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–+ servings

BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad with Cilantro Ranch

This chopped salad is made with a base of romaine lettuce and loaded with black beans, shredded carrots, corn, cherry tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, crushed tortilla chips and Monterey Jack cheese. The loaded salad is tossed in a flavorful homemade buttermilk cilantro ranch dressing. I top the salad with diced pieces of BBQ chicken thighs.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Main Course, Salad
Cuisine American
Servings 4 Servings

Equipment

Ingredients
  

FOR THE CILANTRO RANCH:

  • ½ cup low-fat buttermilk
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • ½ cup packed cilantro leaves
  • 1 medium jalapeño pepper seeds removed
  • 1 1-ounce package Hidden Valley ranch seasoning
  • 1 clove garlic chopped

FOR THE BBQ CHICKEN:

  • 1- pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • ½ cup favorite BBQ sauce or make your own.
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

FOR THE SALAD AND SERVING:

  • 1 large head romaine lettuce finely chopped
  • ½ cup cooked black beans
  • 1 medium ear corn kernels cut off the cob
  • 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1 cup crushed tortilla chips
  • ½ cup shredded carrots
  • 2 green onions thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup cilantro leaves chopped

Instructions
 

FOR THE CILANTRO RANCH:

  • Add the buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, cilantro, jalapeño, ranch seasoning, and garlic to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment or blender and blend until smooth.
  • Season to taste with salt. Use or store, refrigerated, in an airtight container for up to a week.

FOR THE BBQ CHICKEN:

  • Add the chicken thighs to a mixing bowl and toss them in the BBQ sauce and let marinate, refrigerated, for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
  • Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat through. Add the chicken thighs, working in batches if needed. Cook them until the sauce caramelizes, about 5 minutes. Flip the chicken and continue to cook until completely cooked through, about an additional 5 minutes.
  • Remove the chicken from the pan and let it stand on a cutting board for 5 minutes. When cool to the touch, cut the chicken into 1” (1.3cm) pieces.

FOR THE SALAD AND SERVING:

  • Add the chopped lettuce to a large mixing bowl or salad bowl. Top with the black beans, corn, cheese, tomatoes, tortillas chips, carrots, green onion and cilantro.
  • Pour the cilantro ranch over the top and toss to combine. Top the chopped salad with the BBQ chicken and serve.
Keyword #northeastnosh #cilantroranch #bbqchicken #bbqchickensalad #summersalad #woodranchaugora #food #foodie #dinnersalad
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