Chopped Chicken Taco Salad

What what!

I love this salad.  When I first starting dating my husband I learned about this salad from his sister (my now sister-in-law, and one of my closest friends).  Awwwwww, how cute!

My husband’s entire family LOOOOOOOOOOVES Mexican food.  I’m pretty sure they would eat ALL the Mexican food everywhere if possible. They’ve been to every hole-in-the-wall taco joint and Mexican restaurant in the city, and are just as happy with Taco Bell as they are with the real deal.  

So, my sis-in-law created this genius taco salad served over spanish rice.  

SOLD. She had me at rice.

I’ve been making a version of this salad for ten years and have finally created the version I choose to share with you!  It takes some effort, yes, and by effort I mean time.  I know, boo.  Just DO IT.

You can easily take the short cut and buy a box of spanish rice which I will happily admit that it’s equally delicious. However, I’ve decided to create a semi healthier version and make my own homemade spanish brown rice.  Yep. I did. 

Can you dig it?

The rice is like a little surprise at the bottom of each bite.  Make the rice, make the salad. Scoop some rice into the bottom of your bowl and top it with the salad.  SO MUCH YES.

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Chopped Chicken Taco Salad

• Yield: 4 1x

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the chicken

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup fresh lime juice
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

For the rice

• 1 cup uncooked brown rice
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes (quartered)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ½ onion (small dice)
• ½ teaspoon salt

For the ranch dressing (with a kick)

• ¼ cup greek yogurt
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup buttermilk
• ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
• ¼ teaspoon dried basil
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
• About 10 dashes of Tabasco

For the salad

• 8 cups romaine (chopped)
• 1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes (quartered)
• 1 cup cooked corn
• ½ cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 1 avocado (diced and lightly tossed in 2 tablespoons of lime juice)
• A few handfuls of crushed tortilla chips

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Instructions

For the chicken

1. 1) Place chicken breasts in a dish. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, garlic, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Pour marinade over chicken and make sure chicken is well coated. Cover chicken and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. Once chicken has marinated, grill chicken for 6-8 minutes on each side. Let cool, dice the chicken and set aside.

For the rice

1. 1) In a medium bowl combine the chicken stock, garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, onion, and salt. Using that liquid mixture, cook the rice according to the package. Once cooked, set aside.

For the ranch dressing (with a kick)

1. 1) Whisk together the yogurt, mayonnaise, buttermilk, parsley, basil, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and tabasco sauce until well combined. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

For the salad

1. 1) In a large bowl add the romaine, chicken, black beans, tomatoes, corn, cheese, and cilantro. Toss with just enough dressing to coat, then gently toss in the avocado and crushed tortilla chips. Serve salad over a few scoops of the spanish rice and serve with extra tortilla chips for scooping!

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Notes

*Dressing makes about 1 ½ cups – Save the rest for dipping veggies!

Surprise!