Tex-Mex Chicken Chopped Salad

Yesterday after work, I had to run out to my parents’ house, so I swung by the new house to check on the status of everything. Eeeek, its really starting to come together! 16 days until we are in our new house! WE ARE SO READY!

Did I mention that my parents left yesterday for a 3 week trip to Maui, New Zealand, and Sydney? To say I am jealous is an understatement, but I hope they have a blast!

Last night, I tried a new salad I had not made before. It was similar to one I actually created back a couple of months ago, but the dressing is what makes this salad. Surprisingly, it is only three ingredients. I am having this salad for lunch as well, and I’m so excited about it! I devoured it last night! You can really make this as healthy or unhealthy as you want. I decided to make this healthy (besides the tortilla chips), but I did portion them out and only had one serving.

In the original recipe it called for cilantro and onions, but since I was cooking for four of us, I decided against those. Until I looked back at the recipe, I didn’t realize how many little things I changed. I also decided to roast some corn in the over on 425 degrees for about 25 mins. I rubbed olive oil on both ears of corn and wrapped them in aluminum foil, then placed in oven. When they were done, I cut the corn off the cob. You can also grill the corn which is really what I prefer, but it was cold last night!

Lastly, the original recipe called for lime juice to be tossed in the salad, and I actually decided to add it to the dressing since I was plating these separately (my sister’s husband doesn’t like tomatoes).  Instead of roma tomatoes, I used cherry since we really aren’t in tomato season.

Tex-Mex Dressing Ingredients 

1 cup light ranch dressing

2 Tablespoons 40% less sodium mild taco seasoning

½ of a lime, squeezed for the juice

Salad Ingredients 

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in bite-size pieces

5 cups Romaine lettuce, chopped

1 cup of cherry tomatoes, slice in half

2 ears of corn, roasted in the oven

1 (15 oz) can low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed

½ cup mild reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded

52 Scoops tortilla chips, crushed

Instructions

• In a small bowl, whisk together ranch dressing, taco seasoning and lime juice until combined. Cover and place in fridge to chill until ready to use.
• In a large non-stick skillet, pour a hint of olive oil into the pan, cook and stir chicken pieces over medium-high heat until cooked through. About 12 minutes. While chicken is cooking, season with salt and pepper.
• When chicken is finished cooking, let cool slightly then add to salad. You can toss this salad all together and then plate or you can plate separately and drizzle the salad dressing on top.
• Serve immediately in individual bowls and enjoy!

Happy Eating! 

Original Recipe- http://life-in-the-lofthouse.com/tex-mex-chicken-chopped-salad/