Creamy BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad is guaranteed to be a spring & summer favorite. This salad will be a real crowd-pleaser, packed with BBQ chicken, taco chips, greens, and veggies and tossed with a homemade BBQ Ranch dressing.
This salad is not only delicious, but it’s also very nutritious. The greens and veggies provide essential vitamins and minerals, while the BBQ chicken adds protein. Plus, with all the different textures and flavors in this salad, you’ll never get tired of eating it.
My favorite go-to salad is a BBQ Chicken Salad from a local restaurant, and my favorite part is the BBQ chicken. I wanted to recreate it at home, but I knew there was one thing I needed to switch up on this salad for my family to love it too: The dressing. The restaurant salad has a vinaigrette, but my kids and hubby are Ranch lovers. With that said, I knew a homemade Ranch was in order.
When the weather is nice, I like making easy salads. I mix some simple ingredients and top them with homemade dressing—my kids love it!
My Favorite Kitchen Tools To Make This Recipe
From trusty pots and pans to handy gadgets, I’ve curated a list of products I use and love.
My go-to salad choice is the BBQ Chicken Salad from a local spot, with the highlight being the BBQ chicken itself. When I decided to make it at home, I realized one crucial adjustment was needed for my family to enjoy it as much as I do: the dressing. While the restaurant version uses a vinaigrette, my kids and husband prefer Ranch. So, I created a homemade Ranch dressing to elevate our at-home salad experience.
Ingredients
Grilled Chicken
- BBQ Sauce
- Boneless-Skinless Chicken Thighs or Breasts
Dressing
- Mayo
- Milk
- BBQ Sauce
- Ranch seasoning packet
Salad
- Romaine lettuce
- Spinach
- Purple Onion
- Red Pepper
- Green Pepper
- Cilantro
- Jalapeno
- Corn
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Crushed Taco Chips
What goes good with BBQ chicken?
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Creamy BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 cup BBQ Sauce
- 2 1/2 pounds chicken thighs
Dressing
- 3/4 cup mayo
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cups BBQ Sauce
- 1 ounce Ranch seasoning packet
Salad
- 3 heads Romaine lettuce coarsley chopped
- 4 cups roughly chopped spinach
- 1 small purple onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 cup cilantro roughly chopped
- 1 jalapeno cut in half, divided
- 1 1/2 cups cooked corn chilled
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- 2 cups crushed taco chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add chicken thighs and 1 cup of BBQ Sauce. Cover with plastic wrap or foil and set in fridge; allow chicken to marinate for an hour or two.
- Grill chicken over medium-high heat, turning as needed to cook evenly on each side. Once chicken has reached the internal temperature of 165 degrees and juices are running clear, allow chicken to rest on a plate for 10 minutes while making the dressing.
- In a blender or food processor, add mayo, milk, 1/4 cup of BBQ Sauce and Ranch seasoning packet. Blend all of the ingredients together until smooth. Pour into large mason jar, screw-on lid and set in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Chop up chicken. Allow to cool completely before you add to the salad.
- In a large bowl, start by adding the chopped Romaine lettuce and spinach, then the remaining vegetables, crushed taco chips, and grilled BBQ chicken.
- Drizzle with BBQ Ranch Dressing (as much or as little as you would like). You can even serve it on the side to allow those to add their own dressing.
- Serve immediately.
- If you are making this ahead of time, wait to add dressing and taco chips until right before you serve so the salad doesn’t get soggy.
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I love your site, recipes are great, going to try this. beautiful salad tonight.