Barbeque ranch chicken salad cheesecake factory

BBQ Chicken Salad is filled with healthy lean protein, veggies, and plenty of flavor thanks to a smoky bbq ranch dressing. Make this Cheesecake Factory copycat salad recipe for a date night at home, or as an appetizer for family dinner.

If you love salads as much as I do, you’ve also got to try this broccoli salad, eggplant chicken pepper salad, and this incredible Greek salad. They are all so refreshing and good!

Cheesecake Factory Copycat Salad Recipe

This BBQ Chicken salad is the only thing we order every single time we’re at the Cheesecake Factory restaurant. The salad is huge and somehow the fresh lettuce, tomatoes, corn, beans, the avocado and the BBQ chicken all tossed together with the creamy BBQ dressing work so amazing that if there was no one around we would probably lick our plates clean. 

It was just a matter of time before I recreated this deliciousness at home. And it didn’t take too long before I figured it out and started making it at the convenience of my own kitchen, for a fraction of the cost with all the ingredints I typically have on hand anyway. 

BBQ Chicken Salad Recipe

In many ways, this is a classic bbq chicken salad recipe. I like to use romaine lettuce for the base, and build my ingredients from there, such as tomato, corn, black beans, and avocado.

Of course, chicken is a main ingredient in the salad as well. I usually prefer to cook chicken tenders (or sliced chicken breast) in a hot pan with oil when making this bbq chicken salad recipe. But going the extra mile and grilling it will give you the best flavors. If you have some leftover grilled chicken, this BBQ Chicken salad recipe is the perfect place to use it up.

DIY BBQ Ranch Dressing

In my opinion, what takes this salad above and beyond is the bbq ranch dressing. Without it, the flavor would not be near as good!

Thankfully, this BBQ ranch dressing is simple to whip up. You’ll find yourself making this dressing for sandwiches, burgers, as a dip for fries, and more. It’s that good!

This bbq ranch dressing is mayo-based. You’ll want to use the full-fat mayo for the best flavor. The recipe also calls for buttermilk or sour cream. Both work well! Sour cream will give you slightly more creaminess, while buttermilk will give you a bit more tartness. Try both and see which you like best!

Air Fryer Onion Rings

The other big part of what makes this salad so craveable is the crispy fried onion rings. I didn’t really want to pull out a deep fryer, so I decided to play with my air fryer to see if I could recreate the same taste, minus the extra fat.

I’m thrilled to say it worked! These air fryer onion rings are incredible. In fact, I have made them on their own as a side for burgers a few times.

The secret is in the dredging mixture. It has a blend of spices for that perfect flavor. I use paprika, garlic powder and salt, along with panko crumbs for an extra crispy coating.

The air fryer onion rings will take about ten minutes to cook. While they are cooking you can make the dressing. Once the ten minutes are up, pull out the onion rings, add them to your salad and serve immediately.

No air fryer? No worries! Just bake them in the oven for 15-20 minutes instead.

How to Make the BBQ Chicken Salad

Find the full directions in the recipe card below.

Grab all your ingredients and prep your veggies by washing and chopping them.

Cook the chicken first: sprinkle the chicken with spices and grill it until the inside registers at 165F. Alternatively, you can pan sear it with a bit of oil, over medium heat.

Make the dressing: in a jar or a small bowl combine all ingredients and stir until well mixed.

Make the onion rings: cut the onions, prepare the dredging mixture and the dipping mixture. Dip the onions into the liquid mixture, then the dry and coat the onions well. Then cook in an air fryer in one layer, turning halfway through until golden in color, about 10 minutes.

Chop the vegetables: while the chicken and the onions are cooking, chop the lettuce, tomatoes and some cucumbers. Open cans of beans and corn and drain them well. Cut the avocado into slices. 

Build the Salad: Place the chopped romaine lettuce on the bottom of the bowl. Then arrange the rest of the ingredients in mounts on top of the lettuce. Place the crispy onion rings on top of the salad.

