BBQ Chicken Salad with Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing
This BBQ Chicken Salad with Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing is a lot of things. Refreshing. Crisp. Flavorful. The perfect summer dinner.
BBQ Chicken Salad. Probably one of my favorite salad combos ever.
![White bowl filled with salad, bbq chicken, corn, and slices of red onions.](https://www.melskitchencafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Salad-jpg-600x398.jpg)
Ranks right up there with this one. Oh and this one and this one.
Gotta love a great dinner salad.
What to Serve With This
One Year Ago: Cream Biscuits
Two Years Ago: Tri Color Pasta Salad
Three Years Ago: Pasta Chicken Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach
BBQ Chicken Salad with Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing
Ingredients
Chicken and Salad:
- 3 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 2 cups BBQ sauce (see note)
- ½ head iceberg lettuce, cored and chopped
- 2 romaine hearts, chopped
- ½ red onion diced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 ½ cups frozen corn, thawed
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cubed small or shredded
- 4 ounces Monterey jack cheese, cubed small or shredded
Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing:
- 1 cup mayonnaise, light or regular
- ⅓ cup milk
- ⅓ cup buttermilk (see note)
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ to ½ cup BBQ sauce
Instructions
- For the salad, combine the cooked chicken and BBQ sauce in a medium bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- In a large bowl, toss together the iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, red onion, cilantro, corn, black beans and cheese. Toss the mixed salad with about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the dressing, if desired. Otherwise, you can serve the dressing on the side. Place salad on plates and top with the prepared BBQ chicken and additional dressing.
- For the dressing, combine all the ingredients together and whisk (or shake, if using a jar) vigorously to combine. You could also run this through a blender to make it even more smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
BBQ Sauce: here is my favorite homemade version.
Buttermilk: here is a guide for making your own buttermilk.
Chicken: this recipe calls for already cooked chicken so plan ahead! I like to cook my chicken in the crockpot, using frozen chicken breasts and about 1 cup of chicken broth for every 2 chicken breasts. I cook on low for about 4-5 hours and then shred and refrigerate (or freeze) for later.
Make Ahead Instructions: all the components of this salad can be prepared up to a day in advance (the dressing can be made up to 3 days in advance). Store separately in the refrigerator and toss before serving.
Serving: 1 Serving, Calories: 706kcal, Carbohydrates: 80g, Protein: 37g, Fat: 27g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 97mg, Sodium: 1876mg, Fiber: 10g, Sugar: 41g
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: salad from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe, dressing inspired by El Pollo Loco’s Creamy Cilantro Dressing
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This is the best salad….3rd time I have made it
Made this today and it didnt seem quite like it was the last time I had it. Then I looked up on my mobile device to see if I had done something wrong, and I realized the recipe was somewhat different from thr one I printed yesterday from my computer. Ideas on why the 2 recipes dont match?
Any chance you were looking at two different recipes? That would be odd for the recipes to have changed over night like that?
BBQ Chicken Salad: Made this for 14 women and it was a definite thumbs up.