Ultimate BBQ Chicken Salad
This salad is anything but boring. It's filled with tender honey BBQ chicken bites, charred corn, roasted sweet potato & chickpeas, avocado & caramelized onions. Top it off with a homemade green goddess dressing and enjoy! It's perfect for a dinner salad since it's so hearty, great for a weekend by the pool or lake or even meal prepped for the week.
Ultimate BBQ Chicken Salad
I am not a salad person unless it is loaded and in this case it is. This ultimate chicken BBQ salad has tender honey BBQ chicken bites, charred corn, avocado, caramelized onions and roasted sweet potatoes and chickpeas. Then it gets a fresh homemade green goddess dressing to go along with it. There are quite a bit of components but that’s what makes it so good. It can be meal prepped for lunch for the week, is perfect for a weekend salad by the pool or lake and makes the perfect dinner salad since it’s so hearty.
What You'll Need
- Lettuce – Whichever lettuce you prefer! I used a spring mix and added butter lettuce to it. If you wanted to meal prep this for the week use kale so it won’t wilt.
- 3 Chicken Breasts – If you don’t feel like making the chicken bites although I urge you to, you can always use rotisserie chicken or even frozen chicken tenders.
- Chickpeas (1 can)
- 1 Sweet Potato (medium)
- 1 Vidalia Onion (large)
- 1 Ear of Corn
- 2 Avocados
- BBQ sauce
- Honey
- Flour
- Bread Crumbs
- BBQ seasoning
- Green Goddess Dressing
Time Saving & Time Management Tips
- Make the green goddess dressing and caramelized onions ahead of time. The dressing will be good in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- The sweet potatoes and chickpeas bake in the oven right along with the chicken bites which only take 20-30 min.
- While that is all baking in the oven char the corn and cut the avocado.
- Re-heat the caramelized onions in the microwave for a few seconds.
- Plate it like a pro with all of the delicious toppings!
Make the Dressing
In a blender combine & blend until smooth:
- 1/4 cup parsley, packed
- 1/4 cup dill, packed
- 1/4 cup chives, packed
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup mayo + 2 Tbsp
- 1/4 cup sour cream + 2 Tbsp
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- Salt and pepper
Store the dressing in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator. Always a time saver to make the dressing ahead of time. It will stay good for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
Make the Caramelized Onions
- Slice the onion
- Sauté: Heat a pan over medium heat and add 2 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp of olive oil together. Add the onion and season with salt. Sauté for 5-7 minutes until they start to turn translucent and most of the moisture is gone.
- Broth + Balsamic Vinegar + Brown Sugar + Thyme : Add in 1/4 cup of beef (chicken or vegetable) broth, 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, 2 Tbsp brown sugar and a couple sprigs of thyme
- Low Simmer for 60 min : Turn the heat to low and cook for about 1 hour stirring occasionally. Add a tbsp more broth as needed until the onions turn a deep brown color and are beautifully caramelized.
Make the Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Chickpeas & Chicken Bites
Preheat the Oven to 425°
For the Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Chickpeas
- Peel & Cut the Sweet Potato into 1/2 inch cubes
- Drain + Rinse + Dry the Chickpeas : Pour the can of chickpeas into a fine mesh sieve and rinse with water. Place them onto a dish towel or paper towel to dry off a little.
- Sheet Pan – Line a sheet pan with tin foil for easy clean up and combine the chickpeas & sweet potatoes
- Oil + BBQ seasoning – Drizzle on a generous amount of olive oil and sprinkle 2 tbsp of BBQ seasoning overtop. Mix until everything is well coated.
- Roast – in the oven for 25-30 min
For the Chicken Bites
- Cut the chicken breast into 1 – 1 1/2 inch pieces
- Flour – toss the chicken in flour
- Eggs – coat in eggs
- Breadcrumbs + BBQ seasoning – coat in the breadcrumbs
- Sheet Pan – Lay the chicken bites on a sheet pan so they aren’t touching and spray with olive or avocado oil
- Bake in the oven for 15 min
- BBQ Sauce + Honey – Mix together 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce with 1/4 cup of honey.
