Spicy Barbecue Chicken Salad Recipe - bakedbyrachel.com

As I write this, I’m contemplating how I’m going to sneak into my daughters room and play the role of Tooth Fairy tonight. My luck, one or both of the girls will wake up when I go in or my oldest will have moved the tooth. It’s her first tooth to fall out. And let me say, yesterday was full of drama, tears and laughter over the idea of her tooth coming out. All from her. The first is obviously the scariest and I’m glad we’re past it now.

Who even started this tradition? Don’t get me wrong – it’s cute and fun, but couldn’t the tradition be to hang a pouch on the door or something? Why does it have to be tucked under the pillow, making it more difficult for the ‘Tooth Fairy’ to obtain? Do you have any funny tooth or Tooth Fairy stories to share? What have your traditions been when a tooth falls out?

Even stranger than what does the Tooth Fairy give in your house… do you keep or toss the tooth? My dad has, or had, all of his baby teeth last I knew. Maybe he’s tossed them by now. Who knows. But that’s something super strange to see as a child – your parents baby teeth. And since I have three kids, do I really want to save three sets of teeth? I know they’re small but… do I? So tell me, really, what do you do with them?

Spicy Barbecue Chicken Salad Recipe - bakedbyrachel.com

Now to the more important part… the FOOD. Okay so obviously I’m having issues keeping barbecue sauce and bacon separated. It’s like bread and butter or peanut butter and jelly – or in our world Biscoff and jelly since we’re a no peanut household 99% of the time – or even milk and cookies. They’re meant for each other. A perfect pair that should always be eaten together. Okay, not necessarily always because I don’t eat barbecue sauce with my breakfast, but now that has me wondering. We may have to revisit that idea sometime.

I’m honestly not a huge salad fan all of the time but this one was so good I made it again the next day for lunch. Seriously good. It’s super simple and fairly quick too, plus the chicken totally doesn’t have to be hot to eat it. In fact, I preferred it after it had cooled to room temperature or even cooler. I guess it reminded me of eating leftover turkey from the fridge after a big Thanksgiving meal, only this wasn’t turkey or the day after Thanksgiving.

It’s a light and flavorful salad, full of variety and spice. Your favorite barbecue sauce is turned in to a spicy dressing for the final addition to this perfect salad. If you love barbecue sauce, you’ll love this salad.

Spicy Barbecue Chicken Salad Recipe - bakedbyrachel.com

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Spicy Barbecue Chicken Salad

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 2
An easy chicken and bacon salad, featuring a sweet and spicy barbecue dressing.

Ingredients
 

  • 1 medium chicken breast, trimmed and pounded to 1/2-inch thickness
  • 2-3 slices thick cut bacon
  • lettuce
  • Monterey jack cheese
  • Seasoned tortilla strips
  • 1/3 C Barbecue sauce
  • 2 1/2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1/8 tsp pepper
  • Dash of cayenne pepper
  • 1/8 tsp garlic powder

Instructions
 

  • In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook bacon. Drain on a paper towel.
  • Lightly season chicken breast on both sides with salt and pepper. Using the same skillet, cook over medium heat, flipping halfway through or roughly 5 minutes per side. Chicken should no longer be pink in the center when sliced.
  • Chop bacon and slice chicken into strips.
  • Prepare dressing: in a small bowl mix together barbecue sauce, lemon juice, pepper, cayenne and garlic powder.
  • Arrange lettuce. Top off with cheese, bacon, chicken and tortilla strips. Drizzle entire salad with barbecue dressing.
  • Store any remaining dressing in the fridge.

Notes

An original recipe from Baked by Rachel
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most accurate data, use your preferred nutrition calculator with the actual ingredients you used to make this recipe.
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Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keywords: Chicken

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