BBQ Chicken Salads from Cupcake Diaries

I'm so excited to be blogging here at Fry Sauce & Grits!! I met Courtney at SNAP! Conference in April and I just love the girl. One day I will meet Melanie and my life will be complete!! :)

I'm Alli and I blog over at Cupcake Diaries. I love to cook, bake, throw parties, and tell all about it on my blog! I'm a mom of two young boys so my recipes tend to be quick, easy, and family-friendly. I love being the hostess and sharing my culinary creations with others. I'd love for you to stop by and introduce yourself! You can connect with me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Bloglovin', and Google+!

Now that summertime is here and the temperature is rising, salads sound extra good for dinner! There's something about fresh, crisp greens that makes me feel a little bit cooler on these hot days. We love to use our grill during the spring and summer so it was awesome being able to use it for this salad.

This salad requires very minimal work. Just how I like it! The hardest part of this meal was grilling the chicken. (And let's be honest, my husband did that part!) I love the different flavors and textures in this salad. The basil and cilantro give it a pop that's super tasty. The coolness of the ranch dressing combined with the barbecue sauce is a flavor winner!

Cut down the cook time by preparing all the ingredients (minus the chicken) earlier in the day. Place them in separate dishes in the fridge until you need them later! This will save you loads of time when you're making the salads.

This recipe makes restaurant-size salads. You can cut down the amount of lettuce if you want a smaller salad or split the salads up to make three.

BBQ Chicken Salads
makes 2 restaurant-size salads

• 1 (8oz) boneless skinless chicken breast
• 6 c. romaine lettuce, lightly chopped
• 1 c. Monterrey jack cheese, shredded
• 6 basil leaves, sliced thin
• 1/2 c. black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 c. whole kernel corn
• 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 c. tomatoes, diced
• 1/3 c. ranch dressing
• 1/4 c. barbecue sauce
• corn chips
• salt and pepper

Salt and pepper the chicken and place on the grill over medium heat for 6 minutes on each side. Remove from the grill and set aside to rest.

Toss together lettuce, basil, cheese, beans, corn, cilantro, and ranch dressing. Divide the mixture between two separate plates. Sprinkle each salad with half the tomatoes and crush 2 or 3 corn chips over the top.

Slice the chicken into small pieces and toss with barbecue sauce. Divide the chicken and place half on each salad. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!