a quick weeknight meal: BBQ chicken salad

by Rachel McCarthy
bbq-chicken-salad

Has anyone else been super busy lately? Do you find it difficult coming up with new {and most importantly!} quick meals for the weeknights? If you are anything like me, life is so busy! To say this week is hectic is an understatement. With an event going on with my work during the week and co-chairing a charity tennis tournament this coming weekend, it’s going to be a stressful few days! So, please forgive me if I am a little MIA this week! 


As much as I love to cook, making complicated meals on weeknights isn’t always that practical. And I am really not a huge fan of takeout, so I am constantly trying to come up with new quick and healthy meals. Salads are a simple and healthy dish that are easy to mix up with different ingredients. But, I have to share with you my latest trick to keep meals quick on the week nights. It’s two words: rotisserie chicken. This is a HUGE time saver for weeknight meals. 

While at the grocery store on Saturday, I will buy a store-bought rotisserie chicken, take all the meat off {I discard the skin/my husband eats it!} and place it in a freezer bag and stick it into the freezer. The morning of my planned chicken dinner, I take it out of the freezer and place it in the refrigerator. As soon as I get home from work, I take the chicken out a allow it to reach room temperature. You are now free to make any chicken dish you like! This is especially helpful for me because I really dislike chicken…especially raw chicken. I can tolerate every now and then, but it has to be covered in a sauce. I know, totally strange 😉 

If you are looking for a delicious and quick weeknight meal, give this BBQ Chicken Salad a try — and try the rotisserie chicken too, it’s such a time saver!

bbq-chicken-salad

BBQ Chicken Salad


{what you will need}

1 bag Romaine lettuce {I used half a bag of Romaine & half a bag of Arugula}
1 rotisserie chicken {chopped into bite sized pieces}
1/4 cup barbecue sauce {just enough to coat the chicken}
1/2 small red onion, chopped
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese {I used low fat}
Garnish: ranch dressing, tortilla strips

{directions}
Chop the chicken into bite sized pieces and transfer to a medium-sized bowl. Add the barbecue sauce and stir to completely coat the chicken. In a large bowl, add the lettuce, red onion, shredded cheddar cheese, tortilla strips and any other ingredients you like. Top the salad with the chicken and ranch dressing, if desired. Mix and serve. 

Happy weeknight cooking and thanks for stopping by!

14 thoughts on “a quick weeknight meal: BBQ chicken salad”

  1. All my favorite fixings for sure! I just love a quick and easy salad that's full of flavor. Most of my dinner salads, I like to definitely add chicken for the protein so this is perfect! I hope you have a terrific Tuesday sweet Rachel!

Comments are closed.