Drizzle dressing all over the salad. Stir everything together before eating. Check for seasoning and add more salt if needed. Then top with the onion rings and enjoy!

More Copycat Recipes:

• Copycat Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars
• Hearty Zuppa Toscana (Copycat Olive Graden Recipe)
• Starbucks Lemon Loaf Copycat

Copycat Cheesecake Factory BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad

Copycat Cheesecake Factory BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad is a colorful salad with Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, corn, avocados, beans, chicken and a BBQ Ranch dressing that brings this chicken salad recipe altogether.

Ingredients for Copycat Cheesecake Factory BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad

For the BBQ Ranch

• 1 Tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp sour cream or buttermilk
• 1 Tbsp BBQ sauce (use your favorite brand, I use Sweet Baby Ray's brand)
• 2 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar
• 2 tsp dried ranch seasoning (with no salt added)
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp kosher salt

BBQ Chicken Salad Ingredients

• 1 heart of Romaine lettuce
• ½ cup diced tomatoes or baby tomatoes cut in half
• 1/2 English cucumber
• ½ cup corn canned, drained or grilled
• ½ cup black beans drained, rinsed
• ½ avocado

How to make Copycat Cheesecake Factory BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad

Grilled or Pan Seared Chicken

1. Rub the chicken with the seasoning and oil, massaging it well into the meat. Then cook on preheated to 450F grill on both sides until the inside registers 160F.

   Or, cook the chicken on a skillet over medium-high heat searing the outside first, then covering with a lid and continuing to cook until the inside registers 160F. You can add a couple tablespoons of water to the pan to allow the steam to cook the chicken if needed.

How to Make Air Fryer Onion Rings**

1. Mix together 1/2 cup flour, 1½ tsp paprika, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp salt for the dredging mixture and coat the onion rings in it. Then whisk 1 egg and water and dip into the egg mixture, before coating in 1 cup panko crumbs.

2. Arrange in a single layer of the air fryer and cook in batches for about 10 minutes at 375F. Turn halfway through cooking for even cooking.

3. Remove from the air fryer and serve right away over the salad.

4. Transfer to a cutting board and allow to rest for 10 minutes before cutting into thin strips.

Make the BBQ Ranch dressing

1. Mix together 1 Tbsp mayo, 1 Tbsp sour cream, 1 Tbsp BBQ sauce, 2 tsp lemon juice, 2 tsp dried ranch seasoning, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 1 tsp salt for the dressing.

Prep the veggies

1. Chop 1 heart of romaine lettuce, 1/2 cup of baby tomatoes, and 1/2 an English cucumber. Then, open the canned corn and beans and drain them thoroughly. Next, peel half an avocado and cut into slices.

2. For the best visual presentation, place the chopped lettuce on the bottom of the salad bowl, then place the chopped chicken (you can toss it with some BBQ sauce before putting on top of the salad), and all the vegetables in separate mounds.

   Split-half an avocado into 4 sections lengthwise, peel the skin off and discard it.

   Place 1 piece of avocado between each section.

   Drizzle dressing all over the salad. Stir everything together before eating. Check for seasoning and add more salt if needed, then top with the onion rings and enjoy.

*You can replace the chicken breast with 3 chicken tenders
** If you're in a pinch, you can use the storebought Crispy Fried Onions, but obviously they won't be the same as homemade neither flavor-vise nor nutrition/calorie-vise. 

Nutrition Facts

Copycat Cheesecake Factory BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad

Amount Per Serving

Calories 329 Calories from Fat 144

% Daily Value*

Fat 16g25%

Saturated Fat 3g19%

Cholesterol 42mg14%

Sodium 1377mg60%

Potassium 893mg26%

Carbohydrates 30g10%

Fiber 9g38%

Sugar 6g7%

Protein 19g38%

Vitamin A 1865IU37%

Vitamin C 21.5mg26%

Calcium 42mg4%

Iron 2.3mg13%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

How many calories are in a BBQ chicken salad from Cheesecake Factory?

How many calories are in a BBQ Ranch Salad?