Southwestern BBQ Chicken Salad (best chopped salad!)
Posted: 09/09/2020
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
You’ll love the homemade barbecue sauce dressing on this southwestern style BBQ chicken salad, with fresh corn kernels and shredded kohlrabi.
Table of Contents
open
Isn’t this a beautiful chopped salad? Crisp green lettuce, saucy BBQ chicken, freshly cut sweet corn, juicy tomatoes, creamy avocado, and crunchy tortilla strips make a mighty fine summer entrée. This salad’s a real crowd pleaser. All the flavors of an outdoor barbecue piled onto one fantastic salad!
The other day, after coming home from the farmers’ market loaded up with fresh everything, my mom and I put together this salad (without the chicken) for a family dinner. Dad grilled pork chops, Mom made cornmeal muffins, and we had blueberry streusel cake for dessert. It was a delicious summer feast.
We all love barbecue anything, so needless to say, the salad disappeared pretty quickly. We decided the only thing that would make it better would be to add chicken doused with BBQ sauce right to the salad. And we were right, it’s so good!
So pile on the chicken and sweet corn, top the salad with the sweet and tangy barbecue sauce dressing, and enjoy!
P.S. Even if the weather is cold and blustery, eating BBQ chicken salad will make it feel like it’s summer, and that’s always a good thing, wouldn’t you agree?
About this salad
This BBQ chicken salad is basically a chopped salad. I like chopped salads because they’re easy to serve and are usually pretty substantial. Try Spanish-influenced gazpacho salad, Italian panzanella salad, chopped Greek salad, or fattoush salad from the Middle East.
I’ve seen similar BBQ chicken salads on restaurant menus but it’s easy to make your own.
I’ll run through the recipe here and add a few extra helpful tips. For the printable recipe card, zip on down to the end of the post.
One of the highlights of this salad is the sweet barbecue salad dressing. The recipe is so easy. Start with a few tablespoons of your favorite barbecue sauce, add lime juice, yogurt, brown sugar, and olive oil, and shake it up. I’m thinking you’ll want to make a double batch because it’s so good. You can use it on another salad tomorrow.
Use a crisp green lettuce for this southwestern salad. Leaf lettuce, romaine, or iceberg lettuce are good choices. A mixture of lettuces is good, or add some shredded cabbage to your salad for even more nutrition.
Since we’re currently at the height of sweet corn season, freshly cut corn kernels are the best. There’s no need to cook the corn, it’s so delicious and sweet just the way it is. If fresh corn is unavailable, use thawed frozen corn or canned corn.
A “Corny” Tip
Wondering how to get the kernels off the cob? After husking the corn, set a large shallow bowl in the sink, and, holding the corn vertically in the bowl, just slice down the sides with a good sharp knife. The kernels will fall into the bowl.
For additional flavor and crunch, add shredded kohlrabi. If you’re not familiar with this bulbous pale green vegetable, give it a try. It tastes somewhat like cabbage or broccoli stems, and is so nutritious. If you’re not sure how to prepare kohlrabi, check out this site from the cooks at Kitchn. Can’t find kohlrabi in the grocery store? Jicama, broccoli slaw, or shredded cabbage are delicious, too.
About the chicken: Use already cooked chicken if you have it, cold or warm. I like to make a big batch of shredded chicken or poached chicken and freeze it for later use. Or you could grill up extra chicken the night before and use that. Rotisserie chicken works fine, too. Try easy chicken thighs in your air fryer, they turn out perfect every time. Crunchy fried chicken would be good or even chicken nuggets.
Get out a big bowl, add all the fixings, top the salad with sweet barbecue salad dressing, and enjoy!
Make It Your Own
- Make it vegetarian by substituting black beans and shredded cheese for the chicken. Crispy tofu cubes doused in BBQ sauce are a great addition, too. Or instead of chicken, add shrimp, pulled pork, or Instant Pot carnitas.
- Add or substitute vegetables: chopped bell peppers, radishes, celery, cucumber, zucchini, edamame, pretty much anything you like.
- Level Up: I love to cut up chili rubbed dried mango (I buy it from Trader Joe’s) and put it on this salad!
- Serving Idea: Having guests? Make it a salad bar. There are enough components to this salad that you could easily set up a mini salad bar and guests could choose what they would like to put on their own salad. Include vegetarian options, like black beans and cheese. Make sure you have plenty of dressing and extra barbecue sauce, too! Include a few sides like cilantro lime rice or Mexican rice, refried beans, baked tortilla chips and homemade restaurant style salsa. Serve strawberry margarita punch or spicy Palomas.
Make-Ahead Ideas
You can prepare most of the salad ahead of time and mix everything together when you’re ready to serve it. Mix up the dressing one or two days in advance. Shake well before using. Use leftover grilled chicken or rotisserie chicken. Prepare the kohlrabi, corn, and onions ahead of time. Buy bagged lettuce mixes.
Storage Tips
Southwestern salad is best served right away. If you have leftovers, store in the fridge in a tightly covered container. The lettuce will get a little soggy but the salad will still taste great.
hearty salad recipes
A salad for dinner is always a good idea. Check out more main course salad ideas:
- Taco Salad
- Southwestern Farro Salad with Roasted Poblanos
- Grilled Vegetable Salad with Goat Cheese
- Kale Sweet Potato Salad with Quinoa (with creamy chili lime dressing)
- Curried Chicken Salad
- Roasted Romaine Salad (a sheet pan dinner)
- Tortellini Pasta Salad with Pepperoni
- Grilled Shrimp Salad
- Steak Salad with Orange-Honey Dressing
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
servings
You'll love the homemade barbecue sauce dressing on this southwestern style BBQ chicken salad, with fresh corn kernels and shredded kohlrabi.
Ingredients
Dressing (makes ½ cup)
- 3 tablespoons bottled barbecue sauce
- 3 tablespoons Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ ground black pepper
Salad
- 4 cups chopped or shredded cooked chicken
- ⅓ cup BBQ sauce
- 4 cups torn leaf lettuce
- 2 cups shredded kohlrabi (2 medium)
- 2 cups fresh corn kernels (from 3 ears)
- ¾ cup sliced red onion (about ¼ onion)
- 2 cups halved grape or cherry tomatoes
- 1 avocado, sliced
- ½ cup loosely packed cilantro, roughly chopped
- Crispy tortilla strips for garnish
Instructions
- In a small bowl, or jar, combine all dressing ingredients. Mix well.
- In medium sized bowl, combine chicken with ⅓ cup barbecue sauce. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, toss together lettuce, kohlrabi, corn, onion, tomatoes, avocado, and cilantro. Add dressing, and mix lightly until coated.
- Arrange salad on serving plates, mound chicken on top and sprinkle with crispy tortilla strips. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Shredded jicama, cabbage or chopped broccoli can be substituted for the kohlrabi.
- Vegetarian: substitute black beans and shredded cheese for the chicken. Crispy tofu cubes doused in BBQ sauce are great, too.
- Instead of chicken, substitute shrimp or pulled pork.
- Add or substitute vegetables: chopped bell peppers, radishes, celery, cucumber, zucchini, edamame, pretty much anything you like.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 363kcal, Carbohydrates: 33g, Protein: 28g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 70mg, Sodium: 553mg, Potassium: 940mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 17g, Vitamin A: 2368IU, Vitamin C: 52mg, Calcium: 66mg, Iron: 3mg
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
denise says
Great salad for a meal!
Rachel Gurk says
For sure! It’s so hearty.