I’m a creature of habit. I like to try new things, but once I try something & like it a lot, I stop trying other new things. This is particularly bad at restaurants- I order the exact same thing every time I go to every single restaurant. I’ll spend a few minutes looking at the menu, but it’s really just to pass the time as I walked in knowing what I want.
Not only do I get the same dish at restaurants, but I also choose to go to the same restaurants over & over. We recently discovered a new restaurant and my go-to order there is a BBQ Chicken Salad. It is so crazy delicious & has a ton of healthy ingredients, so I don’t feel bad going there for lunch every week. On the other hand, going out for lunch is a lot more expensive than eating at home, so I decided to make my own BBQ Chicken Salad!
To make things extra easy, I decided to use chicken nuggets. I couldn’t decide between spicy nuggets or cheesy nuggets, so I tried it with both. I prefer the spicy chicken in this recipe because it goes well with the BBQ sauce, but honestly they’re both really good in it.
I made both salads the same way except for which chicken nuggets I used, so the recipe below works for either choice. The great thing about this recipe is that you can customize it to your liking in more ways than just the nuggets! You can take out whatever you don’t like, and I’ve left the quantities blank for the toppings because they are such a personal preference.
BBQ Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
Romaine lettuce
Chicken Nuggets {plain, spicy or cheesy!}
Corn
Black beans
Chopped Tomatoes
Finely diced onions
BBQ Sauce
Ranch
Tortilla strips
Directions:
-Heat chicken nuggets according to package directions
-In a bowl, combine desired amounts of lettuce, BBQ sauce & ranch. Mix until lettuce is evenly covered.
-Add desired amount of each topping
-Cut chicken nuggets into thin strips, then place on top of salad
-Enjoy!
It’s such an easy lunch and includes so many healthy foods! There are 4 kinds of vegetables, and the chicken & beans provide some great protein. The flavors and textures all go really well together &it is by far one of my favorite meals.
Since Shane only goes to school for three hours, I don’t get a lot of time to make & eat lunch if I want to be able to get any work or cleaning done while he’s at school. I like to prep the ingredients for this salad {I dice the tomatoes & onions, microwave the frozen corn that I use, etc.} at the beginning of the week so that I can just quickly add all of the ingredients together during the week for a super quick lunch.
Microwaving the chicken nuggets takes just a minute & a half, and I can mix everything else together in that time. It’s the perfect easy lunch solution!
This lunch has quickly become my favorite, and Justin’s, too! Shane likes the cheesy nuggets by themselves or with ranch &I swear he could eat those for lunch & dinner every day if I let him!
Which do you most want to try, spicy chicken nuggets or cheesy chicken nuggets?
Daisy says
This is such a great idea – I love how healthy it is and that it adds variety to my usual lunch plans.
susan says
this looks amazing, I love bbq I will have to make this
Ange says
This bbq chicken salad looks delish! An awesome lunch idea.
Lady Grier says
I love a good chicken salad recipe! I am going to try this soon.
Janel says
I love that you added tortilla chips in!
Melanie Roberts says
YUMMM.. this looks like my kind of lunch.. love it simple and fresh… the chips give it a nice extra kick…
Ashley McLure says
I think I’d have to go for the spicy chicken nuggets. For that type of salad, I like the buffalo wing type flavor.
Kecia says
Thank you for sharing this – I am always on the look out for easy lunch ideas! I too am a creature of habit when we go out to eat. I want the same thing every time, especially if it’s been over a couple weeks since I last visited the restaurant.
Linette says
I like it spicy and this bbq chicken salad sounds delicious! I’m adding this to my lunch line up!
Lindsey @ Redhead Baby Mama says
Now that’s my kind of chicken salad. Chicken ON a salad. Not made into “chicken salad”. Add some extra ranch for my not spicy tastebuds and I’m IN!
Andrea says
I’m normally not a salad fan but this one actually looks good! I may try it sometime with my family. Thanks for sharing!
Taylor @ Pink Heels Pink Truck says
Just pinned! This looks so yummy! I love all the veggies thrown in there!
Melissa says
YUM! This sounds so good. I have never thought of adding chicken nuggets. I will definitely try this.
Rachel says
I would like to try both kinds of nuggets. I can see different uses for each. I love the idea of using them on a salad. Quick and easy works for me!
Angela says
This is my kind of lunch, and a fun twist on what might otherwise be a plain old salad at my house.
Daniel Sitoabasi says
Thanks for sharing these recipes. I like testing the, BBQ chicken salad. It gonna be yummy.
Daniel Sitoabasi says
Thanks for sharing these recipes. I like testing the, BBQ chicken salad. It gonna be yummy. Licking my mouth I can’t wait to tell mom to prepare my bbq.
Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell says
Nine times out of ten I’m going to choose spicy when given the choice!
Stacie Connerty says
This is my kid of lunch. I could eat salad everyday and be very happy. I think I would leave out the chips just to save the calories. 🙂
Ashley - Embracing Grace says
Yum, that looks amazing!!!
Latoicha says
OMG. I love BBQ Chicken Salad. Thank you for this recipe. Now I know what we will have for dinner tomorrow night.
katherine says
I would love this! It looks so good!
valmg @ From Val's Kitchen says
I haven’t seen these yet. I’ll always choose cheesy over spicy every time.
Lisa Thompson says
I’ve never thought of using chicken nuggets in a salad. What a great idea! I’m always looking for quick and easy meals that all of my kids would like and I bet this would be a huge hit if I made it with the cheesy chicken nuggets!
Angela S says
This looks like the perfect lunch!
brett says
we’d need the spicy here- and i Love love love a good chicken salad recipe. yum! this would be a fun wrap for on the go lunch too
Anne - Mommy Has to Work says
That’s my kind of salad!! I love corn and black beans in there.
Kelsey Apley says
Yum that looks like a tasty salad, and different then just a classic one!! Now I am craving that for lunch!!
Debi says
Oh that looks like a yummy lunch. I want to make one up now.
Penelope says
Ooh, that looks tasty, a great salad idea
Stefani says
This looks delicious! Good lunch idea!
Jennifer @TheRebelChick says
This looks delicious! I love bbq chicken but don’t think I’ve ever eaten it in a salad before!
Theresa says
Oh this looks so yummy.
Vanessa: thequeenofswag says
That salad looks delish! I can’t wait to try this recipe.
Marcie W. says
I love salads for lunch and this one looks mighty tasty! I especially like that it has both BBQ sauce and ranch dressing.
Christy says
The salad looks really good. I love when I can recreate a restaurant favorite at home! #client
Cara says
Looks like an easy and yummy lunch!
Paula @ Frosted Fingers says
My kids would like to try the cheesy nuggets. I think I’d really like the spicy nuggets in this salad!
Tammy says
I honestly preferred the cheesy nuggets to the spicy ones – I just wished they made them a little bigger, they looked so tiny next to the spicy and regular nuggets, lol!
Crystal @ Simply Being Mommy.com says
Gah, I’m starving now! That looks delicious.
Toni says
That salad looks amazing!!!
Kathleen says
I am not a salad person at all, but this one looks delicious to even me!
Janet W. says
This salad looks delicious! I love what you included in it. Great lunch option for me!