This grilled chicken salad is packed full of tangy and smoky flavors!
Crisp romaine, colorful veggies, and cheese are topped with slices of grilled BBQ chicken and a tangy dressing make a fresh meal anytime of year.
This is the best of summer salad recipes!
Fresh Grilled Chicken Salad
- Protein salads are one-bowl wonders any time of year! Use this recipe as a base for other variations! Just prep it, toss it, and enjoy it!
- Grilled chicken salad is a low-carb, low-calorie recipe that’s refreshing, filling. Skip the takeout, and it’s easy to prep ahead of time.
- Budget-friendly grilled chicken salad is a great recipe for tossing in leftover meat and veggies from the fridge!
Ingredients and Variations
Lettuce – We love a crisp fresh lettuce in this salad, like romaine or even iceberg although any variation of lettuce or even baby spinach or kale will work. Save time with prewashed lettuce.
Vegetables – Corn, onion, peppers, tomatoes, and avocado give this salad a southwest flair!
PRO TIP: While the chicken is grilling, also grill the corn on the cob, if using.
Chicken – Use boneless chicken breasts, cutlets or chicken thighs for this recipe. You can also use grilled shrimp or steak!
Dressing – This zesty dressing is a tasty contrast to the bold BBQ sauce flavor. It also doubles as a marinade for chicken, beef, or fish! A bottle of vinaigrette or Italian dressing will do in a pinch!
Variations – Add sliced hardboiled eggs, bacon bits, a handful of blue cheese crumbles, and a buttermilk ranch dressing, to make a hearty Cobb salad. Switch out the pepper jack for parmesan, add croutons, and drizzle with Caesar dressing for a Caesar salad.
How to Make Grilled Chicken Salad
- Shake dressing ingredients in a jar and chill in the refrigerator.
- Grill the chicken and corn on the cob.
- Add lettuce corn kernels and the rest of the vegetables to a large bowl.
- Slice the chicken and place it on top of the salad.
- Drizzle with dressing and sprinkle with cheese.
You can change up the additions in this salad and add cucumbers, kalamata olives, or even feta cheese.
Quick Tips
- Marinate the chicken in barbecue sauce for up to 4 hours if time allows or use your favorite chicken marinade. Add fresh herbs, dried oregano, basil, or lemon juice if desired.
- Pound chicken for even cooking.
- Cook the chicken to 165°F using a meat thermometer.
How to Store Salad
- If you are planning for leftovers, store the salad, chicken, and dressing separately.
- Keep leftover grilled chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Store the salad in a sealed container or vegetable storage container.
More Grilled Chicken Favorites
Did you enjoy this Grilled Chicken Salad recipe? Be sure to leave a rating and comment below!
Grilled Chicken Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 head romaine lettuce or 2 romaine hearts
- 1 cob corn or 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
- 1 red onion thinly sliced
- 1 bell pepper chopped, any color
- 1 cup tomatoes chopped, or grape tomatoes
- 1 avocado diced
- ½ cup pepper jack cheese cut in ½" cubes, optional
For the Chicken
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ¼ cup barbecue sauce
For the Dressing
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
- 1 clove minced garlic
- ⅛ teaspoon salt or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to medium high (400°F).
- In a small jar with a lid, combine vegetable oil, lime juice, Dijon mustard, honey, cider vinegar, minced garlic, and salt (to taste). Shake well to mix and refrigerate.
- Using the flat side of a meat mallet, pound the chicken breasts to ½ inch thickness and season with ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Toss with barbecue sauce.
- If using corn cobs, brush lightly with oil, season with salt and pepper, and place on the grill. Cook until lightly charred. Cool slightly and cut the kernels off the cob.
- Cook the chicken on the grill for 6 minutes, flip, and cook for an additional 6-8 minutes until fully cooked and reaches 165°F. Remove from the grill and set aside to rest for 5 minutes.
- Add romaine lettuce to a large salad bowl. Add corn kernels, red onion, bell pepper, chopped tomatoes, and sliced avocado.
- Slice the chicken and place it on top of the salad.
- Drizzle with dressing and sprinkle with cheese.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Like our recipes?
Follow us on Pinterest!
Looks delicious! We eat your recipes every week and have for years…..yum! Question….is the 1912 calories listed here for EACH serving? Hope not!
I’ so glad you have loved the recipes! Thank you so much for pointing that out Matt, I’m not sure why it wasn’t calculating correctly but I have updated the nutritional information to show the per serving amount (approximately 521 calories per serving).
I really like this recipe . And , Family does too . I need to ask you Holly if I can organize your recipes here as though I have many saved but like to organize to reference. If so , How can I do so if implicated ? Thank You Very Much and I enjoy being Here . You’re quite a Cook !
Hi Peggy, I am so glad you are enjoying the recipes! I am happy you are using the save feature and while there is no way to organize within right now, that is a great suggestion.
Thank you for your kind words!