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 suited to meal prep.

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

Mason Jar Salad

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

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

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

What is the point of Mason Jar Salads?

Mason Jar Salads are a way to prep salads in advance and keep them fresh. Normally, when you make salad in advance and store it in the refrigerator, it becomes mushy and soggy. With mason jar salads, they are stacked in a specific order to maintain freshness.

Products we 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 – we like grilled chicken in this, but you can use rotisserie chicken or chicken cooked in olive oil and a little seasoning.
• Cheddar cheese – we used fat-free, but you can use any kind you like
• Red onion – we chop ours in bite-size pieces. You could also use marinated red onion.
• Barbecue sauce – Stubbs brand is our favorite for this recipe. We 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 our favorite for this. We thin it out with a little water.
• Mixed greens – we like to buy the spring lettuce mix packages
• Corn – we use frozen and 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.

Do you eat Mason Jar Salads from the jar?

When you’re ready to eat, you can either shake it up and eat it straight from the jar or pour it into a large bowl.

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

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.

We order our ingredients from wet to dry. Some people order them from density, but we 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.

How long will salad last in a mason jar?

Salad will stay fresh up to 4 days in a mason jar when stacked and stored properly.