BBQ Chicken Salad is perfect for summer! It’s satisfying and filling because it’s packed with protein from the chicken and black beans. The corn gives the salad a little pop of sweetness and the ranch pairs so well with the barbecue sauce. It’s become my husband’s favorite salad and one that I make for a quick dinner or meal prep ahead for our lunches.

INGREDIENTS

LETTUCE

For the lettuce, I’ve found that iceberg or butter lettuce works the best as the base of this salad. These lettuces often get pushed to the side because it’s been said that there’s no nutritional value in them. By the way, this is totally false! Iceberg lettuce and butter lettuce do have a purpose!

These lettuces contain phytochemicals, which our bodies need to help fight against cancer and heart disease. Iceberg and butter lettuce are mild greens that are easy to digest. Eating these lettuces are a great way to start incorporating greens in your life if you don’t like most greens or you’re not use to eating them.

A rule that I learned in school was called crowding out. This means instead of cutting out and depriving yourself of your favorite foods, you add in healthier foods that are nutrient dense. In time, the more nutrient dense foods you add in, the less you want your favorite foods. So, adding a salad to your day is great way to start crowding out. Even if you only like iceberg lettuce and ranch dressing. It’s a step in the right direction.

CHICKEN

My go to time saver for meal prepping is buying a Rotisserie Chicken from Whole Foods. I remove the meat off the bone, shred it, then add the barbecue sauce to the shredded chicken. (And of course, I save the bones and turn into bone stock!)

CORN & CORN CHIPS

I try to opt for organic corn products as much as possible. Most conventional corn is genetically modified which has a negative impact on our health.

For this salad, I like to use Trader Joe’s organic frozen corn. When I prep this meal for lunches, I add it to the salads frozen and the next day the corn is perfectly thawed for lunch. Instead of using croutons I use organic corn chips that I crush up to add to the top the salad.

If you want to make this salad grain free, simply leave off the corn and add crushed up grain free tortilla chips. My favorite brand of grain free tortilla chips is Siete. Also, this past week at Harris Teeter, I found another grain free chip by the brand of Late July. They are made with tigernut flour and are really good too.

BLACK BEANS

My favorite black bean for this salad is from Kroger or Harris Teeter. It’s a can of Simple Truth Spicy Black Beans. They add a little heat to the salad and pairs well with the barbecue sauce. If I use this brand, I drain the beans but do not rinse them.

Another brand that I like to use is Eden Foods Organic. This company soaks their beans to deactivate the lectins before they package them. If beans cause you any digestive discomfort then this brand would be good to try because lectins can be the cause of that discomfort.

BBQ SAUCE & RANCH

For the barbecue sauce and ranch on this salad, I use whatever I have in my refrigerator or pantry. If you want to make this salad dairy free then I would suggest using Primal Kitchen Ranch and Primal Kitchen Classic BBQ Sauce. I also have a dairy free ranch dressing recipe that you can find here.

CHEESE

Cheese is completely optional for this salad. You really don’t need it, but if you have it on hand then you can definitely add it. If you want to make this salad diary free, then leave off the cheese.