Creamy BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad is guaranteed to be a spring & summer favorite. Packed with BBQ chicken, taco chips, greens, and veggies, and tossed with a homemade BBQ Ranch dressing, this salad will be a real crowd-pleaser.
I love making easy salads when the weather is nice. Tossing together a few simple ingredients and drizzling it with a homemade salad dressing, these salads are always a hit – even with my kids. My favorite go-to salad is a BBQ Chicken Salad from a local restaurant, my favorite part being the BBQ chicken. I wanted to recreate it at home, but I knew there was one thing I needed to switch up on this salad for my family to love it too: The dressing. The restaurant salad comes with a vinaigrette, but my kids and hubby are Ranch lovers. With that said, I knew a homemade Ranch was in order.
Needing to change up our traditional Ranch dressing and being inspired by BBQ season, I decided to use one of Kingsford’s new sauces to make the dressing. I also went ahead and marinated my chicken in the BBQ sauce as well, and that came out oh so good. Not a surprise right? With the tradition of Kingsford® around the grill since 1920, this was something bound to be great. And let’s be real, grilled chicken and BBQ sauce is a dream match.
This recipe uses Kingsford® Original Smoked Hickory BBQ Sauce three different ways, which is what gives it a ton of flavor. I made the dressing and added the BBQ sauce to it with the addition of half of a jalapeno to give it an extra kick. I marinated the chicken in it and gave the salad a little BBQ drizzle. The drizzle is completely optional, but I recommend it as it makes it gorgeous as well. There’s also a large selection of Kingsford sauce flavors to choose from, including Original Smoked Hickory BBQ Sauce, Honey Jalapeño Mesquite BBQ Sauce, Brown Sugar Applewood BBQ Sauce, and Original Smoked Hickory BBQ Sauce Mix & Dry Rub.
It’s time to kick off grill season with this deliciously gorgeous Creamy BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad. Cut up some greens, dice up BBQ chicken and whip up some homemade ranch and you’ll have yourself an unforgettable meal. Enjoy! XOXO San
How do you make Creamy BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad?
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In a large bowl, add chicken thighs and 1 cup of Kingsford Original Smoked Hickory BBQ Sauce. Cover with plastic wrap or foil and set in fridge; allow chicken to marinate for an hour or two.
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Grill chicken over medium-high heat, turning as needed to cook evenly on each side. Once chicken has reached the internal temperature of 165 degrees and juices are running clear, allow chicken to rest on a plate for 10 minutes while making the dressing.
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In a blender or food processor, add mayo, milk, 1/4 cup of Kingsford Original Smoked Hickory BBQ Sauce and Ranch seasoning packet. Blend all of the ingredients together until smooth. Pour into large mason jar, screw-on lid and set in the refrigerator until ready to use.
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Chop up chicken. Allow to cool completely before you add to the salad.
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In a large bowl, start by adding the chopped Romaine lettuce and spinach, then the remaining vegetables, crushed taco chips, and grilled BBQ chicken.
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Drizzle with BBQ Ranch Dressing (as much or as little as you would like). You can even serve it on the side to allow those to add their own dressing.
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Serve immediately.
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If you are making this ahead of time, wait to add dressing and taco chips until right before you serve so the salad doesn’t get soggy.
Don’t forget to pin this Creamy BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Creamy BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 cup Kingsford® Original Smoked Hickory BBQ Sauce
- 2 1/2 pounds chicken thighs
Dressing
- 3/4 cup mayo
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cups Kingsford® Original Smoked Hickory BBQ Sauce
- 1 ounce Ranch seasoning packet
Salad
- 3 heads Romaine lettuce coarsley chopped
- 4 cups roughly chopped spinach
- 1 small purple onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 cup cilantro roughly chopped
- 1 jalapeno cut in half, divided
- 1 1/2 cups cooked corn chilled
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- 2 cups crushed taco chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add chicken thighs and 1 cup of Kingsford Original Smoked Hickory BBQ Sauce. Cover with plastic wrap or foil and set in fridge; allow chicken to marinate for an hour or two.
- Grill chicken over medium-high heat, turning as needed to cook evenly on each side. Once chicken has reached the internal temperature of 165 degrees and juices are running clear, allow chicken to rest on a plate for 10 minutes while making the dressing.
- In a blender or food processor, add mayo, milk, 1/4 cup of Kingsford Original Smoked Hickory BBQ Sauce and Ranch seasoning packet. Blend all of the ingredients together until smooth. Pour into large mason jar, screw-on lid and set in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Chop up chicken. Allow to cool completely before you add to the salad.
- In a large bowl, start by adding the chopped Romaine lettuce and spinach, then the remaining vegetables, crushed taco chips, and grilled BBQ chicken.
- Drizzle with BBQ Ranch Dressing (as much or as little as you would like). You can even serve it on the side to allow those to add their own dressing.
- Serve immediately.
- If you are making this ahead of time, wait to add dressing and taco chips until right before you serve so the salad doesn't get soggy.
Nutrition
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Kingsford. The opinions and text are all mine.
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I love your site, recipes are great, going to try this. beautiful salad tonight.