BBQ Ranch Chopped Chicken Salad

Thanks to Tyson Foods for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

This is part 2 of my Gather 'Round the Grill series (you can check out part 1 here).

Marinated, grilled chicken is shredded and tossed with a colorful array of veggies and BBQ ranch dressing for a bold, flavor-packed salad.

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Now that grilling season is in full swing, we're starting to enjoy more family meals outside. I like creating recipes like this one, where I divvy up the dinner prep so everyone gets involved.

My toddler absolutely loves grocery shopping. He has so much fun helping to pick out the ingredients and adding them to the cart. I think getting him involved in all parts of planning and prepping meals has helped him be a more adventurous eater... usually. He is a 3-year-old, after all.

My husband is always happy to fire up the grill and cook up something tasty. For this meal, I gave him 4 Tyson^® Fresh Chicken Thighs that I had marinated in a garlicky, lemony yogurt-Ranch mixture. I chose bone-in, skin-on thighs for this recipe because I knew that the skin would get nice and crispy and add some nice charred flavor throughout the salad. But feel free to use boneless, skinless instead.

He seared the chicken over direct heat, flipping them often to get the skin nice and crispy, then moved them to cook over indirect heat. Since the thighs we had were varied in size, he moved the smaller ones to the higher rack while the larger ones finished cooking.

I also had him throw 5 ears of corn on the grill. I only wanted to use 2 for this recipe, but what can I say... I'm originally from Indiana and I just love eating corn on the cob! The more, the merrier!

We like grilling corn with the husks on - the moisture helps steam the corn a bit as it grills, keeping it from drying out easily. Plus, it's super simple to throw it on the grill and peel it right before you need it.

Don't forget to include that delicious, crispy chicken skin when you shred up the thighs - there's a lot of flavor in there!

I used a bright mix of lettuces and veggies for this salad, but it's also a really good way to clean out your produce drawer. Just try to avoid using things that contain a lot of moisture if you plan on having this hold up in the fridge for leftovers.

I recommend starting with a bit of the dressing on the bottom of your salad bowl and drizzling some over top as well. Then toss it all together and serve the rest of the dressing on the side.

The mix of BBQ sauce and Ranch dressing is just ridiculously good. It has all of the tasty, sweet-and-smoky BBQ flavor with the creaminess of Ranch dressing. It always makes me think of a waiter years ago who called it Branch-a-que when he recommended that we mix the 2 sauces together for our chicken strips. Major yum.

This salad was so bright and vibrant. It  was the perfect way to enjoy grilled chicken without the heaviness of a lot of traditional BBQ dinners.

This holds up well overnight in the fridge, too. I packed some for lunch the next day and it was as good (if not better!) than on day one.

My family loved this salad, and I hope yours will too!

The Hidden Valley^® Original Ranch^® Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix and Tyson^® Fresh Chicken Thighs are available at Walmart for a great value, and you can be inspired by their produce aisle to pick your own custom salad mix-ins. Or just bring a toddler with you - they love to help pick out bright, colorful veggies!

📖 Recipe

BBQ Ranch Chopped Chicken Salad

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review

• Author: Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen - Ashley Covelli
• Prep Time: 4 hours
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Salad
• Method: Grilling
• Cuisine: American

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Description

Marinated, grilled chicken is shredded and tossed with a colorful array of veggies and BBQ ranch dressing for a bold, flavor-packed salad.

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Ingredients

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For Chicken:

• ½ ounce Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix (half of a 1-ounce packet)
• ½ cup low-fat plain yogurt
• ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
• 4 Tyson® Fresh Chicken Thighs (bone-in, skin-on, around 2 pounds total)

For Dressing:

• ½ ounce Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix (half of a 1-ounce packet)
• ½ cup low-fat plain yogurt
• ½ cup low-fat milk
• 2 tablespoons BBQ sauce

For Salad:

• 2 ears corn (with husks on)
• 6 cups romaine, chopped (about 1 head)
• 3 cups radicchio, cored and chopped (about 1 head)
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
• 2 carrots, shredded
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons smoked almonds, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons red onion, thinly sliced

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Instructions

1. Marinate chicken: In a large container with a lid, mix together ½ the package of Ranch seasoning mix, yogurt, chicken broth, lemon juice, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and ground white pepper. Place chicken thighs in the mixture and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours. (Alternately, you can use a gallon sized zip-top bag to hold the chicken and marinade).
2. Make dressing: In a medium bowl, mix together remaining ½ package of Ranch seasoning mix, yogurt, milk and BBQ sauce. Refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Grill chicken and corn: Prepare grill. Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade. Cook chicken over direct heat, flipping frequently, until the skin gets nicely charred. Move to indirect heat to continue cooking until the juices run clear and it reaches an internal temperature of 170°F. Remove from the grill and let cool enough to handle.
4. While the chicken is grilling, put the corn on the grill (right in the husks!) over medium heat, turning occasionally for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the grill and let cool enough to handle.
5. Shred chicken into bite-sized pieces using 2 forks. Remove husks from corn and cut kernels off of cobs.
6. Assemble salad: Pour ¼ cup dressing in the bottom of a large bowl. Add corn, romaine, radicchio, cilantro, carrots, green onions, smoked almonds, red onion and chicken. Drizzle another few tablespoons of dressing on top and toss well to combine. Divide the salad between 4 bowls, serving the remaining dressing on the side. Enjoy!

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Nutrition

• Serving Size:
• Calories: 411
• Sugar: 17.2 g
• Sodium: 999.5 mg
• Fat: 12.3 g
• Saturated Fat: 3.1 g
• Carbohydrates: 33.5 g
• Fiber: 5.2 g
• Protein: 39.8 g
• Cholesterol: 145.3 mg

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Tyson Foods Inc. The opinions and text are all mine.