Grilled Lime Chicken Salad with Smoky Chipotle Dressing

I’m going to try to make this quick because I’m quite sleep deprived this evening. Sick kid, enough said. She’s fine now and sleeping soundly.

This grilled lime chicken salad is super good as it is, but if you wanted to deconstruct it and put the main ingredients in a taco shell, I think you’d be very happy. I plan to make the Chipotle dressing for a taco party we’re having this weekend. If you have never worked with Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, I strongly encourage you to do so. They add a great smoky, spicy flavor to chili, marinades, salad dressings, scrambled eggs, and any of your favorite Mexican dishes. You usually only need a small amount for a single recipe so I puree the whole can and refrigerate what I don’t use. The puree will keep at least a couple weeks that way but you can also freeze it if you don’t think you will use it that fast.

Grilled Lime Chicken Salad with Smoky Chipotle Dressing

(makes 4 – 6 salads)

1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped and rinsed
1 cup bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained if using canned
1 cup frozen corn, thawed (you may, of course, use fresh if you have it)
1 cup cheddar or jack cheese, shredded

1 pound marinated and grilled chicken breast (marinade recipe below)

smoky chipotle dressing (recipe below)

1 – 2 ripe avocados, diced
1 large tomato, diced
2 – 3 green onions/scallions, chopped
chopped cilantro
tortilla chips

Lime Marinade

1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 4 limes)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and grated or finely chopped
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano flakes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Stir all the ingredients in a 9×11 glass pan until combined.

Thinly slice 1 lb chicken breast

Place chicken in marinade. Slicing it thinly will shorten the time it needs to marinate so you don’t have to worry about doing it hours ahead of time. Allow it to marinate for @ 1/2 hour, turn chicken over after 15 minutes, while you prepare your dressing and salad veggies.

Smoky Chipotle Dressing

1 – 3 tablespoons chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, pureed (start with 1 tablespoon and taste it before you add more)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Greek yogurt, plain
2 teaspoons onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
salt & pepper, to taste

Puree Chipotle in adobo then combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Taste it and make adjustments if you need to.

Assemble your salad.

You can do it any way you want, it’s your salad after all.

Have a lovely Memorial Day Weekend!

Nighty Night