Southwest Chicken BBQ Salad

I love this salad. Love it. Did I mention LOVE it? It has all my favorite veggies (nothing weird!), perfectly seasoned chicken, and a dressing that I could seriously eat with a spoon.

My husband calls this girl food, but I think he might secretly love it. The smoky barbecue chicken mixed with fresh veggies and an amazing creamy cilantro ranch dressing is too good not to love.

Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need

You can definitely leave out any veggies you don’t like, but try to keep the dressing ingredients the same. They’re all important!

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For The Chicken

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 2 chicken breasts, sliced in half horizontally to make them thin
• 2 tablespoons barbecue seasoning, from the store, or use the *optional rub below
• ½ cup barbecue sauce divided, like Sweet Baby Ray’s

For Salad

• 1 head of romaine lettuce chopped (about 6 cups)
• 1 ½ cups chopped Roma tomatoes, about 3 tomatoes
• 1 ½ cups black beans rinsed well and drained
• 1 cup corn kernels, fresh, canned, or frozen and thawed. If using fresh corn, it’s about 3 ears of corn
• 1 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
• 1 avocado chopped
• ½ red onion chopped
• ½ cup tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips
• 3-4 scallions chopped

Cilantro Ranch Dressing

• 1 ranch seasoning packet 1 oz
• ¾ cup sour cream
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro, about half a bunch of cilantro (you can also do parsley, but the flavor will be different)
• ½ lime juiced
• ½ jalapeno diced (about 2 teaspoons), seeds and membrane removed
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
• ⅓ cup milk, plus additional 1-2 tablespoons if necessary to thin

Barbecue Rub (optional)

• 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons cumin
• 1 ½ teaspoons coriander
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon granulated garlic

How to Make Southwest Chicken BBQ Salad

Step 1: Prep And Cook Chicken

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 12-inch skillet on medium-high heat. Use 1 ½ tablespoons barbecue seasoning to rub into the chicken breasts. Carefully place the chicken into the preheated skillet and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side until the chicken is fully cooked at 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove chicken from the heat and transfer to a large plate.

Step 2: Make The Dressing

While the chicken rests, place all of the cilantro ranch ingredients in a blender and blend for 15-20 seconds until the ingredients are completely incorporated. Add milk, a tablespoon at a time, to reach the desired consistency if too thick. Place dressing in the fridge until ready to serve.

Step 3: Chop And Add Sauce To Chicken

Chop chicken and place in a medium-sized bowl. Stir in the remaining 1 ½ teaspoons of barbecue seasoning. Pour in ¼ cup barbecue sauce and stir until the chicken is completely coated in the sauce.

Step 4: Assemble

To serve, place chopped lettuce in a large serving bowl. Top with chopped chicken, tomatoes, beans, corn, shredded cheese, avocado, onion, and tortilla strips. Sprinkle with green onions. You can line toppings up side by side in a wheel-like pattern or place ingredients on the lettuce and toss.

Step 5: Add Dressing And Sauce

Drizzle with the desired amount of cilantro ranch dressing and barbecue sauce, or serve sauces on the side for individual plating.

Serving and Storing Southwest Chicken BBQ Salad

This is a full meal, but you can serve it with garlic bread and fresh fruit if you want, or have a lot of people to feed.

Once the salad is assembled and the dressing added, try to eat it all right away, as it won’t stay as crunchy and fresh for long. But if you want to make this ahead and store it, keep each component separate until you’re ready to eat.

• Chicken: Store cooked chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the cooked chicken in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
• Vegetables: Keep chopped vegetables like lettuce, tomatoes, corn, and onions in separate containers in the fridge. They will stay fresh for up to 3 days.
• Cilantro Ranch Dressing: Store the dressing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I like to use a mason jar with a reusable screw-top lid. Do not freeze the dressing; it won’t maintain its texture and flavor when thawed.
• Tortilla Strips: Keep tortilla strips or chips in a sealed bag at room temperature to stay crisp. They will last for several days.

Questions and Troubleshooting

Related Recipes

• I love this salad so much that I made two versions! If you love this one, try my southwest salad with chicken cutlets.
• This southwest rice salad is great as a side, or you can add your chicken to it for a full meal.
• Try a different dressing on the salad with my homemade Cajun ranch dressing.

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