BBQ Chicken Salad Recipe (Mason Jar Salad)

A bbq chicken mason jar salad with cool ranch, sweet barbecue sauce, black beans, corn, and cheese. A mason jar salad recipe that is perfect for meal prep.

Mason jar salads are great for meal prepping lunches for the week. They stay fresh for up to 4 days and are easy to put together. They travel well and take up little space.

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Mason Jar Salad

Mason jar salads make the perfect meal prep. An entire salad in a jar is kept fresh for up to 4 days at a time.

This salad was my version of the Panera BBQ Chicken Salad. It has a lot of the same flavors and tastes.

I don't have the typical Panera Bread salad dressing that they use, but I feel like the ranch/bbq sauce combination does come close.

Products I used for this Barbecue Chicken Salad Recipe

• Quart mason jar (you could also do wide mouth style)
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons

Barbecue Chicken Salad Ingredients

• cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast - I like grilled chicken in this, but you can use rotisserie chicken or chicken cooked in olive oil and a little seasoning.
• cheddar cheese - I used fat-free, but you can use any kind you like
• red onion - I chop mine in bite-size pieces. You could also use marinated red onion.
• barbecue sauce - Stubbs brand is my favorite for this recipe. I thin it out with a little water.
• black beans - be sure to drain and rinse them
• ranch dressing - Hidden Valley Homestyle Light (60 calories for 2 tablespoons version) is my favorite for this. I thin it out with a little water.
• mixed greens - I like to buy the spring lettuce mix packages
• corn - I use frozen and just thaw it before using

How to Layer a Mason Jar Salad with Chicken

Detailed instructions and measurements to make bbq chicken mason jar salad are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

1. To a quart-sized mason jar, layer the ingredients in the following order:
   ranch
   bbq sauce
   corn
   black beans
   red onion
   chicken
   cheese
   lettuce
2. Secure the lid tightly to the jar.
3. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Mason Jar BBQ Chicken Salad Recipe Tips, Tricks, and FAQs

The point of mason jar salads is to be able to meal prep them in advance while they stay fresh and prevent them from getting soggy.

In order to for this to work, you have to layer the ingredients in the correct order and to secure it tightly with a lid.

I order my ingredients from wet to dry. Some people order them from density, but I find that by starting with wet on the bottom, it keeps the lettuce from getting soggy.

Jar Salad Substitutions

black beans - you can substitute any of your favorite beans in this. You could even do chickpeas if you prefer.

red onion - if the flavor of raw red onion is too strong, you can saute them or marinate them before adding them to the salad.

chicken breast - this salad would also be great with beef or turkey.

BBQ sauce - If you like a more vinegar based BBQ sauce, you can add apple cider vinegar to thin yours out.

corn - you could roast your corn before adding it to the salad for extra flavor

How do you store salad in a Mason Jar?

Store them upright in the refrigerator until you're ready to eat them. You can store them up to 4 days.

Don't tilt or turn the jar until you are ready to eat the salad. It's important that they stay layered correctly to stay fresh.

other salad recipes you might like

• Italian Mason Jar Salad
• Summer Pasta Salad
• Rainbow Chopped Salad with Honey Apple Vinaigrette

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy. It should only be used for estimation purposes and is not a guarantee of any kind. Nutritional information varies widely between brands and types of ingredients used. It is recommended that you calculate the nutritional information based on your own ingredients and brands used. Sweetly Splendid, LLC makes no guarantees as to the exact nutrition information.