Grilled Chicken Salad – Spend With Pennies

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!

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

1. Shake dressing ingredients in a jar and chill in the refrigerator.
2. Grill the chicken and corn on the cob.
3. Add lettuce corn kernels and the rest of the vegetables to a large bowl.
4. Slice the chicken and place it on top of the salad.
5. 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.

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Grilled Chicken Salad

Juicy grilled chicken breasts are sliced and added to a crisp salad with romaine lettuce, corn, avocado, cheese, and a zesty Dijon drissing.

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Resting time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 37 minutes minutes

• 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.

Pound the chicken with a meat mallet for even cooking. Chicken can be prepared on a grill pan if preferred.
The dressing can double as a marinade for the chicken and a substitute for the barbecue sauce, if desired.

Calories: 1912 | Carbohydrates: 106g | Protein: 123g | Fat: 116g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 38g | Monounsaturated Fat: 41g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 341mg | Sodium: 2107mg | Potassium: 4062mg | Fiber: 24g | Sugar: 58g | Vitamin A: 8642IU | Vitamin C: 233mg | Calcium: 577mg | Iron: 6mg

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

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