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