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.

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
Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
FYI, only the salad recipe comes up when you want to print it. Not the dressing. Just thought you’d like to know… I’m going to make this this week.
Mel, This was fabulous!!! Yum! Thank you for sharing!!!
For a slightly lighter and zestier dressing I replaced the 1 cup of mayo with 1/4 cup light mayo and 1/4 cup of lowfat plain yogurt. I’m not sure what the regular recipe is like, but it was so fabulous. My mouth was still loving it at the end!!! Yum!
n82 – the dressing makes about 2 cups, give or take a little, and I have kept it in the refrigerator for up to two weeks with good results.
Hi Mel,
How much does this dressing make and how long will it last in the fridge?
Loved this tonight! The dressing is fantastic. Thanks.
Thanks Mel! This was our dinner tonight and it was really yummy! The dressing has really amazing flavor. I will definitely make this again!
This dressing is the bomb!! I made this salad last night, and took the leftovers to work. All my co workers loved it!! It reminds me of my fav BBQ chicken salad at Cheesecake Factory.
We make this often. It is one of our favorites. Thanks for your great site.
This salad was like a party for my taste buds. LOVED IT!!! That dressing…oh my, FAAAAAbulous! Thanks for the great recipe.
This is my favorite dinner now. It fits the good for you, savory, fresh, and filling bill for my family. YUM!!! We have had this a dozen times in the last few months and we are not sick of it yet. I have not found a better way to cook my chicken either, thanks for the tip!
Rachel – I’m thrilled this meal has become a staple for you!
since i’m a carb addict, i’m going to throw this (minus the lettuce) on a potato. can’t wait.
Wowza!! This was so delicious. We’ve got some dairy allergies in the family, so I substituted unsweetened almond milk and a little lemon juice for the milk and buttermilk in the dressing. It turned out so yummy I could eat it all by itself.
Thanks for a recipe that I’ll be coming back to again and again and again.
Thanks for the tip on how you pre cook your chicken. I was wondering, after you cook the chicken in the crockpot how long does it last in the refrigerator? And if you freeze it, whats the best way to reheat it. Thanks again for all your yummy recipe!
Hi Danielle – I usually keep it in the refrigerator for up to three days but after that, I can kind of taste a funny after taste that isn’t very enticing. After freezing it, I usually thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before using it. If I forget to do that, I’ll gently thaw it in the microwave before using (or sometimes just throw it into a casserole or baked dish frozen since it will be going in the oven anyway).
Yum, this was great! My husband and I both had seconds….of salad! I did a couple things to make it a little healthier, I used spring mix instead of romaine & iceberg and substituted greek yogurt for half the mayonnaise (and used oil olive mayo for the rest). Thanks for sharing this recipe!
This salad was absolutely fabulous! I forgot to grab mayo so we just used ranch. My husband doesn’t much care for chicken but even he said “wow this is actually really good”. I will definately be making this again!
I made this for dinner on Sunday night and it was outstanding! The dressing is a new favorite of mine. Thanks for sharing!
That is one tasty looking salad!
Thanks for the great recipe. The dressing was delicious. My three picky kids even ate it!!
My husband would absolutely love this salad. I will definitely have to try it. The dressing sounds really tasty!
This made my mouth was water when I saw it late at night last week. I made this for dinner a few nights ago and it didn’t disappoint!! So YUMMY, thanks!
I made this tonight and we all loved it! Thank you!!
Mel, I just made this and I wanted to let you know, it might just be my new favorite salad too! Usually when I eat salads I don’t get completely “full”, but I was “full” after this one. I will be making this a lot. Thanks!
I always wonder why salad at home never tastes as good as at a restaurant. I will wonder no more! This was great. Thanks for sharing all of your deliciousness!
I made this tonight for my husband and I and it was delicious! Wonderful idea with the bbq dressing!
Made this tonight for the family andthey gobbled it. We have l o v e d every recipe from your site so far. Thank you for all the delicious family dinners!
Made this tonight and it was A. MAZ. ING. Totally cured my preggo craving, for tonight at least 🙂 Thanks for sharing! You’re awesome!
awesome meal! We added chopped red bell peppers and black olives to the salad, and since our chicken was chipolte flavored already from the meal before, we subbed some salsa and some sour cream for the bbq sauce in the dressing. As an afterthought, I think an avocado in the blender dressing would have been a perfect finish to the chipolte chicken salad version we had. Thank you, yet again!!
Made this for dinner – i skipped the bbq sauce on the chicken though and just used the dressing – it was absolutely wonderful! Thanks for the recipe!
this is very much like the salad i get at chili’s from time to time, but they don’t offer any creamy cilantro dressing! if they did, i fear i’d be eating there 3 or 4 nights a week! 🙂
I have lettuce that needs used up and I think this is the perfect thing to use it for. I even have all the ingredients, I think? Is white vinegar, just regular vinegar? I think it would be perfect with crunchy tortilla strips on top!
Oh my I cannot wait to try this salad! Looks so delicious!
Can’t wait to try this salad. The dressing sounds divine.
Wonderful, tasty dressing.
Oh, that looks and sounds so wonderful! I have yet to find fresh cilantro in Taiwan and it’s sad thing because I LOVE it. I’m dying to have a bite of this.
Delicious! I can’t wait to try this. It seems so springy. I’m over winter!
I nearly licked the screen. This is my very favorite kind of salad. Ever. I like to crush up some of those ‘Food should taste good’ brand multi-grain tortilla style chips on top and add avocado. YUM!
I was planning on making taco pizza for dinner tonight but this looks so much better! Plus if we have salad for dinner then I won’t feel so bad about making your sinful brown butter brownies! Can’t wait!!!
Your salad looks wonderful! I love the BBQ Chicken Salad at Panera and this looks similar ~ can’t wait to give it a try!
I am going to make that dressing tomorrow for lunch, sounds so yummy. I love homemade salads and dressing. This is a winner for sure!
Thank you, thank you for the tip on how you cook your chicken! I don’t know why cooking stresses me out so much sometimes. Your great recipes and cooking tips go a long way to helping me feel more confident in my cooking and everything I have tried off of your website is delicious!
Mel, this looks so good! I’ve been overdosing on sugar this week (posting dessert recipes everyday) and I came to your site specifically looking for something lighter and savory. This totally fits the bills! I also love that you included how to poach chicken breasts in the slow cooker. I’m obsessed with my slow cooker, so I’ll definitely try your method the next time I need pre-cooked chicken for a recipe. Thank you! 🙂
this is right up my alley… very excited to make this one. Thank you! I am your biggest fan.
Sounds like a great lunch in my near future!
There is no better compliment to pay than to say, I’d eat this in a heartbeat.
Sounds great! I never thought to add corn and black beans to BBQ chic salad. And can’t wait to try the dressing, thanks so much! 🙂
I love the classic BBQ chicken salad with ranch, but this salad with creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing sounds like it would be a knock out!
My favorite salad at California Pizza Kitchen is their Chopped BBQ Salad-it is served with BBQ sauce and ranch dressing. Your salad has the same flavor combinations! I think this will be dinner tonight, as it suppossed to be 75 degrees here in MD today! Salad weather today, but soup weather tomorrow. I’m not complaining, though! 🙂
Sounds delicious! Can’t wait to try it!
YUM!! Panera has a great BBQ chicken salad but yours looks even better! I’m loving that Cilantro Lime Dressing!
This looks so good. I’ve been thinking lately that I want to start “exploring” some salad recipes to get rid of just plain lettuce. My husband is not a big “stuff on salad” person but I am. Can’t wait to try this as my lunch soon!!