Loaded BBQ Chicken Salad

One of my favorite things about summer is all the amazing salads you can come up with. I’m not talking about a dinky little side salad. I’m talking a main course salad that leaves you craving more! This loaded BBQ chicken salad is loaded with flavor and it’s topped with fresh chicken smothered in an AMAZING homemade barbecue sauce. This is perfect for a summer barbecue or 4th of July!

This salad has been in the back of my mind for a while now so when Foster Farms® offered to sponsor this post to get the word out about their new Organic and Simply Raised line of fresh chicken I knew it was time for this recipe to make an appearance at my dinner table.

I consider myself kind of “mainstream green”. I make an effort to eat more natural foods but I’m lazy about it. I have 6 kids so, let’s be honest, I really don’t have time to hunt down organic everything or make 100% of our food from scratch so we do what we can. I make an effort.

I’m super picky about my chicken, though. I love chicken but some chicken just tastes . . . too much like chicken. My husband makes fun of me for saying that but I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. Every once in a while you just get a really chickeny piece of chicken that doesn’t really taste fresh. The Foster Farms® Simply Raised chicken we tried tasted amazing and it’s definitely something that’s going to be popping up in my kitchen again sometime soon. I loved knowing it was free from antibiotics.

Foster Farms chicken is locally grown on the west coast, and American Humane Certified which is awesome. I try and buy local whenever possible because it tastes so much fresher but I also love supporting local businesses too.

The new Foster Farms® line includes: Foster Farms® Fresh & Natural, Foster Farms® Simply Raised (without antibiotics) and Foster Farms® Organic. I had no problem finding them at my local grocery story so I love how accessible they are.

Loaded BBQ Chicken Salad

Ingredients

For the salad:

• Romaine lettuce, chopped
• Purple cabbage, chopped
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/2 cup bacon, cooked and diced
• pepitas
• handful of cilantro, chopped
• green onions, chopped
• grilled  corn, cut off the cobb (mine didn’t quite make it off the grill in time for my picture but it adds a great pop of color and some nice flavor so definitely add it in)
• tortilla strips
• limes
• avocado (optional)

For the BBQ chicken:

• Foster Farms fresh Simply Raised chicken
• 1 can tomato sauce (15 ounce can)
• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup tomato paste
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp. liquid smoke
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt

For the dressing:

• 1/2 cup prepared ranch
• 1/2 cup BBQ sauce

Preparation

Mix all the ingredients together for the BBQ sauce (except chicken) together and simmer in a pot on low for about 30 min. to let the flavors blend together. You’ll want to stir this frequently so it doesn’t stick to the pot.

While your BBQ sauce is cooking, season your chicken with salt, pepper, and your favorite grill seasoning. We have a basic rub we use on just about everything but just about anything works here.

Grill your chicken until it is cooked thoroughly. A few minutes before you pull it off the grill, brush with a thick layer of your homemade BBQ sauce.

For the salad dressing, combine the ranch and BBQ sauce together well. You can adjust the proportions on this if you want it to taste more like ranch or BBQ sauce. We liked the 50-50 mix but my kids liked it with a bit more ranch.

Toss all the salad ingredients together. Top with grilled chicken and drizzle with dressing.

This salad would be amazing at a summer BBQ potluck. Just be prepared to bring extra because it’s sure to be a hit!

This post is sponsored by Foster Farms®, the opinions expressed are my own.