For picnic or potluck fare, a hearty grain salad can be a delicious, colorful and inexpensive option.

This seriously flavorful barley, bacon and avocado salad with roasted chicken can be served warm or cold and costs less than $1.50 per serving.

Quick-cooking barley is a convenient whole grain that has a subtle, nutty flavor and is quite filling, so it is well suited for stretching out a main-course salad.

The recipe calls for using the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken, which often is cheaper than buying a whole uncooked bird. Nonetheless, you can use your own roast chicken or almost any leftover meat you have on hand.

Many grocers also offer a discount on rotisserie chickens that were cooked but didn’t sell the day before. Look for these in the refrigerated section near the deli or meat counters.

Barley, bacon and    avocado salad with roasted chicken

Start to finish: 40 minutes (20 minutes active)

Servings: 10

For the dressing:

4 tablespoons cider vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

For the salad:

6 slices bacon, cut into thin strips

1 cup quick-cook barley

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups water

2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed

1/2 cup coarsely chopped red onion

2- to 3-pound rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, meat remove from bones and shredded (4 to 5 cups of meat)

2 medium tomatoes, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 small avocado, pitted, peeled and diced

To make the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Set aside.

To make the salad, in a medium saucepan over medium, cook the bacon until crisp, about 8 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain.

Discard the fat from the saucepan. Add the barley, salt and water, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer.

Cover the pan and cook the barley until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain in a colander, pressing out any excess moisture with the back of a spoon. Transfer to a large serving bowl to cool.

Add the corn, onion, reserved bacon, shredded chicken and dressing, then toss well. Add the tomatoes and avocado and toss gently. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 320 calories; 134 calories from fat; 15 g fat (3 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 49 mg cholesterol; 26 g carbohydrate; 21 g protein; 5 g fiber; 339 mg sodium.