Trader Joe’s has a really good BBQ Chicken Salad that I was obsessed with UNTIL I read the back of the container and saw how many grams of fat were in it. GAH-REAT. And that was for HALF the salad. There was a good week where I had that salad almost every single day at work. I couldn’t stop myself.
I’ve been wanting to make my own/healthier version of this salad for some time now and here it is! Instead of the heavy mayo based Ranch dressing, I used creamy Greek yogurt and mixed it with fresh lime juice and Sweet & Spicy Tabasco Sauce. It adds a tangy sweet kick to the salad. If you have trouble finding that particular flavor, you could always add in a little bit of honey and regular Tabasco to mimic the flavor. I also took away the shredded cheese because there’s so many flavors going on there that it’s seemed unnecessary! I did add some avocado in it’s place though…oh and lots of cilantro!
It’s the perfect weeknight salad! And if you’re thinking of packing it up for work throughout the week, just make a bigger batch of dressing and take it with you. Dress as you need it! Also, be sure to add the tortilla strips (or chips!) at the last minute. No one likes a soggy bite of tortilla in their salad. NO ONE.
And we’re off!
Gather your ingredients.
TORTILLA STRIPS! I cut 3 corn tortillas into strips and fried them up in a very shallow pan of oil- about 2-3 tablespoons. Instant tortilla strips! You can totally use tortilla chips if you’d like.
Let’s talk about the chicken. We’re using half of a rotisserie chicken. Let’s make things easier for ourselves.
Take off the skin, shred the chicken and mix in BBQ sauce. We’re going to add this to our salad last.
Dressing time!! Greek yogurt, Sweet & Spicy Tabasco and fresh lime juice. Salt & Pepper!
In a large bowl, toss all of the ingredients together! COLOR.
Dressing is ready for use. We use a little bit of water to thin it out. NO OIL!
DRESS!
Now add in the chicken.
We have our toppings!
Put the salad into bowls. Drizzle some BBQ sauce on top.
Add in the fried tortilla strips. Serve with a lime wedge.
BBQ CHICKEN SALAD PAAAAAARTY!
BBQ Chicken Salad
serves 3-4 people
for the salad:
- 6-7 cups Romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 cup fresh corn (about 1 ear)
- 1/2 red pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup canned black beans (rinsed well)
- 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
- 2 green onions, chopped (both green & white parts)
- 2 Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 avocado, chopped
- 1/2 cooked rotisserie chicken (without skin), shredded
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
- 1 cup tortilla strips (you can use crushed tortilla chips)
for the dressing:
- 1 heaping tablespoon Greek yogurt
- juice of 1/2 a lime
- 2 teaspoons Sweet & Spicy Tabasco
- salt & pepper
In a large bowl, mix the lettuce, corn, black beans, red pepper, cilantro, green onions, tomatoes & avocado together, set aside. In a medium bowl mix shredded chicken with 1/3 cup BBQ sauce until meat is thoroughly coated.
In a small jar mix Greek yogurt, fresh lime juice Sweet & Spicy Tabasco and two tablespoons of water. Season with salt & pepper to taste and add more Tabasco if needed.
Add the chicken to the salad mix and toss to combine. Pour dressing over salad and continue to toss, generously coating the salad. Season with salt & pepper and serve in large bowls. Drizzle remaining BBQ sauce on top of salads and finish with tortilla strips on top. Eat immediately.
