Southwest Salad with BBQ Chicken and Ranch Dressing
This Southwest BBQ Ranch Salad with Chicken is a bold, flavor-packed salad that’s perfect for an easy weeknight dinner. Made with juicy chicken cooked in barbecue sauce, crisp lettuce, fresh vegetables, and crispy shallots, then tossed in a creamy buttermilk ranch dressing, it’s a satisfying, restaurant-style salad you can make at home. It’s fresh but still a little indulgent, hearty enough for dinner, and one of those recipes we keep coming back to when we want something easy that still has tons of flavor. Serve this with our Fresh Papaya with Lime on the side.
PREP TIME
15 minutes
COOK TIME
25 minutes
INGREDIENTS
22
Serves: 6
Ingredients
Salad
- 2 bunch2 bunch2 bunch Lettuce, Romaine, chopped
- 1 lb1 lb1 lb Chicken Thighs, Boneless Skinless
- .75 cup.75 cup.75 cup Barbecue Sauce, (divided)
- 1 cup1 cup1 cup Corn, fire roasted (thawed), frozen
- 1 cup1 cup1 cup Roma Tomato, diced
- 1 cup1 cup1 cup Black Beans, (drained)
- .5 cup.5 cup.5 cup Onion, green, diced
- .5 cup.5 cup.5 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
- .25 cup.25 cup.25 cup Shallot, crispy onions or (like French's fried onions)
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
- .5 cup.5 cup.5 cup Sour Cream
- .5 cup.5 cup.5 cup Mayonnaise
- .5 cup.5 cup.5 cup Buttermilk
- 1 tsp1 tsp1 tsp Chives, dried
- 1 tsp1 tsp1 tsp Dill, Dried
- .5 tsp.5 tsp.5 tsp Onion Powder
- .25 tsp.25 tsp.25 tsp Garlic Powder
- .75 tsp.75 tsp.75 tsp Granulated White Sugar
- .5 Tbsp.5 Tbsp.5 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- .5 tsp.5 tsp.5 tsp Salt
- .25 tsp.25 tsp.25 tsp Black Peppercorns, Ground Fresh
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Note, these instructions are written assuming the standard serving size, since you have modified the number of servings, these steps may need to be modified for best results
- Preheat the oven to 400F. For easier cleanup, line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Place 0.5 cup barbecue sauce in a bowl (reserve the rest for later), and brush it onto both sides of the chicken thighs.
- Bake the chicken for 20 minutes, then broil for 2-3 to caramelize the sauce, until the the internal temp is 165F. If you don't have a broiler, just bake the chicken for 20 to 25 minutes total. Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest before cutting it into bite sized pieces.
- Add the ranch ingredients to a bowl and whisk together until fully combined.
- Place the lettuce, cooked chicken, corn, tomatoes, black beans, cheese, and green onions in a large salad bowl.
- Toss the salad with your desired amount of ranch dressing and the reserved barbecue sauce.
- Top the salad with the crispy onions or shallots and enjoy!
Notes
- Super short on time or energy? Use rotisserie chicken. Toss it with BBQ sauce, then heat in a pan or microwave.
- Use a BBQ sauce you like. We think smoky-sweet sauces work best here.
- Dry off washed lettuce in a salad spinner before using. Dressing and sauces stick to dry lettuce better than wet, and wet lettuce will also dilute the sauces.
- Add the crispy onions/shallots right before serving. Otherwise, they’ll get soggy.
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About This Recipe
Show nutritional information
Coconut Free Gluten Free Nut Free Salads Shellfish Free Sugar Alcohol Free| This is our estimate based on online research. | |
| Calories: | 525 |
| Fat: | 28 g |
| Carbohydrates: | 35 g |
| Protein: | 29 g |
| Cholesterol: | 52 g |
| Sodium: | 891 mg |
| Fiber: | 7 g |
| Sugars: | 11 g |
| Sugar Alcohol: | 0 g |
| Calculated per serving. | |
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