Southwest Chicken BBQ Salad

The Southwest Barbecue Chicken Salad served in a white bowl with wooden salad tongs, showing a detailed view of the ingredients including lettuce, barbecue chicken, tomatoes, black beans, corn, avocado, red onion, shredded cheese, and tortilla strips.

This chicken salad combines smoky, tender chicken with fresh veggies and a creamy cilantro ranch dressing for a satisfying, flavor-packed meal.

Prep Time30

Cook Time10

Total Time40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Summer, SW Chicken BBQ Salad

Servings: servings

Calories: 953kcal

Author: Katie

Ingredients

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

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 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
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

Instructions

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 heat and transfer to a large plate.
Make 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.
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.
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.
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.

Notes

Sweet Baby Ray’s original barbecue sauce is my favorite store-bought kind, but use any sweet sauce you like. Homemade barbecue sauce works beautifully too.

The kind of chicken seasoning you use isn’t a big deal. You can use homemade taco seasoning, store-bought barbecue seasoning, or any other chicken rub you like. Whatever you choose, rub some into the chicken before cooking and add additional after cooking for a little extra flavor on all of the chicken.

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