BBQ Chicken Salad is my favorite go to fast food dinner and salad! The ingredients are usually on hand in my refrigerator and it just tastes so good. If you are looking for an easy, quick dinner idea, here is a recipe that calls to me. All you need is lettuce, black beans, canned corn, tomatoes, cooked chicken, avocados, ranch dressing and BBQ sauce.
Cooked chicken is usually something I always have in my refrigerator. If you have never taken a look at my Roasted Chicken Post today is a great day to do that! This is an easy way to roast two chickens and have all the cooked chicken you could ever want.
I know you can purchase a roasted chicken at Costco, but the meat is never quite done for me. There is so much meat that gets left on the bones. This recipe is so easy to make and feeds so many people. There is chicken in your refrigerator for days. You can make dinner for a week with it. Too much chicken? (How is that possible?) Freeze a plastic bag of roasted chicken and use the next week in your favorite recipes.
How to Make BBQ Chicken Salad
1. Click on the link to my Studio5KSL visit where I show a great hack for cutting a head of Romaine lettuce. Fighting big pieces of lettuce is not my idea of a wonderful salad. Cutting my lettuce into bite size pieces is a favorite trick to making a delightful dish.
2. Open and drain a can of black beans. Draining the beans and rinsing them is a must. Using a colander makes this job very easy. Place a half a cup of rinsed black beans on the lettuce. Put the left over beans in a plastic bag for the salad you will be making tomorrow.
3. Drain the can of corn and place half a cup on the black beans already on the lettuce. Fresh corn sliced off the cob is fantastic on this salad. I love making this in the fall when corn is readily available. Shuck a cob of corn and stand it up on the counter. Use one hand to hold the top of the cob. Place your knife at the top of the cob and slice down to release about a one inch strip of corn. Continue around the cob until all the corn has been sliced off. Separate the kernels gently with your hands.
4. Chop a ripe tomato. I like slicing the top and bottom of the tomato and throwing those away. Then I slice the rest of the tomato into 1/4 inch slices. Cut one direction and then make a quarter turn and cut the other direction. Now you have beautiful small squares of tomatoes for your salad. Spread these pieces evenly over the corn.
5. Cut a ripe avocado into small chunks and loosen with a spoon and place on the corn. Cut the avocado in half lengthwise. Once you have sliced it completely, but a hand on each half and twist gently. The two halves will loosen. One will have a pit and the other will not.
Keep the half with the pit on the counter and then use your knife and push it into the pit. If I could only tell you how many times I have almost cut my hand, badly, by having the half with the pit in my hand. Don't do it!! Leave it on the counter.
Once your knife is stuck in the pit, twist the knife and the pit should gently release. Use the point of your knife to cut small slits lengthwise in the avocado. Turn the avocado and do the same thing going the other direction. Use a spoon to gently scoop out all your beautiful pieces of avocado for your salad.
6. Place the cooked, shredded chicken on top of the avocados. I usually have cooked chicken in my refrigerator at all times. I like to roast chickens and debone them. Click on the link to find out how to easily roast chickens and have chicken for days and the yummiest chicken broth ever!
7. Then top with a drizzle of ranch salad dressing. Turn the plate one quarter turn and drizzle with BBQ sauce. YUM!
Let me know on Instagram or Pinterest if you make this.
Post a picture and tag me @dinasdiner. I want to know how it turns out.
BBQ Chicken Salad
This recipe is for a single serving.
2 Cups Romaine Lettuce
1/2 C. Black Beans
1/2 C. Canned Corn
1/2 C. Diced Tomatoes
1/2 C. Sliced Avocados
1/2 C. Cooked Chicken
1/4 C. Ranch Salad Dressing
1/4 C. BBQ Sauce
1. Slice one head of Romaine lettuce into bite size pieces.
2. Drain and rinse black beans and place on the lettuce.
3. Drain the corn and place half a cup on the black beans already on the lettuce.
4. Chop a ripe tomato into small pieces and spread evenly on the corn.
5. Cut a ripe avocado into small chunks and loosen with a spoon and place on the corn.
6. Place the cooked, shredded chicken on top of the avocados.
7. Then top with a drizzle of ranch salad dressing. Turn the plate one quarter turn and drizzle with BBQ sauce. YUM!
