Grilled Chicken over Southwestern Romaine Salad
Salads as dinner don't make it to our table that often. It's not that I don't enjoy them, I just don't think of making them when I'm doing my meal planning. But then I saw this recipe for a Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad on the blog Cara's Creature Comforts. I love anything with Southwestern or Mexican flavors, and the chipotle dressing seemed interesting, so I decided to give it a try.
I did make several changes. Instead of using cubed, cooked chicken breast, I decided to marinate and grill our chicken to add some flavor and texture. I made some homemade tortilla strips to garnish the salad, and also added some fresh cheese on top. Because of these changes I named my version of the salad Grilled Chicken over Southwestern Romaine Salad.
The chipotle dressing was so good - creamy, tangy, and smoky. The tortilla strips added a nice crunch, and the fresh cheese added some saltiness. And Cara is right about the salad still being good after sitting dressed in the fridge. I had leftover salad the next day for lunch.
Below is my version of this great salad -
The Salad Dressing
- Handful of chopped cilantro
- 6 oz sour cream
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo along with about a teaspoon of the adobo sauce
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- Juice from 1/2 of a lime
- 1/4 tsp salt
The Chicken
Marinate 2 chicken breasts in olive oil, a few cloves of garlic, and juice of 1 lime for 1-2 hours. Grill until cooked through. Let rest a few minutes then slice and serve over the salad.
The Tortilla Strips
Cut 5 corn tortillas into strips. Heat 1/4 inch of oil in a deep pan over high heat. Add the tortilla strips and cook until lightly browned. Remove and place on paper towels and quickly season with salt. Serve over the salad.
The Salad (for 2)
- 2 heads of Romaine lettuce, washed and chopped
- 1/4 red onion, chopped
- 1 c frozen corn, thawed
- 1 large tomato, chopped
- 1/2 of a 15 oz can of black beans, rinsed
- Handful of crumbled fresh cheese (queso fresco or ricotta salata)
