Hawaiian Barbecue Chicken Chopped Salad

This Hawaiian Barbecue Chicken Chopped Salad is full of things that will remind you of a tropical island getaway, like juicy pineapple and mango, crunch macadamia nuts and a tangy, creamy pineapple barbecue dressing.

We try to plan a Hawaiian vacation at least once every couple of years. It’s the most relaxing vacation you can imagine, palm trees swaying, the ocean waves gently pounding the shore, and the food. Oh my goodness the food!

If you’ve read about our most recent Hawaiian vacation at Disney’s Aulani Resort HERE then you have seen some photos of the amazing food at that resort. But there is amazing food everywhere. I’ve shared some of my favorite Hawaiian recipes HERE and HERE. But I think this Hawaiian Barbecue Chicken Chopped Salad is my new favorite.

There are bright, crunchy veggies, tender chicken pieces with a sweet and smoky barbecue marinade, macadamia nuts, sesame seeds, and tropical fruits of your choice – I love it with pineapple and mango. The creamy pineapple barbecue dressing has a Greek yogurt base with some mayo and sour cream for added creamy texture, pineapple juice and my new favorite barbecue sauce – Heinz Sweet & Smoky Hawaiian Style BBQ Sauce (no this isn’t a sponsored post, I just really loved it!). The sauce is all natural which, if you read labels,not all of them are. It’s just really delicious and adds a nice smoky flavor to both the chicken and the dressing.

My inspiration for this Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad came from my love of Hawaiian flavors and my love of the BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad from CPK! I mashed the two together and this delightful tropical salad was born. It’s very customizable, as most salads are, so if you don’t love mango, leave it out, or feel free to use almonds instead of macadamia nuts. Do what you love, just make sure you try this salad. It’s perfect for summer!

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Hawaiian Barbecue Chicken Chopped Salad

Kristin Maxwell

Prep Time 40 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 50 mins

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Servings 4 -6 servings

Ingredients

  

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Salad

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Hawaiian BBQ Marinade recipe below
• 4 cups Romaine lettuce chopped
• 2 cups chopped Napa cabbage
• 1 cup chopped red cabbage
• 1 cup grated carrot
• 1 cup diced pineapple fresh or canned
• 1 cup diced fresh mango
• 1/2 cup diced green onion
• Creamy Pineapple BBQ Dressing recipe below
• Sesame seeds
• Toasted macadamia nuts or almonds chopped

Hawaiian Barbecue Marinade

• 1 cup regular or Hawaiian barbecue sauce
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 clove of garlic minced

Creamy Pineapple BBQ Dressing

• 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup Hawaiian BBQ Sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• Salt pepper, honey, to taste

Instructions

 

• Whisk marinade ingredients together in a medium-size bowl. Pour half of the marinade in a zip-top bag and add the chicken breasts and seal. Massage the marinade into the chicken and store in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour, or up to overnight. Store the remaining marinade in a sealed container in the fridge for serving with your meal.
• Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet (I recommend nonstick because of the sugar in the barbecue sauce) over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the sealed bag and discard any remaining marinade. Cook the chicken, flipping once, until no longer pink (about 4 minutes per side). Transfer to a plate and set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, whisk the creamy pineapple bbq dressing ingredients together in a small bowl until thick and well combined.
• Toss chicken, lettuce, cabbage, carrot, pineapple, mango and green onion together in a large bowl with the Pineapple BBQ Dressing. Drizzle with the reserved sauce and garnish with sesame seeds and macadamia nuts.
• Serve immediately.

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Like my Hawaiian Barbecue Chicken Chopped Salad? For more tasty summer salads, try these:

Tropical Chicken Slaw Salad

Teriyaki Chicken Salad

Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

Baked Crispy Chicken with Asian Style Honey Mustard

Creamy Taco Pasta Salad

 For all salads go HERE, for all dinner recipes go HERE and for the recipe index go HERE.