BBQ Chicken Salad with Creamy BBQ Dressing

Barbecue Chicken Salad in a wooden bowl topped with barbecue creamy dressing.

5 from 10 votes

BBQ Chicken Salad with Creamy BBQ Dressing

This BBQ Chicken Salad, chock full of grilled chicken, corn, and black beans with a creamy barbecue dressing, is a perfect summertime supper.

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Marinate1

Total Time1 25

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Barbecue, BBQ, Chicken, Salad

Servings:

Calories: 845kcal

Author: Erica Walker

Equipment

Outdoor Barbecue Grill

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts
1 ½ cups BBQ sauce divided
4 hearts of romaine chopped
1 cup frozen corn thawed
14 ounces black beans (1 can) drained and rinsed
5-6 green onions chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup tortilla chips crunched up into pieces

Creamy BBQ Dressing:

1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro finely chopped
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 garlic clove finely minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup BBQ sauce

Instructions

In a plastic bag, combine chicken and 1 cup BBQ sauce.
Seal tightly and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Remove chicken from bag, discard marinade, and grill chicken on BBQ grill until cooked through. Use extra BBQ sauce to baste over chicken while grilling.
When internal temperature of chicken reaches 165, remove from grill and set aside.
In a large serving bowl, toss romaine with corn, black beans, and green onions.
After chicken has had a chance to rest for a few minutes, slice and put on the salad.
Top with shredded cheese and tortilla chips.
Serve with Creamy BBQ Dressing.

Creamy BBQ Dressing

Combine all the ingredients together and whisk vigorously to combine. You can also run this through a blender to make it even more smooth.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Video

Notes

I have mentioned this several times in other blog posts, but getting the chicken just right is everything. People are always asking how I get juicy grilled chicken. Here are two of my tried and true tips:

Cooking meat - Use a DIGITAL meat thermometer. Don't slice your chicken apart every five minutes to check doneness. Digital meat thermometers are amazing little gadgets and they can make ANYONE a grill master. They are cheap, they are accurate, and they will give you perfect meat every. time. If you don't have one, get one! You'll thank me later.

Slow cooking - Be patient and cook over medium to medium-high heat on the grill. Don't crank up the temperature and turn the outside of your chicken. You will have a burnt outside and raw inside. Take your time. Do it right. Your guests will thank you.

BBQ sauce - For this recipe, I love using Bull's Eye or Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce, and I brush it on while the chicken is on the grill. Any of your favorite sauces will do, but those two brands are my favorite.

Nutrition