I posted this on Instagram stories after spending the day at the pool with my Aunt Buggie and got so many questions I had to ask Buggie for more details!

She wants you to know she adapted this from @thecookierookie by shortcutting the chicken and leaving out the cheese. Recipe here.  The beauty is that you can prep it well ahead and with the black beans and chicken it really serves as a full meal.

 There are so many great shortcuts in this that make it an easy prep-ahead salad that you can get on the table fast!

If she looks familiar, you likely remember her from the viral “Buggie’s Fire Crackers” which she made for the first stop of my book tour. 

 The base is a ton of chopped romaine with all these yummy fixins on top!

You will need:

For The Salad:

• Romaine lettuce, 8-12 cups. Depending on the crowd you could stretch this to make the salad bigger. 
• Barbecue chicken, 1-2lb depending on crowd/preference. 
• 1 can black beans (15 oz)
• Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1-2 cups corn, canned or frozen
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1 cup tortilla strips

For The Dressing:

• 3/4 cup ranch dressing
• 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
  

Note: You could totally prep barbecue chicken however you prefer. Buggie bought this fully cooked chicken from Costco as another easy shortcut. It was great!!

 

Buggie then mixed 3/4 cup ranch and 1/4 cup barbecue sauce to make the dressing.

That’s it! You can prep everything well in advance with the romaine on the bottom, then dress, toss, and add the tortilla strips when you’re ready to eat!

I am calling it the prep-ahead salad of the summer and fully intend on repeating this all summer long.