Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

 

Most people would agree that a salad is only as good as its ingredients. But to me, it's the dressing that truly makes or breaks the dish. I don't care if a salad is brimming with bacon and cheese...if it's covered in some low fat, tasteless dressing, it's not worth opening my mouth for.

Luckily, this salad rocks in both areas. Majorly.

In fact, a salad this good far outshines the name "taco" salad. After all, there's no lunch lady ice cream scoop of ground beef. No deep friend shell. No crumbled Fritos or cheddar cheese. Oh no. While those ingredients usually make other taco salads palatable, they would do nothing but disgrace the mere existence of this salad.

Bite into this alfresco-worthy meal and you'll find all kinds of fresh summertime ingredients. Juicy chicken. Avocado. Cherry tomatoes. Sliced red onion, corn and black beans. All on crisp romaine and tossed with a spicy, creamy cilantro-lime-chipotle dressing that's good enough to be a dip. And I'm talking the kind you eat with a spoon.

Like most, this salad requires a bit of prep, since practically everything in it is fresh and chopped. I started by baking six chicken breasts (I tripled the recipe) with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. When they cooled, I chopped the chicken, avocado, tomato, onion and lettuce, and drained and rinsed the black beans and corn.

Next I prepared the finger-dipping good dressing by chopping cilantro in a food processor and mixing it with sour cream, fresh lime juice, cumin, chili powder, salt and the star of the show, minced chipotle chiles. These hot suckers come canned in adobo sauce, a thick, sweet bbq-like sauce that just begs you to sneak a taste. Just be warned. Unless you have a tongue of steal, I advice against this foolishness or you will surely scream like a little girl. Even if you are a grown man named Luke.

That being said, this dressing definitely has heat. We like a little spice around here, but you may want to taste as you go and add in just enough chipotle to suit your taste buds.

I won't lie and say I didn't "taste test" this creamy, dreamy dressing quite a bit myself while preparing it. And long after it was prepared. And while it was chilling in the fridge. And as I was adding it to the salad....

...but I paused long enough to give the salad a quick toss in the dressing, then headed for our balcony with lime wedges, corn chips and a couple ice cold Coronas. But I must say, the real complement to the meal was the fresh air, sunshine and chirping birds. There's just nothing quite like eating outside. Especially when you're eating something as delicious and fresh as this.

The hubby and I scarfed this salad down so fast, you would have thought it was chock full of something fried. All that sweet onion and tomato...the creamy, spicy dressing...the avocado and juicy chicken. Oh man. To the people below our balcony, we must have looked like nothing but four blurry arms as we shoveled it in at a frightening pace. But then again, you shouldn't keep a good thing waiting.

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad
David Bonom, Cooking Light, AUGUST 2006
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 1/2 cups)

Ingredients:
Dressing:
1/3  cup  chopped fresh cilantro
2/3  cup  light sour cream
1  tablespoon  minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
1  teaspoon  ground cumin
1  teaspoon  chili powder
4  teaspoons  fresh lime juice
1/4  teaspoon  salt
   
Salad:
4  cups  shredded romaine lettuce
2  cups  chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)
1  cup  cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2  cup  diced peeled avocado
1/3  cup  thinly vertically sliced red onion
1  (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1  (8 3/4-ounce) can no-salt-added whole-kernel corn, rinsed and drained

Preparation:
To prepare dressing, combine first 7 ingredients, stirring well.

To prepare salad, combine lettuce and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.

Tip: Add a spoonful of adobo sauce for a spicier salad. Kidney or pinto beans also taste great in this dish.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 249 (30% from fat)
Fat: 8.2g (sat 2.8g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.7g), Protein: 23.3g, Carbohydrate: 25.1g, Fiber: 7g, Cholesterol: 50mg, Iron: 2.2mg, Sodium: 650mg, Calcium: 106mg.

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