Chicken Taco Salad

I know, I know. I haven't been a great blogger lately. As I said in my July recap post, I've lost my mojo. I'm not making many new recipes and I've had writers block trying to blog the ones I have made.

But this salad...oh man. I love a good dinner salad and this Chicken Taco Salad from Pioneer Woman fit the bill. Lots of fresh veggies mixed with lettuce and grilled chicken.

I opted to grill the chicken rather than cooking it in oil and butter. I also made a quick rub with various spices (chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper) rather than use taco seasoning. And since I had some tortillas leftover I decided to make some cheese queadillas as a side dish. Man, there is just something about a plain cheese quesadilla paired with a flavorful salad. Yum.

Chicken Taco Salad
As seen on The Pioneer Woman

Dressing:
3/4 cups ranch dressing
1/4 cup salsa
3 tablespoons finely minced cilantro
Chicken:
2 chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
cooking spray
Salad:
2 ears corn, shucked
2 romaine hearts, shredded thin
3 roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup grated pepper Jack cheese
2 whole avocados, diced
3 scallions, sliced
1/2 cup cilantro
Tortilla chips, crushed slightly

Combine the dressing ingredients in a bowl and stir together. Cover and refrigerate.

Generously season both sides of the chicken breasts with the taco seasoning or spices. Spray a grill pan with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken for 5 minutes, then flip and cook for another 4 minutes. Remove from the grill pan and set aside to cool slightly, then cut it into cubes.

Place the ears of corn on the grill pan. Cook until the corn is browned in spots. Remove from the pan and cut off the kernels with a sharp knife. Set aside.

To assemble the salad, pile the chicken, corn, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, avocado, scallions, cilantro, and crushed chips on a big platter. Drizzle the dressing all over the top, or serve it on the side so everyone can dress their own salad.