermoula Dressing
    • A plate with salad surrounded by watermelon slices
      Kale, Watermelon and Feta Salad
    • Roasted Cauliflower Salad in a white bowl, surrounded by lemon wedges and chickpeas
      Roasted Cauliflower Salad
    • Vegetable couscous salad in a brown bolw
      Roasted Vegetable Couscous Salad

    If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on the blog then let us know how you got on in the comments below, we love hearing from you!
    Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - we love sharing photos when people make our recipes. You can use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.

    Recipe

    BBQ Chicken Salad next to a chequered towel and grated cheese.

    BBQ Chicken Salad

    By: Dannii Martin
    This BBQ Chicken Salad is simple, delicious and comes together in minutes – a wonderful summer salad bowl!
    The words low carb in a white circle.
    Low Carb
    5 from 45 votes
    Pin Print Save recipe Recipe saved!
    Course: Lunch, Salad
    Cuisine: American, British
    Prep: 5 minutes mins
    Total: 5 minutes mins
    Servings: 2 servings
    Calories: 580kcal
    Allergens:
    An illustration of a carton of milk.
    Dairy
    An illustration of two ears of wheat.
    Gluten
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    Meat
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • 2 Mini flour tortillas - cut in to strips
    • 6 pumps Spray oil
    • 1 teaspoon Olive oil
    • 1 Chicken breast - diced
    • 8 tablespoon Barbecue sauce
    • 1 Romain lettuce - chopped
    • 2 handfuls Lettuce leaves
    • 80 g (0.5 cups) Sweetcorn - canned; drained
    • 2 Carrot - peeled and diced
    • 0.5 Avocado - diced
    • 8 Cherry tomatoes - diced
    • 4 tablespoon Ranch dressing
    • 1 Lime - juice
    • 30 g (0.25 cups) Cheddar cheese - grated

    Instructions

    • Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4.
    • Slice 2 Mini flour tortillas into thin strips and then spray 6 pumps Spray oil. Put into the oven for 3-4 minutes, until crispy.
    • Heat 1 teaspoon Olive oil in a large frying pan. Add 1 Chicken breast and cook for 5-6 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Keeping on a low heat, stir in the 8 tablespoon Barbecue sauce and then take off the heat.
    • Add 1 Romain lettuce and 2 handfuls Lettuce leaves to a large serving bowl and squeeze juice of 1 Lime over it. Top with 0.5 Avocado, 8 Cherry tomatoes, 80 g Sweetcorn and 2 Carrot. Top with the BBQ chicken.
    • Add 30 g Cheddar cheese and the crispy tortilla strips.
    • Drizzle with 4 tablespoon Ranch dressing and serve.

    Recipe tips

    • You can use any good quality store bought BBQ sauce in this salad, however it really is worth going to the effort of making your own.
    • Add an extra bit of flavour by grilling corn on the cob and then slicing the corn off, rather than using a tin of corn.
    • If you don't want to go to the effort of baking tortilla strips, then you can just buy store bought tortilla chips and crush them on top.
    • You could also swap the tortillas for croutons instead.

    Nutritional Information

    Serving: 1g | Calories: 580kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 1334mg | Potassium: 1359mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 12364IU | Vitamin C: 40mg | Calcium: 199mg | Iron: 3mg

    The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Beth

      March 29, 2021 at 8:29 pm

      Yum! This salad looks so tasty and delicious! My hubby and daughter are going to love this recipe!

      Reply
    2. Shalini

      March 29, 2021 at 8:28 pm

      5 stars
      I love a salad any day and this looks pretty delicious!

      Reply
    3. Erika

      March 29, 2021 at 7:06 pm

      5 stars
      This bbq chicken salad sounds amazing!! This is definitely one to make for the family!

      Reply
    4. Michelle

      March 29, 2021 at 7:00 pm

      5 stars
      Pinning this to my WFH lunch board, can't wait to try this!

      Reply
    5. Marie-Charlotte Chatelain

      March 29, 2021 at 6:26 pm

      5 stars
      You had me at bbq! Hehe! Bu seriously, with the ranch, this is the perfect chicken salad! Even the hubby will love this one

      Reply
    6. Janice Pattie (@FarmersgirlCook)

      March 30, 2014 at 7:24 pm

      5 stars
      I love salad. I think a classic caesar salad with fresh anchovies is my favourite .

      Reply
    7. Sylvia @ Happiness is homemade

      March 29, 2014 at 9:51 pm

      5 stars
      Great salad! I'm bookmarking recipes for salads that I can take to work, this suits perfectly ;)

      Reply
    8. Nazima

      March 26, 2014 at 11:17 pm

      wow this looks amazing. I am one of those who is not as keen on salad as I really ought to be but this is really working for me. Avocado, Pulled Barbequed Chicken. mmmmm. On my list to make for work. Yum

      Reply
    9. Morgan @ Peaches, Please!

      March 26, 2014 at 5:38 pm

      5 stars
      I bet this would be awesome with some corn or black beans mixed in.

      Reply
    10. Kari @ bite-sized thoughts

      March 26, 2014 at 8:05 am

      Salads are definitely not all created equal! This one looks like it packs lots of flavour and texture contrast too :)

      Reply
    11. Louisa

      March 25, 2014 at 8:02 pm

      5 stars
      Yep, that's definitely a salad to win over the most ardent of salad dislikers! Sounds pretty delicious to me and I love your recipe for healthy ranch dressing.

      Reply
    12. Lucy

      March 25, 2014 at 6:51 pm

      5 stars
      Mmm looks lovely! My husband would definitely enjoy that, as he likes pulled pork, so pulled chicken sounds just as good!

      Reply
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    Established in 2011, Hungry Healthy Happy has become one of the UK's most popular food blogs, with two successful recipe books published.

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