Crispy Chicken Barbecue Salad
I rarely get a salad at a restaurant and I don’t know why. If you’ve been following along, you know that I’m not the biggest fan of the green stuff, but then am I? The scarce time I do order a salad I always love it, so what really is my problem? Is it because they take extra work, all those veggies that need chopping? Is it because there’s probably something else on the menu I’d rather eat? That’s probably the real reason. But years ago I had a Crispy Chicken Barbecue Salad and I still think about it, it was good.
And honestly not that hard to make at all! I think it’s the combination of the ranch dressing with the barbecue sauce that really puts this over the top. The rich herby (that’s an actual word, I googled it) ranch gets a welcome twist with the tangy barbecue sauce. It’s the BEST combination! Of course, I load this bad boy up. We’re talking corn and black beans, extra cheese (add as much as you want, you can never have enough), bacon, hard-boiled eggs and a few other gems!
This is a perfect, super filling dinner. I never think of salad as a full meal. In my opinion, it needs a side, like breadsticks, garlic toast, or some other carby dish that, you know, fills you up. But with this salad, you really don’t need it, it’s incredibly filling! Even my 6’3″ husband was stuffed after a bowlful. The chicken is breaded so it feels like you get the side of bread without the actual side.
I use chicken bites, but you could also use chicken fingers or grilled chicken or even leftover rotisserie chicken whichever you happen to have on hand just cut them into bite-size pieces. I like using the chicken bites or tenders because they’re so easy and make this salad just feel a bit more indulgent. I’m eating it as a full meal after all!
How to make Crispy Chicken Barbecue Salad
Start with the hard-boiled eggs. The easiest no-fail way to make a hard-boiled egg is to place them in a pot cover the eggs plus an inch of cold water. Bring the pot to a rolling boil, then remove and cover with a lid and set a timer for ten minutes. Put the eggs in an ice bath for a few minutes and then peel and chop for the salad.
Once you’ve got the eggs started, cook the bacon, I like to bake my bacon in the oven. I cook it on a separate pan at the same time as the chicken bites or tenders. But really you can cook the bacon however you like, pan-fried or my mom’s favourite in the microwave. You’ll just want it cooked long enough to be crispy. And bake the chicken according to the package directions.
While all of this is going on, you should have a few minutes to chop the lettuce and green onions. Dice the tomatoes and almonds. Rinse the black beans and corn and start assembling the salad. Toss everything together in a large bowl. Crumble in the bacon, and top with the hot chicken bites.
To finish this off, top it with your favourite ranch and barbecue sauce. Seriously, that combo is so good! it’s like the cherry on top of a sundae, the whipped cream on a pumpkin pie, the bacon on a cheeseburger, or extra pickles if that’s your thing. You get what I’m saying here, this mixture is EVERYTHING!
This salad is so good and worthy of full-meal status, which is a telltale sign of how good this really is, but the mixture of barbecue sauce and ranch dressing is what really makes this dish. It’s a simple salad but yet there’s so many flavours. I can’t wait for you to try this. It’s been years and I still think about this Crispy Chicken Barbecue Salad.
Loved Crispy Chicken Barbecue Salad? Check out these other delicious salad recipes, I’m sure they’ll hit the spot:
- Feta & Tomato Salad with Toasted Nuts
- Cauliflower, Broccoli and Bacon Salad
- Panera Inspired Steak Salad
If you get a chance to make this or any other recipe on the blog and want to share. Please feel free to tag @candyjarchronicles or use #candyjarchronicles on Instagram, so I can see your post. I’d love to see what you’re cooking in your kitchen!
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Crispy Chicken Barbecue Salad
This entree salad is packed full of ingredients and flavours. A throw-together salad that is satisfying enough to stand alone at dinner time but easy enough that it could double as side for your favourite main dish!
INGREDIENTS
- 2 heads of romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1/2 box crispy chicken bites (I used TGI Friday's buffalo chicken bites, without the buffalo sauce) cooked according to package
- 1/2 cup corn kernels, canned, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup black beans, canned, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese
- 4 strips bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled
- 1/4 cup green onions, sliced
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, diced
- 1/4 cup almonds, coarsely chopped (I used Blue Diamond Smokehouse almonds)
- ranch dressing (I use Hidden Valley Ranch dip mix)
- Barbecue Sauce (I used Trader Joe's Carolina Gold)
INSTRUCTIONS
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Start by cooking the hard-boiled eggs, bacon and crispy chicken bites.
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Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (or whatever temp your chosen chicken fingers requires). Spread bacon on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until crispy about 30 minutes.
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While that's cooking, get the hard-boiled eggs started. Place the eggs in a medium pot (I make extras here, to save for later) cover the eggs with about an inch of cold water. Heat on high until the pot comes to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and cover. Let sit for ten minutes, then submerged in an ice bath.
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When the bacon has about 16 minutes left on the timer add in the pan of chicken bites. (If the chicken fingers you use have a different baking time, just adjust accordingly).
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Then while all of that is cooking, start on the salad. Roughly chop the romaine lettuce. Drain and rinse the black beans and corn and dice the tomatoes. Mix all of these together along with the sliced green onions.
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Once the eggs have cooled, peel two of them and roughly chop these. Add to the salad. Same with the bacon, drain off any excess grease first and then crumble into the salad.
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Top salad with hot chopped chicken and almonds.
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Serve immediately with your favourite ranch dressing and barbecue sauce.
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