‘BBQ In A Bowl’ Chicken Salad Recipe – Chowhound

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What if you could have all the delectable flavors of your favorite dishes from a BBQ spread in one bowl, and at any time of the year? If that idea sounds appealing, this ‘BBQ in a bowl’ chicken salad recipe might be exactly what you are looking for. Recipe developer Julie Kinnaird shares her all-in-one take on BBQ favorites that comes neatly packaged in one colorful and satisfying salad. Spiced dry-rubbed chicken thighs are oven-baked and added to a slaw of purple and green cabbage, along with marinated cucumbers and onions, pinto beans, nutty roasted corn, and sweet potatoes. The dressing is a perfect hybrid of creamy slaw and tangy BBQ sauce flavors that pulls all of the ingredients together in the most delicious way.

Kinnaird says that her favorite aspects of a traditional BBQ are often the sides, so featuring those flavors in a hearty salad was a fun and delicious pursuit. She tells us, “Pintos stand in for the baked beans, the marinated cucumbers are a fresh take on pickles, the roasted corn evokes corn on the cob, and the caramelized sweet potatoes are a tasty nod to any number of baked sweet potato side dishes.” Much of the prep work can be done in advance so that the salads can be tossed together just before serving. And the cooking is all oven-based, so even in the colder months, you can enjoy the bright, smoky flavors of BBQ from the comfort of your kitchen.

Start with some boneless and skinless chicken thighs. Kinnaird prefers thighs for this recipe because they stay juicy and moist while baking. You will make a dry rub from brown sugar, chili powder (choose sweet or spicy), garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper. The thighs get a coating of olive oil to help the rub adhere. For the marinated cucumbers and onions, you will need apple cider vinegar, granulated sugar, celery seed, more kosher salt, a thin-skinned hothouse cucumber, and red onion. To make the creamy and tangy dressing for the salad, you will need mayonnaise, ketchup, more of the apple cider vinegar, honey, fresh chives, Tabasco, a bit more kosher salt, and smoked paprika. Finally, for the vegetables, you need orange-flesh sweet potatoes, frozen corn kernels, and green and purple cabbage for the coleslaw. The last component is a can of pinto beans.

Brush 1 tablespoon olive oil over the bottom and sides of a baking dish and set it aside.

Place the chicken and the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large Ziplock bag and seal it.

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Add the dry rub to the bag with the chicken and toss to coat.

Refrigerate the chicken for 30 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine the apple cider vinegar, sugar, celery seed, and salt.

Add the cucumbers and onions and toss to coat with the marinade.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

In a medium bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients until smooth.

Cover and refrigerate the dressing until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Remove the chicken from the bag, arrange it in the oiled baking dish, and place it in the oven.

Place the sweet potatoes on one half of the baking sheet and add the corn to the opposite side.

Drizzle the sweet potatoes and corn with the olive oil and sprinkle them with the kosher salt.

Place the pan on an oven rack below the chicken.

Bake the chicken, sweet potatoes, and corn for 40-45 minutes until fully cooked, flipping and stirring occasionally.

Remove the pans from the oven.

Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

Place the green and purple cabbage in a large bowl and add just enough dressing to coat.

Add ¼ of the slaw mixture to each bowl.

Add ¼ of the chopped chicken.

Around the chicken, arrange some of the roasted sweet potatoes and corn, the marinated cucumbers, and the pinto beans.

Drizzle the salads with the remaining dressing or serve on the side.

Everyone has their own favorite version of BBQ, so there are plenty of ways to switch up this recipe. Slaw is a pretty classic BBQ favorite, but switching up the cabbage from green and purple to a napa or savoy can add some variation in texture and flavor. Kinnaird likes the color appeal of orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, but white or purple will work equally well and give some color variance. If you feel like a potato salad element is missing, roast some Yukon Golds and throw in some chopped hard-boiled eggs. You might try black or garbanzo beans in place of the pintos, but if you are not a bean lover, try throwing in some blanched green peas. 

When it comes to the chicken, Kinnaird says that using breasts will also work, but you will want to make sure that they don’t dry out during baking. Apply the oil and dry rub to boneless and skinless chicken breasts, but cover the dish with foil for the first part of the baking process to seal in moisture. Uncover the breasts during the last 15 minutes of cooking to allow the exterior to crisp up a bit while still staying moist and tender inside.

Most of this recipe can be prepared in advance, making it an excellent choice for entertaining or easy meal planning during the week. The cabbage can be shredded for the slaw and kept in a ziplock bag or an airtight container up to 2 days in advance. You can also buy pre-shredded coleslaw mix for convenience. The corn and sweet potatoes can be roasted a day in advance and refreshed briefly in a 400 F oven or in an air fryer. The cucumbers and onions actually benefit from being marinated for a couple of days, so think about getting them done early, regardless of your time-saving needs. The chicken can be marinated a day in advance and baked before serving, or you can bake the whole thighs a day ahead and save the chopping for the day of.

This salad is best when assembled and served right away so that all components keep their individual textures and flavors. If needed, individual salads or one large salad presentation can be assembled, then dressed at the last minute. The dressing can be made a couple of days ahead of time, but best not to apply it to the salad ingredients in advance to avoid soggy bits.