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Tangy BBQ Chicken Salad

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It’s the season of grilling and barbecue, but sometimes it’s just too hot to actually pull out the grill. This BBQ chicken salad is not only a delicious, lighter-tasting variation on your typical mayonnaise-based chicken salad, but is a great alternative to grilling out.

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You get the tangy BBQ flavor with none of the effort – and none of the sugar laden barbecue sauce!

Tangy BBQ Chicken Salad on a wasa cracker on a white plate with a white bowl of extra chicken salad, a spoon coming from it on a blue cloth

Did I worry you a little bit when I revealed we won’t be using pre-made barbecue sauce? Don’t worry! This sauce is a snap to put together and just as delicious as what you would buy in a store. In fact, it’s only seven ingredients (if you don’t include the chicken itself), and two of those are spices.

Bonus – making your own barbecue sauce means you know exactly what is in it! This is great for you purist-y types! If you wanted to go even more in-depth on the purist level, use homemade sugar-free ketchup and home-cooked chicken breast. I don’t have that kind of motivation, but this BBQ chicken salad will be delicious either way.

Tangy BBQ Chicken Salad

A great thing about this chicken salad is it’s versatility. You could serve it over a bed of angel hair shredded cabbage – suggested in the recipe notes, on a bed of greens for a yummy protein-filled salad, eat it by itself, or serve it on plan-approved crackers with a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese (pictured).

There are lots of other ways to eat this tangy BBQ chicken salad, too – but I wouldn’t want to bore you by listing all of the options. If you try something not listed, let me know how it turns out!

Now for the recipe!

Tangy BBQ Chicken Salad plated on a white plate with a wasa cracker underneath the chicken salad and a blue cloth slightly visible between the plate and the white bowl almost out of the image in the upper left corner
Print Recipe

Tangy BBQ Chicken Salad

Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: barbecue
Servings: 2 serving
Author: Nicole

Ingredients

  • 1 12.5 oz can chicken breast drained
  • 1/4 c ketchup sugar-free
  • 1-2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp mesquite liquid smoke
  • 1/4 tsp blackstrap molasses
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp Trim Healthy Mama Super Sweet Blend

Instructions

  • Mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl (think like a cereal bowl). Add the drained chicken breast, stir well, and enjoy! 

Notes

I put a range of how much Dijon mustard to add because some people won't like it as tangy as my husband and I do. If you don't want super tangy BBQ sauce, use the lesser amount of Dijon mustard. If you love some major tang, then add the full amount. My husband compared the sauce with the full amount of Dijon to a Carolina-style BBQ sauce (tang-wise only, not ingredient-wise).
My husband thinks this BBQ chicken salad would be great on a bed of shredded angel-hair cabbage. Let me know if you try it this way!
If you have the time and motivation, feel free to cook your own chicken breast. I used canned chicken breast for ease and to minimize the actual time preparing the dish (I was hungry!). 

Did you try this recipe? How did you like it? Let me know in the comments below.

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