BBQ Chicken Salad with Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing

I love this salad! I love that it is a light, easy, quick to throw together, plate licking good meal. The dressing is so incredible, I seriously could drink it. The hint of bbq tops it off to pefection. For Mother's Day, my sweet husband  made me this for dinner. I just love that he knows me so well. I had been telling him lately, that I had been craving a really good salad. He must have noted that and made the perfect dinner for me! It was delicious and what was even better was that I didn't have to cook! 

Mels Kitchen Cafe is one of my amazing go to websites when I need another idea for dinner. I have tried so many of her recipes and they have all been wonderful! I made this salad for a bridal shower and everybody raved about it! It really is amazing. 

With summer coming up, this would be a perfect summer meal to make. You can just throw your chicken in the crockpot in the morning and everything else comes together really fast. Super easy delicious meal. 

BBQ Chicken Salad
Courtesy of Mels Kitchen Cafe

3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups BBQ sauce
½ head iceberg lettuce
cored and chopped
2 romaine hearts chopped
1/2 red onion diced
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cubed small or shredded
4 ounces Monterey jack cheese, cubed small or shredded

Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise, light or regular
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 to 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
DIRECTIONS:

For the salad, combine the cooked chicken and BBQ sauce in a medium bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use. In a large bowl, toss together the iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, red onion, cilantro, corn, black beans and cheese. Toss the mixed salad with about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the dressing, if desired. Otherwise, you can serve the dressing on the side. Place salad on plates and top with the prepared BBQ chicken and additional dressing.

For the dressing, combine all the ingredients together and whisk (or shake, if using a jar) vigorously to combine. You could also run this through a blender to make it even more smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.