Recently my three sisters came to my house for a "sisters' weekend" visit. We had so much fun! It was the first time we'd ever done anything like that, and while I still had my kids to take care of, my sisters pitched in and helped a ton. They even cleaned out and rearranged a few rooms for me! Now that's love. One of the meals we had during their stay was this salad. It is one of my favorites. My friend, Lara, from recipeshoebox.blogspot, introduced it to me a few years ago and I've been making it loyally ever since. She has lots of great recipes on her website, so you should check it out.
When I first read this recipe I thought that the combination of bbq chicken and mexican-type ingredients was a strange one. But boy does it work. I must say, though, that the absolute star of the show is the dressing. For best results, make it a few hours or a day ahead to let the flavors really come together. Do not make substitutions, like Miracle Whip or off-brand ranch dressing packets. I did that once and was horribly disappointed. I am not lying or exaggerating either, when I admit that we sisters were eating the dressing out of the container with spoons. Sounds disgusting, right? Wrong! Just make it and you'll see.
BBQ Chicken Salad with Cilantro Ranch Dressing
Note: I find it easiest to cook the chicken in a crockpot and make the dressing the morning of or evening before I want to serve it. After the chicken is done cooking, just drain it and mix in the bbq sauce. Doing it ahead of time ensures that all the flavors have melded and makes it quite easy to throw the whole salad together.
The ingredients:
2 hearts of Romaine, chopped
1 can corn, drained (or 15-oz. frozen white corn, thawed)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
15 grape tomatoes, halved (or just chopped tomatoes)
3-4 cooked chicken breasts, cubed or shredded
favorite BBQ sauce
shredded Mozzarella cheese
DRESSING:
1 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup milk
1/2 bunch cilantro
1-2 cloves of garlic
juice of one lime (or 2 Tbs.)
Place lettuce in a serving bowl. Layer with corn, black beans, and tomatoes. Mix cooked chicken with BBQ sauce and top over salad. Sprinkle mozzarella over the top.
Place dressing ingredients into blender or food processor and combine well. Drizzle over salad.
Source: recipeshoebox.blogspot.com
This dressing is to die for! I made it as soon as I returned from a trip to see Heather and have used it not only on salads but as a spread in a grilled sandwich! You will love it!!
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