This BBQ chicken salad is better than any restaurant! Flavorful BBQ chicken, carrots, toasted corn, avocado, green onions, croutons and more combine to make the best barbecue chicken salad ever!

This BBQ chicken salad is one of my all-time favorite dinner recipes. It’s my choice when I’m craving a hearty, savory dinner that’s still healthy and satisfying.

Made with fresh cornbread croutons and homemade ranch dressing, this bbq chicken salad is my version of comfort food!

In this recipe, BBQ chicken (either grilled BBQ chicken or crockpot bbq chicken), is served on top of a bed of greens loaded with toasted corn, green onions, cilantro, croutons, avocado and more.

Toss it with this homemade ranch dressing or this avocado dressing for an irresistible salad you’ll make on repeat.

BBQ Chicken Salad: Ingredients & Substitutions

• Barbecue chicken. I suggest using either this crockpot BBQ chicken or this grilled BBQ chicken recipe!
• Spring mix. Choose your favorite lettuce: romaine, iceberg, baby spinach, etc.
• Carrot/Cucumber. Choose your favorite veggies. Some suggestions include bell peppers, broccoli, etc.
• Green onions. Red onions are a great substitute.
• Croutons. I suggest making these homemade croutons, or my absolute favorite choice with this salad are these cornbread croutons.
• Toasted corn. You can just use leftover corn on the cob (cut off the cob, of course), or warm up some frozen corn in the microwave. However, toasting it with butter takes the flavor the the next level!
• Ranch dressing. use this ranch dressing mix to make your own homemade dressing, or choose your favorite store-bought variety. You can also use this avocado dressing, homemade

How to Make BBQ Chicken Salad

Let’s walk through how to make the best barbecue chicken salad! I have seriously perfected this salad over the years because it’s my favorite! So I promise if you follow the recipe you will love it! Don’t forget to watch the video.

Prepare the BBQ chicken

Make the BBQ chicken – use this grilled BBQ chicken recipe (note, the chicken needs to marinate) or this Crockpot BBQ Chicken recipe.

Toast the Corn

The toasted corn is key to making a delicious BBQ chicken salad that stands out from the rest. Begin by cooking the corn with 1 Tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat until lightly browned.

Once browned, sprinkle with sea salt. Then set it aside to use on the salad.

Assemble the BBQ Chicken Salad:

Once the chicken and corn are ready, it’s time to assemble the salad.

Combine the lettuce, carrot, green onions cucumber, and cilantro and toasted corn in a large salad bowl, reserving about 1 tablespoon of each ingredient to use to garnish the top, toss to combine.

Then toss the salad with your dressing of choice. Mine is always ranch dressing, however this avocado dressing tastes amazing on this salad.

Finally, top the bbq chicken salad with the remaining ingredients and sliced or shredded BBQ chicken and serve!

Individual Servings

I like to serve this barbecue chicken salad in individual portions so guests can make it their own.

To do this, combine all the salad ingredients in a large serving bowl besides the dressing and BBQ chicken.

Then let guests/family members build and dress their BBQ chicken salads individually. I prefer this because undressed salad keeps better and longer than dressed, so we can enjoy leftovers for a day or two after we make it!

Serve

What I love about this recipe is that it’s an entire meal all on its own. So I suggest serving it as a main dish (especially if you make homemade croutons or cornbread croutons).

You can serve it with other sides like homemade pretzel bread or no knead bread. I like to make a large bowl of this summer fruit salad to serve on the side as well!

Store

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days if the BBQ chicken salad is undressed, 1-2 if it is dressed.

I suggest storing the salad and chicken separately so you can warm up the BBQ chicken before using it to make a leftover salad.

BBQ Chicken Salad Recipe FAQs

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Try These Recipes!

Crock Pot BBQ Chicken

BBQ Chicken Pizza

BBQ Chicken Marinade

Ranch Dressing Mix (Ranch Seasoning)

Taco Salad

Cornbread Croutons