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Thursday, September 27, 2012

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

Did I not warn you that I'd be posting a lot more salad recipes?  See, I don't tease... at least not too often :)  And what a great salad this was.  Not your traditional taco salad, but that's ok... sometimes traditions are meant to be broken.... or was that rules?  I can never remember.

Seriously, though, this salad was incredible.  So incredible, that Chris was even talking about it the next day!  THAT, my friends, is a very good sign.  Creamy, smokey, delicious.  What more could you want?  Oh, wait.. you want simple too?  You got it :)

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad
Adapted from Cooking Light
- Serves 2 -
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Ranch dressing
2 Tablespoons chipotle puree**
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
For the dressing -
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Tablespoon chipotle puree**
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
For the salad -
4-6 cups green leaf lettuce, torn or roughly chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 English cucumber, sliced in rounds and cut in half
1 avocado, sliced
shredded cheese (optional)
handful of crushed tortilla chips (I used Doritos)

**to make chipotle puree - dump entire 7oz can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce into a food process and pulse until pureed. Viola!**

Directions:
Mix together 1 tablespoon Ranch and 2 tablespoons chipotle puree.  Place the chicken in a shallow dish and pour the mixture over it.  Cover and place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Preheat grill to 375 degrees F.  Clean and oil grill grates.  Remove chicken from the dish and place over direct heat.  Grill 8-10 minutes per side or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.  Remove from grill and allow to cool for 8-10 minutes.  Cut into bite size chunks or pieces.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together all the ingredients for the dressing until well combined.  Place chopped chicken in a bowl, pour 1/2 of the dressing over and toss to combine.  Add more dressing if you want, or use the rest to dress the entire salad at the table.  Your choice :)

Now you can build your salad - start with a bed of lettuce, toss on a few tomatoes and cucumbers, add some avocado slices and top with dressed chicken.  Sprinkle on some tortilla chips and serve.  Enjoy!

One Year Ago:  Grilled Shrimp with Mango and Chiles
Two Years Ago:  Nutella and Peanut Butter Brownies

11 comments:

Debbie said...

Yum, always looking for different salads using chicken and we especially love chipole peppers!

Mary said...

Awesome salad, Jenn. This is one of my favorites. I have something very similar on the menu for this weekend. I love that Chris was still talking about it the next day, definitely a sign of a great meal!

Cranberry Morning said...

Looks delicious, Jenn, and I bet my pepper-loving hubby would love it! As usual, am pinning this. :-)

StephenC said...

Salad Suzie, you've done it again. Although I have to say that when I see "chipotle" or "mascarpone" I hear numerous Food Network voices saying "chip ol te" and "mar sca pone." Be still my sarcastic mouth.

Pam said...

I see you are making up for your lack of salad posts. This one is SCREAMING my name! It looks and sounds fantastic Jenn.

Anonymous said...

this makes my tastebuds sing!!
Mary x

Jean | Delightful Repast said...

Jenn, that's my kind of dinner, especially in hot weather. And I've still got cherry tomatoes coming on strong in the garden, so ... any day now!

Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch) said...

This sounds really good Jenn.

Mary Bergfeld said...

I have to try this one.It sounds fantastic. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings...Mary

Angie's Recipes said...

The more the merrier! I am a a fan of salads. This looks simply yum!

Chris said...

Well I can eat this kind of salad and be happy with it!