This Healthy BBQ Chicken Salad is loaded with vegetables, tossed with a cilantro lime dressing, and topped with homemade BBQ Chicken Tenders! Plus, it's great for meal prep!! Oh, and did I mention it's gluten-free and dairy-free? Perfect for anyone who's looking for a healthier option that actually tastes good!

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• 🍴Ingredient Notes
• 🍴Step by Step Instructions
• Helpful Tips
• Frequently Asked Questions
• How to store leftovers
• Recipe
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🍴Ingredient Notes

Chicken Tenders

• Eggs - The eggs help to bind the breading mixture together - you can not skip this ingredient!
• Cassava Flour -  If you're not familiar with cassava flour, it's a great gluten-free flour alternative! It has a very light, powdery texture, and it’s made from Yuca. You can find it on amazon, or at most natural markets. (Whole Foods!)
• Coconut Flour - Coconut flour is one of my favorite grain free flours - especially for savory recipes! You really can't taste the coconut flavor. It works very well with cassava flour to make a nice breading consistency.
• BBQ or Buffalo Sauce - I used Primal Kitchen Hawaiian BBQ sauce for this recipe!
• Chicken Tenders - You can also swap for regular chicken breasts that are cut into smaller pieces. I prefer the precut smaller pieces because it's less prep work!

Salad

• Fresh Lettuce - Any lettuce will work for this recipe!
• Diced English Cucumbers - I recommend English Cucumbers or Mini Cucumbers for this recipe because they're very crisp, have tiny seeds, and hold up well in salad! You can leave the peel on, but I prefer removing it.
• Diced Sweet Peppers - You can mix whatever colors you prefer, but I used red and orange peppers for this recipe.
• Grape Tomatoes - I chopped mine with the Vegetable Chopper, but you can slice them in half if you want them bigger.
• Optional Topping - I love adding cubed avocado on top! I don't add it in right away because the avocado gets brown and mushy if you leave it in overnight. Serve it fresh with your salad!

Salad Dressing

• Fresh Chopped Cilantro - Chop the cilantro into small pieces so it blends well with the dressing. If you're not a cilantro fan, you can skip it.
• Lime Juice - I love using lime juice in this recipe, especially with the cilantro! If you don't have limes, lemon juice will work too!
• Unsweetened Coconut Milk - The coconut milk gives a nice creaminess to the dressing. Feel free to add more if you'd like!
• Olive Oil - I like to use Extra Virgin Organic Olive Oil. I would not reccomend swapping it out for any other oil.

🍴Step by Step Instructions

Making the Chicken Tenders

1. Start by whisking together the cassava flour, coconut flour, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs.
3. Next, dip a piece of chicken into the egg wash, then into the flour mixture, back into the egg wash, and back into the flour mixture. Place the chicken onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet or air fryer. (Repeat for each piece of chicken.)

Baking the Chicken Tenders

1. Once the chicken is prepared, bake at 375 degrees for about 8-10 minutes on each side. I also like to broil them on high for 2 minutes at the end for an extra crispy outer coating! If you're air frying them, I would suggest flipping the tenders around 6 minutes. (It takes less time in the air fryer, and they will come out much crispier.)
2. Let them cool for a few minutes, and then place the chicken tenders in a large bowl.
3. Pour about ¼ cup of barbeque sauce or buffalo sauce into the bowl, and mix together until they're completely covered. Serve warm!

Preparing the Salad

1. Start by chopping the fresh lettuce and adding it to a large serving bowl. Set aside while you prepare the vegetables.
2. Next, chop and peel cucumbers, dice tomatoes, and dice the sweet peppers. Then, measure them out, and add them to the serving bowl.
3. Once the vegetables are prepared, it's time to make the dressing! Add all dressing ingredients into a mason jar, place the cover on, and shake until mixed thoroughly. You can also whisk them together in a small bowl.
4. Next, chop the chicken tenders into bite sized pieces, and add them on top of the chopped vegetables and lettuce. Mix around with two large spoons.
5. Finally, pour the dressing on top and mix around until it's evenly distributed. Serve fresh, and enjoy!

Helpful Tips

• If you want to save time on preparing the vegetables, you need a Vegetable Chopper! It does all the chopping for you! Just peel your vegetables, cut them into large chunks, and place them in the chopper. It's easy to use, and guarantees they will all be the same size. You can find it on Amazon, but I've also seen them at Walmart and Marshalls. Check out this video to see it in action!
• Feel free to add whatever vegetables or toppings you have on hand! Avocado, extra cilantro, black beans, chickpeas, olives or corn would be a great addition.
• This recipe is great for meal prep! Instead of making one large salad, break it up into smaller servings for lunches throughout the week. I love using these glass containers for meal prep!
• If you're not planning to eat the whole salad in one sitting, I would add the dressing to the individual serving bowls. Dressing left on salads overnight tends to get soggy.
• Make the dressing in a mason jar! You can easily shake it up to make sure it's fully mixed. Just place the cover on tight, make sure it's sealed, and SHAKE. It also doubles as a great storage container! Whatever is leftover can be sealed up in the mason jar and stored in the refrigerator.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to store leftovers

Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container - I like using glass containers! You can also cover the serving bowl with plastic or reusable wrap.

Store it in the refrigerator for up to five days. If you don't use all of the chicken tenders in the salad, you can store leftover tenders in a separate container in the refrigerator for a few days.

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