- Add Honey BBQ sauce & Bake for another 5 min
Char the Corn
- Remove the corn husks and silk strands from the corn.
- Choose your method. There are different ways to char corn.
- Directly over an open flame on your gas stove top. Place onto of the grate of the burner over medium – medium-high heat. Continue to monitor, turning until all sides are charred.
- Directly on the grates of a grill. Same as above.
- Cast Iron Pan – Heat a cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Oil the corn and cook the corn on all sides until charred.
- Broil – Brush with oil or butter. Turn the broiler on in your oven. Place the corn on a sheet pan and into your oven, monitor closely and turn every 2-3 minutes until all sides are charred.
- Cut the kernels off the Cobb.
Make the Ultimate BBQ Chicken Salad
- Lettuce – plate a bed of lettuce
- Toppings:
- Roasted sweet potatotes and chickpeas
- Caramelized onions
- Honey BBQ Chicken Bites
- Avocado
- Corn
- Green Goddess Dressing – Drizzle, toss with the dressing or keep it on the side
Servings: 0
Ingredients
Green Goddess Dressing
- 1/2 cup Milk whole or 2%
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp Mayo
- 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp Sour Cream
- 1/4 cup parsley packed
- 1/4 cup dill packed
- 1/3 cup chives packed
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Caramelized Onions
- 1 large Vidalia Onion sliced
- 1/4 cup Beef Broth + more as needed
- 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
- Fresh Thyme a couple springs (optional)
Ultimate BBQ Salad
- 3 Chicken Breasts Cut into 1 - 1 1/2 inch pieces
- 1/4 cup Flour
- 2 large Eggs beaten
- 3/4 cup Breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
- 1/4 cup Honey
- 1 medium Sweet Potato peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 can Chickpeas drained, rinsed and patted dry
- 1 ear Corn
- 2 Avocados
- Caramelized Onions
Instructions
Green Goddess Dressing
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth
Make the Caramelized Onions
- Heat a pan to medium heat and add 2 tbsp butter + 2 tbsp oil. Sauté the onions until translucent. Add the broth, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and thyme. Simmer low and slow for 60 minutes until brown, gooey and caramelized.
Ultimate BBQ Chicken Salad
- Preheat the oven to 425°
- On a sheet pan toss the chickpeas & sweet potatoes with oil and BBQ seasoning. Roast in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes until the sweet potatoes are cooked through and browning and the chickpeas are starting to get crispy.
- Dredge the pieces of chicken in the flour. Coat in the eggs, then in the breadcrumbs. Toss until fully coated.
- Place the breaded chicken bites on a sheet pan so they're not touching and spray with olive or avocado oil. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
- Combine the BBQ sauce and honey and mix to combine. Pour the sauce over the chicken bites, toss to coat and bake for another 5 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°.
- While the chicken bites and other veggies are in the oven, char the corn. Coat the corn in oil and char in a cast iron pan over medium-high heat on all sides. It will take about 10-14 minutes. Cut the corn off the cob. See notes for other options.
Serve
- Plate a bed of lettuce. Top with the roasted sweet potatoes and chickpeas, caramelized onions, avocado, corn, honey BBQ chicken bites and the green goddess dressing.
Notes
There are different ways to char corn. Choose your method:
-
- Directly over an open flame on your gas stove top. Place onto of the grate of the burner over medium - medium-high heat. Continue to monitor, turning until all sides are charred.
- Directly on the grates of a grill. Same as above.
- Cast Iron Pan - Heat a cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Oil the corn and cook the corn on all sides until charred.
- Broil - Brush with oil or butter. Turn the broiler on in your oven. Place the corn on a sheet pan and into your oven, monitor closely and turn every 2-3 minutes until all sides are charred.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!