Wednesday, October 20, 2010

BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad

I am NOT complaining... but (okay, maybe it is complaining) ... but it's 85 degrees and sunny.  Again.

I am so ready for Autumn.  For soups and risotto and stews and lots of carbs... but none of those sound good when it's so beautiful outside.  SO... here's tonights dinner: BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad

I got the idea for this from a fantastic salad at Chili's.  The ranch dressing at Chili's is the best and nothing else comes close - but all the other flavors in this salad help to make up for the lack of excitement in the dressing.

1 bag of salad greens - rinsed & chilled
1 handful of fresh cilantro, rinsed/chopped (I toss this in the salad spinner with the lettuce but don't chop it too small or it'll flow out the vents.  Trust me on that one.)

Grill 2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts and baste with BBQ sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's is my favorite). 
Chop & set aside (this is also GREAT for leftover chicken - just chop & toss with BBQ sauce).

1 can black beans, rinsed/drained
1 can Niblets, drained
1 avocado, chopped
1 lime - juiced

toss the avocado with the lime & ranch dressing.  Then toss it all with the salad/cilantro and place into bowls.
Top with a handful of corn/black beans and then the BBQ chicken.

Easy peasy.  Great additions would be: chopped peppers, BACON, cheese - you could surely sub out taco meat -- but this is a big favorite in my house and my six year old ALWAYS eats several bowls of salad when I serve this. 

That's it!!  Hope you enjoy!

3 comments:

  1. Well when I can eat food with any flavor again, this will be a MUST!!! Thanks for sharing!!

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  2. Stephanie... the Sassy MomOctober 20, 2010 at 6:26 PM

    Oh - SORRY! Forgot I had a real "Foodie" on here who wouldn't be familiar with Niblets.
    It's just canned corn - I happen to prefer the Green Giant brand Niblets - they're in a smaller can, less water and they seem to taste better than any other canned corn.

    You could, of course, use any other canned corn (not creamed!) or frozen or even cut it off the cob if you're that ambitious. :)

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