In a hurry to get dinner on the table tonight?
Me too.
Want it to be healthy, nutritious, and leave you satisfied?
Me too.
Just got home from work and the last thing you want to do is cook?
Me too.
As we enter the official summer season, we all need an arsenal of back pocket meals at our disposal… Meals for days like today when you wake up at 5AM, ready to conquer the gym… only to find that your car won’t start.
Who, me?!
Meals for those nights when you come home to a package in the meal from your best blogging friend containing Season 4 of Dexter and you don’t have time to cook dinner if you want to catch up with your favorite serial killer.
Meals for those nights when it’s too damn hot to even think about turning on the stove.
Meals for those nights when you really just want to eat so you can get to dessert. And you’re only eating healthy because you know you will consume 5487643 of these.
Meals for those nights when you “ran a few quick errands after work,” namely TJ Maxx, Homegoods, Target, Trader Joe’s, Michael’s, and Pier 1… and got home much later (and much poorer!) than anticipated. (But, the shoes were on sale!)
Meals for those nights when your significant other doesn’t want to cook for you.
Which in my case, means every night.
Enter the BBQ chicken salad.
BBQ Chicken Salad
Serves 2
Ingredients
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8 oz chicken, cut into bite size pieces
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BBQ sauce (bottle or homemade)
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4 C Romaine lettuced, torn or shredded
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4 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled
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1/2 C corn, drained
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1/2 C black beans, drained and dried
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1/2 red onion, sliced
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1 C cherry tomatoes
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1/2 avocado, sliced chopped
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1/2 C cheddar cheese
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1 handful tortilla chips, crumbled
Directions
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Marinate chicken in BBQ for 3 hours, or overnight. Cook on grill or grill pan until cooked through. Set aside.
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Toss lettuce with bacon, corn, beans, onion, tomatoes, and avocado.
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Sprinkle with cheese and tortilla chips.
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Top with BBQ chicken. Serve plain or with your favorite dressing!
With the abundance of local produce at our finger tips this time of year, it’s silly not to take advantage. Although the act of washing, cutting, and chopping veggies is undesirable, your taste buds will dance when they get that first bite of freshness! The crisp lettuce, the juicy tomatoes, and the creamy avocado pair nicely with the crunchy peppers, the sweet corn, and the smoky chicken.
Salads are light but still manage to leave you satisfied, not stuffed. Salads are not only an easy way to meet your daily veggie quota, but they provide lots of bulk in exchange for few calories. Of course, if you were looking to really lighten this up, you could omit the cheese, bacon, tortilla chips, etc. But, when everything else is so lean, splurge a little, why don’t ya?
If you’re one of those weird people who claims to not like salad, throw it in a wrap, and slather it with your favorite dressing.
You won’t even realize you’re eating other healthy stuff.
And if salad’s what’s for dinner… dessert doesn’t count, right?
Definitely not. Now if I only had some of these.
In the meantime, I’ll settle for these.
Oh yea, I went there. Recipe and review to follow.
If I ever come out of my crack coma.
Yum! This salad screams summer!
@Mrs. Fish, Totally!
I just love ya, Liz. You have solved my dinner dilemma. I just walked in the door from the gym & told Craig I was up in the air about what to make. Problem solved. BBQ chicken salad is what’s for dinner
best part, I have all of the ingredients already, no grocery store runs at lunch! 
This sounds so good! I am all about quick dinners, especially in the summer!
Great salad and great blog!!!!! I’ve just discovered your site, and I love it!!!!! I
I love bbq chicken! This is my idea of a perfect dinner…
Your writing cracks me up.
Salad looks wonderful! I’m definitely like that too. Too hot to cook & short on time = Salad. This one looks especially tasty though! I’m having salad for dinner tonight.
Wowowowowowowowowow that looks FABULOUS!
I may have to stop at the grocery store on my way home – well because my 5 a.m. run was aborted too, because I neglected (on purpose?) to set my alarm last night.
And I just happen to have a chicken breast thawed in my fridge.
Yes, indeed, I need a recipe for all of those eventualities! Esp. with three small kids. This salad looks delish and fits the bill perfectly.
It’s so colorful! I love eating pretty meals
Now that’s what I call a salad! It looks really hearty, you definitely can’t go wrong with BBQ chicken.
What a great salad! Loaded with all the fixin’s!!
Now this is a salad I think I could get my husband to eat!
Wow this looks awesome! I think this is a salad I could def get my hubby to eat. Will have to try!
That is one gorgeous salad! I can not wait to give it a try, I’m seriously salivating over here! yum….
Hi.. come deliver my lunch to Newton daily.. thanks.. bye
easy meals are my best friend right now. actually, cheese and crackers have been my best friend. i need to make easy meals my best friend…starting with this one!
This looks like the perfect summer dinner. I have been kind of addicted to BBQ chicken salad lately so I’m going to have to try this! Oh and it sounds like we run the same type of errands
Perfect summer dinner! I’ve kind of been addicted to BBQ chicken salad lately so I’m gonna have to give this a try! It also sounds like we run the same errands
Wow I make a similar salad except I use jerk chicken. What a great idea with the BBQ chicken and I love that it’s a meal on it’s own
@wizzythestick, Jerk chicken would be excellent, too!
I love the addition of the blue corn chips for a little crunch. Always look for a quick easy dinner to make. Thanks for sharing!
I need to start making salads like this again for myself at home. Great summertime meal- just in time for swimsuit season too!
Im one of those weirdos thats forgets how awesome a salad can be until its in front or me and shortly there after my plate is cleared. This looks like one kicking salad – I hate the dinky ones that leave you craving real food. This looks like it wouldn’t disappoint!