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Grilled Chicken Sausage Salad is a little crunchy, a little smoky, and a little sweet – everything you want in a flavor-packed summer meal. A mix of chicken sausage, pineapple, fresh corn, avocado, and crisp lettuce is finished with a creamy BBQ Ranch dressing. A warm weather favorite!
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: American
- Primary Cooking Method: Stovetop
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free, Dairy-free option
- Skill Level: Easy
What Makes This Grilled Chicken Salad So Good?
Lots of contrasting flavors and textures make this grilled chicken sausage salad stand out! I took inspiration from my Pineapple Chicken Salad and Tzatziki Chicken Salad recipes to incorporate plenty of juicy pineapple along with other veggies like tomatoes, cucumber, and avocado. Then I drizzled everything with a creamy dressing spiked with BBQ sauce (a great way to use your homemade Bourbon BBQ Sauce, by the way). The secret ingredient here is lightly crisp charred corn that adds depth of flavor and crunch. Add a little sharp cheese, layer up this salad, and dig in. A few highlights include:
- So easy. I love setting out bowls of each ingredient at gatherings and letting my guests make their own salads!
- Perfect warm-weather meal. Let the grill do the work of heating the sausage, corn, and pineapple. I love that I don’t have to turn on my oven.
- Great mix of flavors and textures. Smoky, sweet, crunchy, tender—this salad has it all! And the deliciously tangy Ranch finishes it off perfectly.
Recipe Ingredients
I’ve included everything you’ll need for this salad in the ingredients list below. Make sure to check the recipe card at the end of this post for the full ingredient amounts.
- Chicken Sausage: I used Al Fresco Sweet & Smoky BBQ sausage, but you can use what you like.
- Pineapple
- Corn: I used 4 ears of fresh corn on the cob.
- Avocado
- Cucumber
- Grape Tomatoes: Or use cherry tomatoes.
- Lettuce: Such as spring mix or your favorite lettuce.
- Optional Toppings: Shredded cheddar cheese, bacon(cooked and crumbled), barbecue sauce, slightly crushed tortilla chips.
- Dressing: Plain Greek yogurt, olive oil, Kosher salt, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley (dried or fresh), dill (dried or fresh), barbecue sauce (like my Honey BBQ Sauce), and apple cider vinegar.
How to Make Grilled Chicken Sausage Salad
Here’s how to make this easy salad:
- Grill. Place the corn on the grill over medium heat and grill for 10 minutes. A few minutes in, add pineapple rounds and sausage slices and cook for a few minutes per side.
- Assemble. Cut the corn from the cob, then portion out the ingredients on the table. Allow your guests to assemble their salads or layer the ingredients in a bowl.
Tips and Variation Ideas
- Set up a salad bar. Instead of plating each salad individually, put out all the toppings on place and in bowls and let everyone customize their own salad! This is perfect if you, like me, have a kid who doesn’t like tomatoes and a husband who doesn’t eat cucumbers.
- Use regular chicken. I have also made this salad using rotisserie or cooked, chopped chicken breast, or my Baked BBQ Chicken, and it is lovely! You can even use Gluten Free Popcorn Chicken.
- Add more veggies. Celebrate summer produce by adding heirloom tomatoes, fresh spinach, and more.
- Skip the pineapple. I love the addition of juicy pineapple here, but if you want a more vegetable-forward salad, omit it or substitute chopped fresh apple.
- Different cheese. Feel free to try other cheeses, such as Jack cheese or crumbled cojita cheese, instead of the cheddar.
- Another dressing. I have lots of Greek yogurt-based dressings on this site, and you could try a different one with this salad. I love Jalapeno Ranch Dressing for a bit of spice, and Avocado Ranch Dressing is also nice.
How to Store Extras
Place any leftovers in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Serve the salad straight from the fridge.
Make It a Meal
While this chicken sausage salad can be dinner on its own, you might want to round out the meal a little more with these serving suggestions.
- Bread. You can’t go wrong with a hunk of Gluten Free Cornbread or some Gluten Free Biscuits with your salad.
- With BBQ sides. Go all-in on the BBQ flavors and serve salad with Mexican Street Corn, Taco Slaw, and Baked Beans!
