This BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad hits so many flavor notes: smoky, creamy, crisp, and delicious. My recipe uses a BBQ Ranch dressing that’s tangy, smoky, and creamy and pairs so nicely with the juicy grilled chicken, veggies, and crunchy tortilla strips!
The salad can be enjoyed for a light summer meal, lunch or dinner all year long. It’s loaded with texture, and flavorful and a great way to enjoy barbecue without the oven!
This salad is so easy to prep in advance so you can have dinner ready to go whenever you need it. It’s a great customizable option for your family preferences too. My kids like to skip the tomatoes.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- BBQ And Ranch Magic: The semi homemade dressing is packed with so much flavor in a creamy, tangy, smoky, dressing you’ll want to put on all the things!
- Quick to Make: Save a step by using a rotisserie chicken or leftover grilled chicken, but even if you’re cooking it fresh for this, the salad can be ready in less than 30 minutes.
- Customizable: Swap in or extra veggies and toppings you love, skip the ones you don’t!
Ingredients Needed
This is a quick overview of the ingredients you’ll need for this BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad Recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
- Lettuce – I like crispy romaine for the base, you can use a mix of romaine and spring mix if desired
- Chicken – Grill up some chicken, or use leftover chicken from another meal.
- Corn – You can use leftover corn on the cob, frozen corn, or canned corn.
- Black Beans – Drain and rinse a can of black beans to add extra heartiness to the salad.
- Tomatoes – Slice up any ripe, juicy tomato that you love!
- Avocado – Adds a nice extra creamy touch.
- Cheddar Cheese – Optional, add shredded cheese, or cubes.
- Fried Onions – Or tortilla strips to add a perfect crunch!
- Mayonnaise – Adds a creaminess to the dressing
- Sour Cream – Adds extra creaminess.
- BBQ Sauce – Use your favorite brand
- Buttermilk – Adds an extra tanginess to the dressing
- Ranch Seasoning Mix – I like Hidden Valley Ranch Mix
How to make Barbecue Ranch Chicken Salad
Step 1: Make the dressing. Whisk the Mayo, sour cream, bbq sauce, buttermilk, and ranch seasoning in a small bowl. Place in the fridge until needed to chill.
Step 2:Assemble the Salad. Add the lettuce, chicken, corn, black beans, tomatoes, red onion, and avocado to a large bowl. Toss them together. Sprinkle tortilla strips or fried onions on top.
Step 3: Add the dressing. Add the salad to individual plates, or serve from the bowl. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to enjoy.
Tips and Tricks
- Use leftover chicken: Plan this meal for later in the week after you’ve made grilled chicken or BBQ Chicken, or enjoyed a rotisserie chicken. The perfect way to re-use those leftovers.
- Make the dressing Ahead of Time: The dressing tastes even better after sitting in the fridge for about 1 hour.
Storage Instructions
If you’re making the salad ahead of time, store all the components of the salad in separate containers to keep everything nice and crisp. The dressing will last for about 1 week in the fridge. The prepared salad will last about 2 days if stored in the fridge without the dressing on top.
This salad is fresh, bold, and packed with flavor. Everything a good salad should be. It’s easy to throw together, and perfect for any occasion – you’ll want to be eating it all summer long!
More Salad Recipes
BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 1 1/2 heads romaine lettuce (chopped)
- 3/4 cup canned corn (drained and rinsed)
- 3/4 cup canned black beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1/4 cup sliced olives
- 1 avocado (diced)
- 2 cups grilled chicken (chopped)
- 1/2 cup tortilla strips (or crispy fried onions)
For the BBQ Ranch Dressing:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
- 6 TBS buttermilk (+ or – 2 TBS)
- 1 TBS ranch seasoning mix
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
Instructions
For the Salad:
- In a large bowl, combine your lettuce, corn, black beans, tomatoes, olives, and avocado. Toss together. 1 1/2 heads romaine lettuce, 3/4 cup canned corn, 3/4 cup canned black beans, 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes, 1/4 cup sliced olives, 1 avocado
- Top salad with chicken and tortilla strips and serve. 1/2 cup tortilla strips, 1/2 cup tortilla strips
For the BBQ Ranch Dressing:
- Combine all the ingredients for the salad dressing together in a small bowl, and whisk them together until smooth. 1 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup BBQ sauce, 6 TBS buttermilk, 1 TBS ranch seasoning mix
- Drizzle as much as you'd like over your salad.
This BBQ Chicken Salad was first posted on August 15, 2016. The photos and blog text were updated for clarity on June 13, 2025.
JanetGoingCrazy says
This salad looks so good and sounds delicious! [client]