Get the Recipe: BBQ Chicken Dinner Salad
Boneless chicken thighs cooked with your favourite store-bought BBQ sauce, then combined with lettuce, tomatoes, black beans and charred corn. It's all tossed in a buttermilk herb dressing and finished with more BBQ sauce to serve.
Ingredients
Creamy herb dressing:
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup milk, or buttermilk
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed recommended
- 1 Tablespoon dried chives
- 2 teaspoons dried dill weed
- 2 teaspoons white granulated sugar, or honey
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For the salad:
- 6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1/2 cup store-bought BBQ sauce, use your favourite
- 1 cup charred corn kernels, *see Note 1 below
- 2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup green onion, chopped
- 1 avocado, pitted and cut into chunks
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- tortilla strips, optional
Instructions
- Make the Creamy Herb Dressing by adding 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup milk (or buttermilk), 1 Tablespoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed recommended), 1 Tablespoon dried chives, 2 teaspoons dried dill weed, 2 teaspoons white granulated sugar (or honey), 1 teaspoon dried parsley, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper to a jar or small bowl. Stir or shake together well, then cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, but ideally several hours ahead, to allow the flavours to blend.
- Start by cooking the 6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs either on the BBQ grill for 10-15 minutes or on a baking sheet in a 425F oven for 15-20 minutes, basting generously with 1/2 cup store-bought BBQ sauce (use your favourite) during the last few minutes of cooking. Be sure to cook the chicken to an internal temperature of 175-185F. (If using the oven, you can move the baking sheet to the top rack and broil the chicken briefly to add a bit more colour.) Set the chicken on a cutting board to rest.
- Make the 1 cup charred corn kernels (*see Note 1 below) as detailed in Note 1 below and set aside.
- To assemble the salad, add the 2 heads romaine lettuce (chopped), 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes (halved), 1 cup black beans (drained and rinsed) and 1/2 cup green onion (chopped). Dollop about 1/4-1/3 of the Creamy Herb Dressing onto the salad and toss to coat well.
- Slice the cooked BBQ chicken thighs and place on top of the salad. Garnish with 1 avocado (pitted and cut into chunks) and 1/2 cup fresh cilantro (chopped). Add some tortilla strips, if you have them. Drizzle with some more of the Creamy Herb Dressing and add a drizzle of BBQ sauce. Serve with additional Creamy Herb Dressing on the table.
- Leftover Creamy Herb Dressing will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week. Refrigerate leftover salad for a day or so.
To chop romaine lettuce, make a vertical slice in the lettuce from the top of the leaves down towards the core. Rotate the lettuce a quarter turn and make another similar slice. Now, slice the lettuce horizontally from the top of the leaves down to the core, discarding the bottom couple of inches of the core or the lettuce.
If the Creamy Herb Dressing is too thick to drizzle, you can thin it with a splash of milk.
Notes
Note 1: For the charred corn, you can start with fresh cobs of corn that are charred on a BBQ grill (alongside the chicken, perhaps). Alternatively, add thawed frozen corn or drained canned corn kernels to a non-stick skillet. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring regularly, until lightly browned in spots.
Be sure to read the notes above this Recipe Card for substitution suggestions, tips for making ahead and storing and step-by-step photos that you might find helpful.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 546kcal, Carbohydrates: 54g, Protein: 49g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 0.03g, Cholesterol: 164mg, Sodium: 958mg, Potassium: 2023mg, Fiber: 16g, Sugar: 24g, Vitamin A: 28122IU, Vitamin C: 37mg, Calcium: 251mg, Iron: 7mg
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