In college, I loved to go to the salad bar. I loved to load up as many toppings as I could and make a fabulous meal out of it. This salad has a perfect balance of toppings: crunchy, sweet, tangy and saucy. And what isn’t made better by ranch dressing?!
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 45 min |
| Active: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced small
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 small rotisserie chicken, skin removed, meat shredded
- 1/2 cup BBQ Sauce, recipe follows, or store-bought
- 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
- One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 firm ripe avocado, peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup Ryan’s Pickled Onions, recipe follows
- 1/4 cup fried onions
- Ranch Dressing, recipe follows, or store-bought
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup minced yellow onion
- 2 cups ketchup
- 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 cup apple cider
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon peppercorns
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons minced chives
- 2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Coat the sweet potato in the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and some black pepper. Spread in an even layer on the baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and softened, 15 to 18 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- In a medium bowl, combine the chicken with BBQ Sauce to taste. Toss to coat and set aside.
- To a large bowl, add the romaine. Add the sweet potatoes, black beans, cherry tomatoes and avocado. Season with salt and black pepper. Add the BBQ chicken, pickled onions and fried onions. Drizzle with some Ranch Dressing, saving the rest to serve on the side. Season with some more black pepper over the top.
- Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onions until translucent, 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in the ketchup, broth, vinegar, sugar, molasses, Worcestershire, chili powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, mustard, cumin and coriander. Bring to a low boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
- Place the onions in a jar. Whisk the water, vinegar and cider with the sugar and salt until dissolved. Add the peppercorns. Pour over the onions and refrigerate for at least an hour before using. Keeps for about 2 weeks.
- In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, buttermilk, chives, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Reviews
Really tasty, we did roast and dice some chicken breasts instead of using the rotisserie but everything else was kept the same and everyone enjoyed it
This salad was easy but a lot of work! I have two kids and it took me the span of two afternoon nap times to prepare all of the individual components but it was well worth the effort. This is the best salad I’ve ever had. My one tweak to the recipe was to add dill to the ranch—I know Katie says it doesn’t need it but I couldn’t bear to leave it out!
Been eating this for 4 meals…it is DELICIOUS! I used Sweet Baby Rays (no sugar version), Ryan’s pickled onions are a mainstay in the frig, and now I have made Katie’s Ranch while being skeptical on the lack of dill. She is right, it doesn’t belong! First homemade ranch I have made that I like (and I have made dozens). The whole thing is perfect together. I was also skeptical of the sweet potato, but it is awesome! Highly recommend.
Made this tonight! Usually, something with this many components can get busy and muddled, but this is SO well-balanced and delicious! Every bite is slightly different, and no one ingredient is singing solo. And so easy to make! Sublime!!!