BBQ Chicken Salad - Dinner at the Zoo

This BBQ chicken salad is a fresh and colorful combination of grilled BBQ chicken, veggies, cheese, beans and tortilla strips, all tossed in ranch dressing. It’s WAY better than the California Pizza Kitchen version!

When I want a hearty salad, I turn to favorites such as Greek salmon salad, black eyed pea salad, Italian pasta salad and this fabulous BBQ chicken salad.

I understand that California Pizza Kitchen is technically a pizza restaurant, but I cannot resist ordering their BBQ chicken chopped salad every time I go there. I’ve made my own version of this awesome salad, and honestly? I think it’s way better than the original! This BBQ chicken salad is full of amazing flavors and textures, I could probably eat it every day and never tire of it.

BBQ Chicken Salad Ingredients

To make this salad, you will need cooked chicken, BBQ sauce, romaine lettuce, ranch dressing, corn, black beans, tomatoes, jicama, Monterey Jack cheese, avocado, green onions and tortilla strips.

How Do You Make BBQ Chicken Salad?

Place the lettuce in a large bowl and toss it with some of the ranch dressing. Next, place the chicken in a bowl and coat it in BBQ sauce. Spoon the BBQ chicken on top of the lettuce. Arrange the corn, black beans, diced tomatoes, jicama, cheese, avocado, tortilla strips and green onions on top of the lettuce. Add another drizzle of ranch over the top, then serve immediately and enjoy.

Tips For The Perfect Salad

• I managed to find southwest flavored tortilla strips in my grocery store (in the crouton area), and they were extra delicious, so if you see those, grab ’em! If you can’t find tortilla strips, you can use crushed tortilla chips instead.
• For the BBQ chicken, I simply grill chicken or pan sear some breasts, then cut them into cubes and toss them in barbecue sauce. You can really use any cooked chicken here, leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken would also work great!
• I prefer to use a refrigerated ranch dressing, or make my own ranch dip or ranch dressing. I feel like they taste much fresher than the shelf stable ranch dressings out there.
• Fresh, frozen or canned corn will all work well in this recipe. If you’re using frozen corn, thaw it before use.
• BBQ chicken salad is best when served immediately.

Flavor Variations

This recipe is great as-is, but you can easily customize the flavors to suit your tastes.

• Protein: Instead of chicken, try using pulled pork, sliced steak, ground beef or ground turkey. You can also use pinto beans instead of black beans.
• Vegetables: Feel free to add more veggies to the mix. Some great options include bell peppers, red onion, cucumber, cabbage or fresh cilantro.
• Toppings: Finish the salad with some french fried onions, a little extra BBQ sauce, bacon, a drizzle of lime juice or sliced olives.

The next time I go to CPK I can actually order a pizza now that my BBQ chicken salad cravings can be fulfilled at home!

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