This BBQ chicken salad is restaurant-quality with the best flavors and textures from the BBQ chicken, black beans, crunchy veggies, tortilla strips and creamy cilantro lime dressing!
Other main dish salad recipes we love include balsamic Mediterranean salad and htis cobb salad!
Why I Love This Recipe
- Flavorful: This BBQ chicken salad is my family’s favorite salad recipe. I have been told it reminds people of Panera’s BBQ chicken salad.
- Full of texture and color: It’s made with crunchy lettuce, sweet BBQ chicken, fresh black bean salsa and topped with a creamy cilantro lime dressing. It will turn any into into a salad lover!
Recipe Ingredients
Substitutions and Variations
- Chicken: I love making this crockpot BBQ chicken. It’s super easy and we always have leftovers. You can also make baked BBQ chicken or grill chicken. I have even shredded a rotisserie chicken and mixed BBQ sauce.
- Grilled corn: For another layer of flavor, use grilled corn in the salsa.
- Extra toppings: Fresh homemade guacamole, pico de gallo, homemade salsa, cheese or chopped jalapeno would all be delicious additions.
- Homemade tortilla strips. Easily make your own homemade tortilla strips if you don’t have any on hand. All you need is flour tortillas and oil!
- Rice: Sometimes we love to add cilantro lime rice, too!
- Dressing: You could also swap this dressing for a homemade ranch dressing, salsa ranch dressing, cilantro lime crema or an avocado lime dressing.
How to Make BBQ Chicken Salad
Combine chicken and BBQ sauce in a crockpot. Cook 6 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on high. Shred the chicken.
Make the dressing by blending ranch dressing, cilantro, lime and a tomatillo in a blender or food processor. Chill at least 30 minutes.
Place lettuce on a plate and top with chicken and black bean salsa. Drizzle with dressing and top with tortilla strips.
Love BBQ recipes? BBQ chicken tacos or a BBQ chicken pizza are favorites, too!
More Easy Salad Recipes
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BBQ Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
- 1 ½ cups ranch dressing
- ½ cup cilantro
- 1 lime , juiced
- 1 tomatillo , small
- ½ jalapeno , optional
- 5 cups chopped iceberg or romaine lettuce , or spinach
- 2 cups black bean salsa , see link below for recipe
- Tortilla strips , for topping
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in a crockpot. Pour BBQ sauce over the chicken. If I have onions on hand, I will put a few slices on top of the chicken. Cook 6 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on high, or until the chicken shreds easily. Shred chicken and drain any fat.
- In the base of a blender or food processor, blend ranch dressing, cilantro, lime juice, and tomatillo. If you like it spicy, add jalapeno. Chill at least 30 minutes.
- Place desired amount of lettuce on your plate. Add a few spoonfuls of chicken and black bean salsa. Drizzle with dressing and top with tortilla strips.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
just had this for supper tonight!! oh man, was it ever good!!!! the black bean salsa was such a fresh topping!!! thank you!
Oh yum! This looks a whole lot like my favorite bbq chicken salad from Panera! I will definitely try your recipe!
Am I missing the printer friendly link? I’d love to print this out and give it a try.
Hi Jamielyn!
I just want to thank you for sharing this awesome recipe. I am featuring your dish on my blog today. Thank you again!!
Just made this tonight and it was a hit! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe :) DELISH!!
I love to eat BBQ chicken salad. I like your recipe. It is so greeny. I love it.
This looks so good, I could jump right in! This is going on my list next week of things to make for dinner, I think my family would gobble it up. Thanks for the recipe!!!
How much water goes in with the BBQ sauce and chicken? and why?
I usually just put 1/4 cup in the bottom of the crockpot. It seems to make the chicken more moist and helps it shred easier.
Wow, this sounds absolutely delicious! Normally not a BBQ but this does sound like a interesting recipe!
Oh YUMMY! I can’t wait to try this! Thx for sharing :)
This looks so delicious! SO perfect for summer when its too hot to cook! :) thanks for sharing! On my menu for the week!
This looks so delicious! The dressing and black bean salsa sound great! Another idea for the chicken is to smoke a whole chicken. It will give this salad another level of flavor! Here’s our recipe: http://www.extraordinarybbq.com/smoked-whole-chicken/
I am going to try this next time I smoke a chicken.
Mmm that looks SO good!
Omgosh this looks good! Please let me know when you post the recipe! I already grabbed the Black Bean Salsa! nom nom
Thanks Teddie! It is SO good! The recipe is back in the post. It likes to magically disappear. ;) Hope you have a wonderful day!
Okay that looks delicious! I love a creative salad!!
It was awesome meeting you at Haven! I had so much fun hanging out with like-minded people. It was definitely one of the best weeks ever!! xoxo
Thanks Skye! It was so good to meet you as well! There’s nothing better than being around people who “get” you! ;) Let’s stay in touch! xo
Looks delish. I can’t find the recipe either.
Thanks for your comment Pam! The recipe is back in there. Hope you have a great Monday!
This sounds so good but not sure where the recipe is? Perhaps I missed a link. I love BBQ chicken salads, what sauce so you use?
It’s back in there now. Not sure why it does that. :) I just use a store bought BBQ sauce… but I’m sure a homemade sauce would be amazing!
Looks delicious!! And such a beautiful photograph. Did I miss the recipe??
Thank you! Whenever I pre-schedule posts the recipe disappears. Weird! Sorry, it’s up there now. :) Have a great day! xo