BBQ Grilled Chicken Salad with Creamy Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing

Here’s an easy BBQ chicken salad recipe.

This BBQ grilled chicken salad is easy to make with a blend of Mexican cheeses, fresh vegetables, crispy tortilla strips, juicy marinated grilled chicken breast, BBQ seasonings, grilled corn, and my signature avocado cilantro lime dressing.

SERVES: 4 to 6
PREP TIME: 30 minutes
COOK TIME: 15 to 20 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 50 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

BY ERICA GAMBOA

There’s no wrong way to make a salad! Whether you’re putting together a weeknight meal or weekend BBQ, make it fun! Assemble your ingredients family style like I’ve done here and let everyone have a little or a lot of what they love.

BBQ chicken salad is delicious and incredibly satisfying while still remaining light and fresh.

Creamy Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing

In my house, I like to pair this salad with my Creamy Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing. Made with low fat sour cream, instead of mayo, this dressing is deliciously creamy but still light and fresh. It is a staple in my kitchen, as you can see, we put it on everything!

My family enjoys this dressing as a dip for vegetables as well as on items including salads, wraps, sandwiches, tacos, nachos, and stuffed pitas.

Grilled-chicken-with-Creamy-Avocado-Cilantro-Lime-Dressing-nachos

Grilled-chicken-nachos-with-Creamy-Avocado-Cilantro-Lime-Dressing

What makes this Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing so perfect for salads and more?

It adds a kick of spiciness from the peppers, freshness from the cilantro, and a burst of citrus from the lime, and it is creamy and cool thanks to the avocado and sour cream. It is the perfect dressing to drizzle over this BBQ Grilled Chicken Salad and just about everything else.

Pepita Seeds for the BBQ Chicken Salad

For this easy and tasty BBQ chicken salad, the pepita seeds enhance the avocado cilantro lime dressing. The edible pumpkin seed is simply referred to as a pepita in North America (from the Mexican Spanish: pepita de calabaza, “little seed of squash”).

Click to PRINT recipe

Share on Twitter and Pinterest

BBQ Grilled Chicken Salad with Creamy Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing

Servings: 4-6
Prep Time: “30minutes”
Cook Time: “15-20minutes”
Difficulty: Easy
Print

BY ERICA GAMBOA

Ingredients

CHICKEN and MARINADE

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 limes, juiced
1 cup cilantro leaves, washed and stems removed
4 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
1 tbsp of your favorite BBQ grill seasoning, I like to use Grill Mates BBQ seasoning.
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp ground pepper

SALAD

3 heads of romaine lettuce, washed, drained and roughly chopped
2 cucumbers, peeled and sliced into half moon pieces
4 fresh ears of corn, shucked and washed. Set aside to grill.
3 Roma tomatoes, washed and diced into medium pieces
1 cup chopped green onion, white and green parts, washed before chopping
1 ½ cups tortilla strips, store bought or homemade
1 ½ cups shredded cheese, I like to use a Mexican cheese blend
Optional: Add a bit of Cotija Mexican cheese for a salty bite

AVOCADO CILANTRO LIME DRESSING

2 avocados, pitted and removed from skin
2 limes, juiced
2 Serrano peppers, washed and halved, for less spice use Jalapenos and remove the seeds, can omitted without loss of flavor
1 cup cilantro, washed and trimmed off ends
1 ½ cups of low fat sour cream
1 large garlic clove, peeled
⅓ cup of pepita seeds
1 tsp. chicken bouillon
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
1 cup water

Directions

CHICKEN + MARINADE
1 Place chicken and add all of the marinade ingredients in a freezer bag or a shallow pan or dish. Massage chicken with all the ingredients until thoroughly coated and everything is well combined. Place the chicken the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes or longer, a few hours or overnight for deep flavor.

DRESSING
1 While the chicken marinades, make the dressing.
2 In a blender or food processor add all of the ingredients except the water. Blend on high until things start to break down, stream in 1/2 cup of water at a time, checking the consistency. If more water is needed, add the other ½ cup. It should have a thick and creamy consistency but should be pourable.
3 Check seasoning and adjust if needed.
4 Pour into a bowl and refrigerate immediately.

SALAD
1 Assemble all of the salad ingredients, romaine lettuce, cucumbers, Roma tomatoes, chopped green onion, and shredded cheese in individual bowls or serving dishes to serve family style or as you would a salad bar.
2 Chill in the refrigerator until ready to set your table.

GRILL the CHICKEN and CORN
1 Fire up your grill, whether it be indoors or outdoors. Charcoal, propane or skillet will all work great.
2 Grill the chicken on medium heat, turning occasionally to get the classic grill marks. Chicken breast can become dry fast, so be mindful of that. The internal temperature for chicken must read 165 degrees to be thoroughly cooked. Dark meat chicken thighs cook a little differently and might present a little pink hue, please make sure your grilled chicken reads 165 degrees regardless of the cut.
3 Remove the chicken from the heat and place on a plate and let it rest for at least 10 minutes.
4 Take the corn and place on the grill. Rotate frequently, you want to create a flavorful charr without burning it. This should only take a few minutes and is perfect timing while the chicken rests.
5 Remove the corn from the grill and allow to rest a few minutes before removing the kernels from the cob and placing in a bowl.
6 Slice the chicken after 10 minutes of resting and place on a serving dish.

ASSEMBLE SALAD
1 Take the salad and dressing out of the refrigerator and set your table family style.
2 Place tortilla chips in a serving bowl as a topping for your salad.
3 Assemble your salads as you wish and top with my signature avocado cilantro lime dressing and enjoy!

Give this recipe a try and have some fun with your salads this summer.

Happy Grilling!

NOTE:
Substitutes
You can substitute the chicken in this recipe for a thin cut of beef. Flank steak works great with this recipe. As well as, salmon and shrimp.

Salad Dressing
The dressing can be prepared first and placed in the refrigerator. After a while in the fridge, it tastes even better.

Add Fruits and Nuts
Fruits and nuts can be added to your salads as well. Pepita seeds for garnish will add texture and a nutty flavor to this salad.
Fruits such as pomegranate and diced mango would add a little something sweet for the perfect sweet and salty bite.

______________________________________

Nutrition

Servings: 4 to 6

% Daily Value*

Calories…..714.36kcal…..36% Total Fat…..40.05g…..57%

Carbs…..41.35g…..16% Sugars…..7.22g…..8%

Protein…..53.29g…..107% Sodium…..1034.02mg…..52%

Fiber…..11.73g…..42%

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is not guaranteed for accuracy.

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.