BBQ Chicken Cobb with Jalapeño Ranch

This sneak-peek recipe from the ‘Fed & Fit’ book takes a classic Cobb salad and transforms it into a BBQ Cobb chicken salad unlike any other. Made with Paleo BBQ Sauce-baked chicken, an easy creamy jalapeno ranch, bacon, avocado, and fresh, flavorful vegetables to bring you a filling meal the whole family will love!

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I am pretty dang thrilled to share this recipe with you today! This BBQ chicken Cobb salad is on the short list of salads that actually made me swoon. SWOON, I tell you! And before you start judging me, thinking that “oh she just must be one of those salad-loving kind of people,” I have to tell you that I am NOT. I love a hot, filling, comforting meal …three qualities most salads (in my opinion) lack. THIS salad, however, is bursting at the seams with fresh flavor, hot chicken, filling co-stars, and is incredible comforting. Maybe it’s the BBQ sauce baked on the chicken, maybe it’s the creamy jalapeno ranch, or maybe it’s the bacon. I’m not sure …but I’m completely in love with this salad.

I’m so in love with the salad, in fact, that a photo of it shows up three times in my book. THREE! Once for the actual recipe and two other times because we needed a b-roll shot.

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Don’t be intimidated by the number of steps below. You can absolutely skip the brine (saves some time), pre-chop the veggies, and make the jalapeno ranch in advance. Once it’s all said and done, you’ll be left with a healthy, colorful, flavorful plate that you can’t help but admire.

I hope you love this recipe as much as I do!

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For more flavor-packed, squeaky-clean Paleo recipes, be sure to check out my book, ‘Fed & Fit’! It has over 175 recipes, a wealth of healthy lifestyle science, and a copy of my 28-day Fed & Fit Project!

BBQ Cobb Chicken Salad with Creamy Jalapeño Ranch

Program Compliance: Nut-Free, GAPS

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 45

Cook Time: 18

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Ingredients:

Brine

• 2 tablespoons fine sea salt
• 2 cups warm water

Salad

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, rinsed
• 1/3 cup BBQ Sauce (2.0 option in the 'Fed & Fit' book!)
• 1 large head Romaine lettuce, chopped (4 heaping cups)
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
• 4 slices thick-cut bacon, diced and fried until crispy
• 1 avocado, cubed
• ½ cup halved cherry tomatoes
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped purple onion, for garnish (optional)
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped, for garnish (optional)

Dressing

• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons mayo, store-bought or homemade
• ½ fresh jalapeno, deseeded
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)

Directions:

1. To make the brine: Dissolve the salt in the warm water and allow the water to cool. Place the chicken in the brine for 15 to 30 minutes, or up to overnight. If brining the chicken longer than 30 minutes, place it in the refrigerator. After the chicken is finished brining, rinse and pat it dry. (If you have brined the chicken in the refrigerator, let it come to room temperature before baking.)
2. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Coat the chicken breast halves with the BBQ sauce. Set them on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the sauce on the chicken starts to turn brown.
3. While the chicken is baking, prepare the rest of the salad ingredients: Arrange the lettuce on one large platter or 3 or 4 individual plates. Top the lettuce with rows of egg, bacon, avocado, and tomato.
4. When the chicken is finished, let it rest for 5 minutes before cutting.
5. While the chicken is resting, make the dressing by blending the mayo, jalapeño, and lemon juice together in a blender or small food processor.
6. Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes and plate its row alongside the others.
7. Sprinkle the salt, pepper, and onion, if desired, over the top. Drizzle the salad with the dressing and garnish with cilantro, if desired.
8. Enjoy warm or cold.

Tip

• This amount of dressing will lightly dress the salad. If you prefer a more heavily dressed salad, the recipe is easily doubled.

Approximate Nutrition Breakdown (based on 1 of 4 servings)

BBQ Cobb Chicken Salad: Calories: 332; Protein: 32 g; Fat: 16 g; Carbohydrates: 14 g

Creamy Jalapeno Ranch: Calories: 404; Protein: 0 g; Fat: 44 g; Carbohydrates: 0 g

The 'Fed & Fit' book!

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