Name: BBQ Chicken Salad
Ingredients: 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1-1.5 lbs – or use thighs if you’re smart); 2 tablespoons olive oil; Salt and pepper (be generous); 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (trust me on this one); 1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce, plus more for drizzling (I like the slightly sweet & smoky kind); 1 large head romaine lettuce, chopped (or a bag of pre-washed if you’re lazy like me sometimes); 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (the multi-colored ones look fancy if you’re trying to impress); 1 cup corn kernels (fresh off the cob is amazing, but frozen works fine – just thaw it first); 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained (about 15 oz); 1 red onion, thinly sliced (soak in ice water for 10 minutes if you hate that raw onion bite); 1 large avocado, diced (or 2, because avocado); 1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican-blend cheese; 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (skip if you’re in the “tastes like soap” camp); 1 cup crushed tortilla chips or those crunchy tortilla strip things; 1/2 cup ranch dressing (homemade is amazing, but the refrigerated bottle kind works too); 2-3 tablespoons BBQ sauce (same one you used for the chicken); 1 tablespoon lime juice (from an actual lime, not that bottle stuff); 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder or hot sauce (optional, for a kick)

Description

So this is basically what happened when I was trying to eat healthier but couldn’t kick my BBQ cravings. It’s all the amazing flavors of a backyard BBQ chicken feast, but tossed onto a salad so you can feel slightly less guilty. We’re talking juicy BBQ chicken, crunchy veggies, creamy avocado, a little cheese action, some crunchy tortilla strips, and a ridiculously good BBQ ranch dressing that I could honestly drink straight. It’s the kind of salad that makes people who “don’t do salads” suddenly become salad people.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Chicken:

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1–1.5 lbs – or use thighs if you’re smart)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper (be generous)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (trust me on this one)
1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce, plus more for drizzling (I like the slightly sweet & smoky kind)

For the Salad:

1 large head romaine lettuce, chopped (or a bag of pre-washed if you’re lazy like me sometimes)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (the multi-colored ones look fancy if you’re trying to impress)
1 cup corn kernels (fresh off the cob is amazing, but frozen works fine – just thaw it first)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained (about 15 oz)
1 red onion, thinly sliced (soak in ice water for 10 minutes if you hate that raw onion bite)
1 large avocado, diced (or 2, because avocado)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican-blend cheese
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (skip if you’re in the “tastes like soap” camp)
1 cup crushed tortilla chips or those crunchy tortilla strip things

For the BBQ Ranch Dressing:

1/2 cup ranch dressing (homemade is amazing, but the refrigerated bottle kind works too)
2–3 tablespoons BBQ sauce (same one you used for the chicken)
1 tablespoon lime juice (from an actual lime, not that bottle stuff)
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder or hot sauce (optional, for a kick)