Healthier oven baked crispy barbecue chicken over the most loaded salad with the easiest herbed yogurt dressing: this Crispy BBQ Chicken Nugget Salad is one of my current obsessions.
Jump to RecipeBefore UberEats days, I ordered Panera Bread pretty much every time I wanted take-out. It was truly the only option if you didn’t want pizza or Chinese. That being said, I was constantly forced to mix up my order…There were only so many soba noodle bowls I could eat. Hence, #2 on my rotation was always their barbecue chicken salad. To this day, I think it’s one of the best things on the menu. So, in hopes of bringing these nostalgic flavors to my own kitchen, I whipped up this Crispy BBQ Chicken Nugget Salad recipe. And, with crispy oven baked chicken, a light dressing, and all my favorite fixings, it’s seriously even better than Panera’s!
the breakdown…
This Crispy BBQ Chicken Nugget Salad is insanely easy. First up, you just have to make a quick BBQ chicken nugget situation. Roll all of your chicken nugs into an egg wash and bbq sauce combo. Mixing in some sauce with the eggs is my all time fav way of getting some flavor into the actual chicken. You could also marinate your chicken in the bbq sauce, if you would like. I’m just going with as simple as possible for this recipe! Then, go ahead and roll everything up in a simple flour, breadcrumb, and seasoning mixture. As always, gluten free substitutions are definitely fair game here.
Pop them onto your wire baking rack and get to baking! If you don’t have a wire baking rack, you can definitely still make these nuggets. Simply place them on your parchment lined baking sheet and flip them at the halfway point. In any case, lather them up with bbq sauce before finishing them off… and, let me tell you, the result is crispy, saucy, and oh-so delicious. You could seriously just stop the recipe here and eat these plain… they are that good.
the herbed yogurt dressing…
Next up, though, you want to make the herbed yogurt dressing for this Crispy BBQ Chicken Nugget Salad. This is basically my healthier version of a ranch. Sure, you could mix in some sour cream or mayo to make it more authentic, but I’m going with a lighter option. Oh, and the herbs are so up to your preference. I like dried dill and oregano for this, but you could totally go with dried parsley, thyme, or tarragon. Or even the fresh version of any of these! Ranch seasoning is also definitely on the table. The world is your oyster with a homemade ranch.
the mix-ins…
The last step to these Crispy BBQ Chicken Nugget Salad is just to mix up all of your fixings! This recipe calls for all the classic players: corn, beans, cheese, onions, etc. That being said, you could totally mix it up. Roasted corn, marinated tomatoes, feta cheese, pumpkin seeds, and/or pickled red onions would all be great amendments to the current mix-ins. You could also throw in some pickles, cucumber, and/or scallions into the mix. Salads are always customizable — at least in my opinion. Oh, and if you wanted to serve this up with some Texas toast or cornbread? That would be fabulous. Whether You make this for an easy weeknight dinner, meal prepped lunches, or to impress a crowd, I know it will be a winner!
I hope you love this Crispy BBQ Chicken Nugget Salad as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments below:))
Crispy BBQ Chicken Nugget Salad
Course: Main CourseCuisine: American, SouthernDifficulty: Easy6
servings20
minutes10
minutes30
minutesHealthier oven baked crispy barbecue chicken over the most loaded salad with the easiest herbed yogurt dressing: this Crispy BBQ Chicken Nugget Salad is one of my current obsessions.
Ingredients
- chicken:
1.5 lb chicken breasts, diced into 2 inch cubes
2 eggs, beaten
¼ + ¾ cup bbq sauce, divided
1 cup panko breadcrumbs (gluten free works too)
½ cup flour (gluten free works too)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
Olive oil, to spray or brush
- herbed yogurt dressing:
1 cup plain greek yogurt
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or all 4 tbsp of one type of vinegar)
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp dried dill weed
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper, to taste
- assembly:
5 oz mixed greens
- ½ a red onion, thinly sliced (or pickled red onions)**
1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup corn
¾ cup cheddar cheese, crumbled or roughly chopped off the block
1-2 avocados, diced
Crumbled tortilla chips or toasted pumpkin seeds, as desired
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Place a greased wire baking sheet on top.
- Set up your dredging stations with 2 shallow dishes. In one dish, whisk the eggs and ¼ cup of the bbq sauce. In the second dish, whisk the breadcrumbs, flour, salt, and garlic powder. Dredge each piece of chicken through the egg mixture, then through the breadcrumb mixture. Line the coated nuggets up on the prepared baking rack. Spray or brush with olive oil.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the oven. Bake for 7 minutes. Then, brush the remaining bbq sauce over top of each nugget. Bake for a final 4-6 minutes, or until the nuggets are cooked through and crisp (broil for the final fews minutes for an extra crispy finish).
- In a small bowl, combine all of the herbed yogurt dressing ingredients.
- In a large bowl, toss all of the remaining salad ingredients with the dressing. Serve with the crispy chicken bites. Enjoy!
Notes
- Instead of red onion, you could also do pickled red onions or even actual pickles
- If you don’t have a wire baking rack, you can definitely still make these nuggets. Simply place them on your parchment lined baking sheet and flip them at the halfway point.