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Food

BBQ Chicken Salad Recipe

A combination of barbecue sauce and ranch dressing make this crunchy salad the perfect slightly-healthy meal, inspired from the one at California Pizza Kitchen.
BBQ Chicken Salad Recipe
Photo by Heami Lee

Servings: 4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

for the ranch dressing:
½ cup|125 ml buttermilk
½ cup|125 ml mayonnaise
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon mustard powder
½ teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives

for the salad:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons canola oil
¼ cup|60 ml barbecue sauce, plus more for serving
8 ounces|240 grams iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced
5 ½ ounces|156 grams butter lettuce
½ cup|88 grams cooked black beans
2 ears corn, kernels removed
½ jicama, peeled and cut into ¼-inch cubes
4 ounces|100 grams grated Monterey Jack cheese
2 vine-ripe tomatoes, diced
8 basil leaves, thinly sliced
2 sprigs cilantro, chopped
1 scallion, thinly sliced
2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and diced
2 ounces|57 grams tortilla strips or chips
lime wedges, to serve

Directions

  1. Make the dressing: Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  2. Make the salad: Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium. Add the chicken and cook, flipping once, until cooked through, 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes before cutting into ½-inch cubes. Cool slightly, then toss with the barbecue sauce.
  3. To plate the salad, divide the lettuces among 4 bowls. Top each with the remaining ingredients. Drizzle with the ranch dressing and barbecue sauce and serve with lime wedges. Alternatively, toss all the ingredients in a large bowl with half of the ranch dressing. Divide among 4 bowls and drizzle with more ranch and barbecue sauce.

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