This is one awesome salad. Awesome. I loved everything about it - the tang of the red onion and BBQ sauce mixed with the cool creaminess of the ranch dressing and avocado. The basil (and I'm sure the cilantro, too, if I had remembered to ask SP to buy it) added complexity to the romaine. I love the pop of corn kernels in salad and the black beans were a great way to add protein and a slight creaminess. And you can never go wrong with fresh tomatoes this time of year. Everything came together beautifully and I wished the bowl had been twice as big.
I love that Baby Girl eats salad now. She snacked on all the ingredients as I was chopping them up and then chowed down on her portion. This was a great weeknight meal. I was able to grill the chicken during the day so I didn't even have to turn on the stove or dirty a pot/pan at dinnertime.
California Pizza Kitchen's Original BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad
Slightly modified from Lauren’s Latest
2-3 Romaine hearts, chopped
1/4 cup basil leaves, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup rinsed and drained black beans
1 cup drained sweet corn
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1 cup grated Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese
1/4-1/2 cup prepared ranch dressing, such as Hidden Valley
1 large tomato, diced
1 ripe avocado, sliced
2 leftover grilled chicken breasts, chilled and diced
1/4-1/2 cup prepared BBQ sauce*
In a large bowl, combine lettuce with the basil, cilantro, black beans, corn, red onion and cheese. Toss with ranch dressing (just enough to coat) and divide between serving bowls. Place diced tomatoes around the edges of each bowl, top with avocado slices and diced grilled chicken. Drizzle BBQ sauce over top the whole thing and serve.
*If you didn't grill your chicken with BBQ sauce, dice cooled chicken breast, toss in a little BBQ sauce, place on salad and drizzle with more sauce.
You are so lucky she eats salad! This looks great.
ReplyDeleteI love the ranch and BBQ together. I love chopped salads, looks great!
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