Blackberry BBQ Chicken Salad
Are you ready for THE BEST END-OF-SUMMER RECIPE? (that you can make year round too)?!
Ed and I were in the desert (what else is new?) and we were going back and forth with ideas for dinner (also what else is new?). I was feeling something heavy but light…does that make sense?? Basically I wanted a fresh, summer salad that wasn’t just lettuce. This idea sparked an interest for a blackberry bbq chicken salad.
Ed and I actually made blackberry bbq sauce a few years ago from scratch and it was delicious. But it’s 2021 now, we’re busy, and we don’t have time to MAKE bbq sauce. However, we CAN go to the store and buy our favorite bottle and doctor it up a bit!!
Enter Blackberry BBQ Chicken Salad. But wait…
It gets better…but you’ll have to read the ingredients and make this to find out.
This is the ultimate al fresca recipe. Save this one for when the nights get longer but you’re still in that endless summer mode.
Okay, let’s jump right into it!!!
Blackberry BBQ Chicken Salad (yields ~2-4 servings)
Ingredients:
for the bbq sauce:
1 bottle of your favorite bbq sauce (I used Noble Made - clean ingredients and way less sugar than regular BBQ sauce, & it’s delicious)
1 pint of blackberries
1 red onion, sliced
1 whole habanero pepper (slice an “X” in the bottom of the pepper) *omit if you don’t want it spicy
for the salad:
bone-in chicken breasts (1 breast/person)
1 bag fingerling potatoes
1 pint of blackberries
lettuce (I used organic Little Gems)
1 cup pistachios
goat cheese (as much as you like!)
balsamic vinegar (preferably balsamic glaze)
olive oil
salt & pepper
Instructions:
first thing is to get the bbq sauce going so all the flavors can marry together. start this a few hours before you’ll be eating! in a medium saucepan add in the entire bottle of bbq sauce (don’t worry, you’ll have leftovers), 1 pint of blackberries, sliced red onion, and habanero pepper. simmer on low for at least 2 hours to let the flavors marry
preheat your oven to 425°f. slice fingerling potatoes in half and add to a large mixing bowl, sprinkle with salt & pepper and drizzle with olive oil. transfer potatoes to a baking sheet and roast for ~30-35 minutes
while potatoes are roasting, it’s time to prep your chicken! preheat your grill to high. season chicken breasts with salt & pepper. once grill is heated, add chicken to grill and sear on both sides for ~3-4 minutes/per side. once the chicken is nicely browned on both sides, turn heat to medium-low, and begin basting the chicken with blackberry bbq sauce on each side for 3 minutes, repeat until chicken is cooked (or reaches an internal temperature of 165)
after the chicken is cooked, it’s time to make the salad! add lettuce, roasted potatoes, pistachios, goat cheese, and fresh blackberries to a large mixing bowl. make the dressing by mixing 1 part thick balsamic glaze with 2 parts olive oil. whisk dressing together and add to salad. toss to combine
serve the salad alongside bbq chicken & enjoy!
notes:
if you don’t have a grill, you can coat the chicken breasts in BBQ sauce and bake at 425°f for 25 minutes per side
feel free to add a little dijon to the salad dressing if you really want to amp up the flavor
make sure to tag me on Instagram when you make this salad!