- Make it with pasta. Make this into a heartier meal by tossing the salad ingredients with your favorite gluten-free pasta to create more of a pasta salad.
- Add a side of potatoes. I like serving chicken salad with Smashed Potatoes or Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes. And Greek Fries or Air Fryer French Fries are always welcome!
More Salads to Try
Grilled Chicken Sausage Salad
Grilled chicken sausage salad features a mix of chicken sausage, pineapple, fresh corn, avocado, and crisp lettuce drizzled with a creamy BBQ sauce dressing.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 24 ounces Chicken Sausage (I used al fresco Sweet & Smoky BBQ)
- 1 pineapple cored and sliced
- 4 ears corn on the cob
- 1 avocado chopped
- 1 cucumber peeled if desired, and chopped
- 1 pint grape tomatoes halved
- 6 cups spring mix or your favorite lettuce
- Optional toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, cooked and crumbled bacon or turkey bacon, your favorite barbecue sauce, slightly crushed tortilla chips
For the Greek Yogurt BBQ Ranch Salad Dressing:
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh dill or ½ teaspoon dried dill
- ¼ cup barbecue sauce
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Instructions
For the salad:
- Preheat your grill to medium heat.
- Slice the al fresco 24 ounces Chicken Sausage on a diagonal into about one-half inch thick slices.
- Cut the top, bottom, and sides off of the 1 pineapple and cut into about half inch thick slices. If desired, use biscuit cutters to cut out the core and cut the slices into circles.
- Place the 4 ears corn on the cob on the grill, and cook until hot and slightly charred, about ten minutes, turning frequently. After the corn has been on the grill for a couple of minutes, add the pineapple and cook about 3-4 minutes per side, turning once. Then add the slices of chicken sausage to the grill and cook for about two minutes per side, or until heated through.
- Remove everything from the grill. Allow the corn to cool slightly before cutting off of the cob.
- Place all of the salad toppings on platters or in bowls and allow your guest to create their own salads. Or divide 6 cups spring mix between plates, and top with grilled sausage, pineapple, and corn, as well as 1 pint grape tomatoes, 1 cucumber and 1 avocado. Add optional toppings, as desired, and drizzle with Greek Yogurt BBQ Ranch Salad Dressing, and your favorite barbecue sauce, if desired.
For the Greek Yogurt BBQ Ranch Salad Dressing:
- Combine 1 cup plain Greek yogurt1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon Kosher salt, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon fresh minced parsley, 1 teaspoon minced fresh dill and ¼ cup barbecue sauce except the 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar in a bowl and mix until thoroughly combined. Add the vinegar to achieve desired consistency
- If possible, let sit in the refrigerator for at least a couple hours to allow the flavors to develop.
- Stir again before serving.
Nutrition Facts
Grilled Chicken Sausage Salad
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 506
Calories from Fat 225
% Daily Value*
Fat 25g38%
Saturated Fat 5g25%
Cholesterol 82mg27%
Sodium 1520mg63%
Potassium 840mg24%
Carbohydrates 51g17%
Fiber 6g24%
Sugar 28g31%
Protein 26g52%
Vitamin A 1900IU38%
Vitamin C 103.7mg126%
Calcium 92mg9%
Iron 2.6mg14%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Disclaimers: Please discuss your individual dietary needs (i.e. gluten free) with a physician. Even when not specified, be sure to verify all ingredients are gluten free, if needed, by reading labels on all packaging and/or confirming with the manufacturer this varies by brand and can change at any time. Nutrition information shown is an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate.
Did you make this?
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What a great salad! I think we might have this for dinner tonight.
Nice looking salad. I dont often serve salad at my cookouts but I might just have to give this a go! Nice pics too!
What a great spread!
Wow Brianne, I would love to be at your block parties! It all looks delicious. I have no idea how you manage to get that perfect sear on everything. Shows real talent.
Wow what a spread, looks so tasty!
What a great way to host a party! I love the idea of a DIY salad bar and all these different options sound fantastic (especially the sausage)!
This looks like the perfect way to throw a celebration! Everyone’s happy!
This is such a beautiful Summer salad! I love all of the ingredients you used, so good!
Those veggies look great!
You are so right! This is such a fantastic and delicious way to entertain! Looks amazing!
Salad parties – I’m so going to make it a thing! 🙂