39. Grilled Chicken Taco Salad with Spicy Cilantro Lime Dressing

Tuesday, in any southern California neighborhood, is Taco Tuesday.  And I’m a big fan of tacos, in all of their various forms.  But when it comes to Taco Salad I immediately harken back to my mom’s version from the ‘70s:  warm ground beef with kidney beans and taco seasoning poured over lettuce, tomatoes, onions and cheese, and served up with a side of nacho cheese Doritos.  Don’t get me wrong, I love that version.  But it’s not something I feel compelled to share as a summer salad.  Nobody wants to put on a bathing suit after eating that salad.  

So I starting looking at creating a Taco Salad that would be both healthy and delicious.  Then I discovered that someone had already done it.  Le Creme De La Crumb, a most excellent food blogger created a Grilled Chicken Taco Salad with Spicy Cilantro Lime Dressing.  It’s spicy, it’s cool, It’s pretty much everything you want in a taco salad.  So I share it with you here, and hope you like it as much as we did.

The dressing is pretty spicy, so if you don't like the heat, cut back on the jalapenos.  I added a half cup of Cotija cheese to balance the heat a bit (and because I love cheese), and thought it was perfect.

Ingredients

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breast, pounded to 1/2” thickness

1 Tbsp taco seasoning

1/4 tsp cayenne powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

6-8 cups chopped romaine lettuce

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup Cotija cheese

1/2 red onion, chopped

2 large avocados, diced

1 cup chopped tomatoes

optional:  tortilla strips and sliced jalapenos

Spicy Cilantro Lime Dressing

1 cup cilantro, loosely packed

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

2 tsp garlic

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

6 Tbsp mayo

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp onion powder

juice of 1 lime

3 Tbsp pickled jalapenos

Add the dressing ingredients to a blender and pulse until smooth.  Cover and chill until ready to use.

Whisk together taco seasoning, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder.  Rub the seasoning into the chicken breasts, coating both sides.  Grill over medium heat 4-5 minutes each side until cooked through.  Chop into bite-sized pieces.

Toss together lettuce, black beans, onions, avocados, tomatoes, cheese and grilled chicken.  Drizzle with dressing.  

Serves 4-6