A good salad during the summer is about as good as it gets. And then you add in fresh veggies, meat that is magically ready in the Instant Pot and one bottle of BBQ sauce, and a creamy ranch and you’re golden. I also love to see a good mix of protein, colorful vegetables, good fats and ya know, EASY. Sounds good? Here is my paleo BBQ chicken and Ranch salad recipe!
If you don’t have an Instant Pot yet OR you find yourself a tad bit freaked out by the idea of using a pressure cooker, please let me allay those fears. This Instant Pot is seriously the easiest thing to use. While you do have to add a tiny bit of time to the front end for it to seal, it truly is SO easy. I have a highlight on my Instagram to show you how it works. Once you do it just once, you’ll be laughing about how you were scared of it!
I’m going to offer a few different options for you based on how simple you want to make this dinner! You can most definitely make your own mayo – this recipe holds true for duck eggs or chicken eggs but the ducks eggs make it so unbelievably creamy!
You can also mix your own spices for the ranch or use a good ole’ organic ranch spice if that’s your jam too.
My last note before getting this amazing BBQ chicken and Ranch salad recipe to you is that we really love this BBQ sauce for the recipe – Organicville Original BBQ Sauce. That being said, it does have agave nectar in it which can have some differing info about it. For the most part, we do stay away from agave but I also think that this sauce every now and then is a fun treat! This is a very sweet flavor and the tangy version is good with a little less of the sweet if you want to give that a whirl!
Ingredients
- 1 large head of organic romaine lettuce
- ½ cup finely chopped purple cabbage
- Finely chopped jicama, 1 cup (this may be hard to find and it’s still plenty good without it)
- Organic bell pepper, 1 cup (we like the yellow and orange!)
- 1 jar Organicville Original BBQ Sauce
- 2 pounds organic boneless chicken breast or thighs
- ½ cup Paleo mayonnaise (favorite store bought brand is Avocado Oil Sir Kensington)
- 1-2 ripe avocado
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼-½ cup raw milk or alternative milk
Directions
- Get your chicken going. Put the chicken in the instant pot and pour the BBQ sauce over it. Stir it around a bit to make sure chicken is covered as much as possible. Don’t forget to check out my highlights if you’re still feeling a little nervous about it!
- Set the Instant Pot for 15 minutes and let it do its thing!
- If you want to make fresh mayo for the ranch, go ahead and get that done.
- Prepare the rest of the salad by washing and chopping lettuce, cabbage, peppers, cucumbers, and jicama. Save the avocado for the end.
- Make the dressing by mixing the mayo and all the spices then add the milk or alternative milk until desired thickness. Be sure to test the dressing and see if you want more spices! Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Release the Instant Pot and then grab your hand mixer. This is one of my favorite kitchen tips. Be careful because it’s very hot, but using the hand mixer to shred the chicken will change your world. Promise.
- Layer the lettuce, veggies, and chicken then top with chopped avocado and your homemade ranch.
Look at you being so snazzy making your own ranch friend!
BUT if you want to make things a little easier, go ahead and throw a few of those organic ranch spice packs in your cart next time you’re at the store. I won’t tell 😉
**This chicken saves beautifully and is great for leftovers over rice or veggies.
**If you decide to make homemade mayo, chances are you’ll use very little milk, if any, to thin the ranch.
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