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    Home » Recipes » Salads

    BBQ Ranch Chopped Chicken Salad

    Modified: Feb 9, 2024 · Published: Jul 28, 2015 by Ashley

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    This post may contain affiliate links, which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe·5 from 1 review

    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.

    BBQ Ranch Chopped Chicken Salad

    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.

    BBQ Ranch Chopped Chicken Salad

    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.

    BBQ Ranch Chopped Chicken Salad

    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.

    BBQ Ranch Chopped Chicken Salad

    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.

    BBQ Ranch Chopped Chicken Salad

    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.

    BBQ Ranch Chopped Chicken Salad

    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.

    BBQ Ranch Chopped Chicken Salad

    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!

    Tyson Gather \'Round the Grill Logo.
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    Two bowls of chopped salad with a pitcher of BBQ ranch dressing alongside.

    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
    • 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.


    Ingredients

    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


    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!

    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

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @bigflavors on Instagram and hashtag it #cookbigflavors

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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.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. beth

      May 29, 2020 at 1:42 pm

      not only was this a complete home run for the family one night (ages 15, 19, 22, and way up there), but the next day, when we ordered pizza, the 19yo boy says, "imma put that dressing on my pizza!" SO GOOD.

      Reply
      • Ashley

        May 29, 2020 at 1:55 pm

        This makes me SO happy, Beth!! Pleasing everyone at the table can be such a struggle.

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Ashley and I’ve been writing about food & recipes here at Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen since 2006. I want to help you (yes, you!) gain confidence in the kitchen so you are excited to cook at home for yourself and your loved ones.

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