Sheet pan BBQ chicken salad
Sticky BBQ chicken and charred corn roasted on one pan, then piled over crunchy romaine with black beans, cheddar and a creamy BBQ ranch.
- 45 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $3.45 a serving
- 580 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1¼ lb chicken breasts
- 1½ cups frozen corn, thawed and patted dry
- ½ red onion, cut into thin wedges
- ½ cup bbq sauce, divided
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ½ tsp dried dill weed
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 8 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
- ¾ cup shredded cheddar
From your pantry
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder, divided
- 1 tsp salt, divided
Each serving has about 580 calories, 50 g protein, 53 g carbs and 20 g fat, and costs about $3.45 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No chicken breasts? Boneless chicken thighs or chicken tenderloins work.
- No frozen corn? Canned corn works.
- No red onions? White onions or yellow onions work.
- No plain Greek yogurt? Plain yogurt or sour cream works.
- No lemons? Limes work.
- No romaine lettuce? Green leaf lettuce or iceberg lettuce or butter lettuce works.
- No black beans? Pinto beans or kidney beans work.
- No shredded cheddar? Cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 425°F and line a with .
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
Parchment paper. Parchment paper is a nonstick, oven-safe paper for lining pans. Food lifts right off and cleanup is easy, but don’t swap in wax paper or put parchment under the broiler.
How you’ll know: It lies flat in the pan, and the food slides off when you lift it.
Rub the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the oil, the smoked paprika, half the garlic powder and ½ teaspoon salt, and lay it on one side of the pan.
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
the corn and onion with the rest of the oil and of salt on the other side of the pan.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
15 minutes.
Roast. Roasting means cooking in a hot oven, around 400°F to 450°F, usually spread out on a sheet pan. The dry heat browns the outside and brings out sweetness, especially in vegetables.
How you’ll know: The edges are browned and a little crisp, and a fork slides easily into the thickest piece.
Timer: 15 min
Brush the chicken all over with ¼ cup of the BBQ sauce and 5 to 10 minutes more, until it reads 165°F and the corn has spots.
Roast. Roasting means cooking in a hot oven, around 400°F to 450°F, usually spread out on a sheet pan. The dry heat browns the outside and brings out sweetness, especially in vegetables.
How you’ll know: The edges are browned and a little crisp, and a fork slides easily into the thickest piece.
Brown. Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.
How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.
Timer: 7 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Sauce goes on at the end because the sugar in it burns if it roasts the whole time.Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
While it finishes, the yogurt, the rest of the BBQ sauce and garlic powder, the dill, lemon juice and the rest of the salt for the dressing.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Let the chicken 5 minutes, then it.
Rest. Resting means letting cooked meat sit for a few minutes before you cut it. It keeps cooking gently, and more of the juice stays in the meat instead of running onto the board.
How you’ll know: Loosely covered with foil, it stays hot, and very little juice runs out when you slice it.
Slice. Slicing means cutting food into flat pieces of about the same thickness. Even slices cook evenly, so none are raw while others burn.
How you’ll know: Lay a few side by side: they’re close to the same thickness from one end to the other.
Timer: 5 min
Top the lettuce with the beans, tomatoes, corn and onion, cheddar and chicken, and with the dressing.
Drizzle. Drizzling means pouring a thin, slow stream over the top of something. A thin stream spreads a little flavor a long way.
How you’ll know: You see thin lines across the food, not a puddle collecting underneath.
Dolly’s tip: For lunches, pack the chicken, corn and beans in one container and the lettuce in another, with the dressing in a small jar.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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