Satisfy your craving for barbeque with this Keto BBQ Chicken Salad Recipe while using up leftovers in the fridge! Sweet and tangy BBQ sauce, sharp cheddar, garlicky pickles, smoky bacon, creamy avocado, and homemade keto croutons make this salad a winner.
We all have our irrational little pet peeves.
Those things that make us want to flip our lids even though – in the grand scheme of things – they’re the smallest non-issue “issues” ever.
I have an aunt (if you’re reading this, I love you!) who shouted down my sister a few years ago for not rolling the toothpaste tube after she used it.
A very dear friend of mine feels the need to be 45 minutes early to every single meeting/event/appointment/function (even if it’s just a meetup for coffee). Which isn’t really a problem until he imposes his weird need to be early on me and calls me late when I’m on time, lol.
But I have plenty of quirks too.
It drives me nuts to see 20 different small containers of various leftovers in my fridge.
And it also makes me bananas to see a huge jar of pickles with just a single lonely pickle floating inside. It just feels wrong. It feels like I should just eat the dang pickle and get rid of the jar already.
Not long ago I found myself in exactly this predicament. Part of a wedge of cheese, a little bit of BBQ chicken, half a bag of lettuce. A few glorious pickles taunting me from inside a huge jar. Homemade ranch dressing beckoning to be used. It was fate, I tell you; this salad had to happen.
Keto BBQ Chicken Salad Recipe
There are quite a few components going on in this Keto Chicken BBQ Salad Recipe! But don’t let that deter you. That’s how to transform salad into an interesting meal.
You can make substitutions based on what you prefer, or what you have on hand.
Chicken or turkey will work well here, and leftovers are fine. I like to make this salad after I make a big batch of my Instant Pot BBQ Chicken.
Leftover Instant Pot BBQ Chicken is perfect for making this salad.
If you have scallion instead of red onion, go ahead and use it. If you don’t have avocado, but you have a tub of guacamole, use a dollop of it. Any bacon you like will work, and so will any kind of cheese.
Keto croutons are optional here, but they add a savory crunch and are easy to make if you have keto bread on hand.
And perhaps the best part of this salad was that it helped me use up the bottom of a huge jar of pickles! It really doesn’t take much to make me a happy girl.
Keto Croutons from the Keto Bread Cookbook
The biggest surprise item of this salad is probably the croutons! These croutons do a pretty darn good job of simulating real croutons. They have a delicious savory flavor and pack a nice crunch.
Yes, you can eat croutons while following a ketogenic diet if you use keto bread to make them. And don’t worry, they’re very easy to make; they basically babysit themselves in the oven.
I used the recipe for keto Croutons from mine and Lara Clevenger’s Keto Bread cookbook. You can find the croutons recipe on page 80 of the cookbook as part of the Panzanella Salad recipe.
More Low Carb and Keto Salad Recipes to Make:
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Keto BBQ Chicken Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 slices beef bacon chopped
- 1/2 cup leftover chopped or shredded chicken or turkey
- 2 tablespoons sugar-free BBQ sauce
- 3 cups chopped lettuce or baby spinach
- 1 ounce sharp cheddar cut into small cubes
- 1/2 avocado sliced
- 1/4 small red onion thinly sliced
- 4 cherry tomatoes quartered
- 2 tablespoons dill pickle chips
- 1/2 cup keto croutons optional; recipe from the Keto Bread cookbook
- 2 tablespoons Low Carb Ranch Dressing
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a small skillet over medium to medium-high heat until crispy, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and cool slightly.
- Stir together the chicken or turkey and BBQ sauce in a small bowl.
- To arrange the salads, add the lettuce to the bottom of a large salad bowl. Place the bacon, bbq chicken, cheese, avocado, onion, tomato, pickles, and croutons (if using) on top.
- Serve along with ranch dressing.
Helpful Tips
- Net Carbs: 7g per serving (1/2 salad)
- The keto croutons are optional, and they are not included in the nutritional information for this recipe. The recipe for keto croutons is from the Keto Bread cookbook.
Nutrition
This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on February 23, 2018. I updated it with more information on September 7, 2020.
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links to products I believe in, which means that even though it doesn’t cost you anything extra, I will receive a small amount of money from the sale of these items. Thank you for helping to support An Edible Mosaic!
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
wow what an amazing mix! Definitely a perfect use of the all the remaining stuff!
Love that you added pickles to this salad! I love dill pickles, and love that you used sugar free. Thank you so much for sharing! Can’t wait to make these bbq bowls at home!