BBQ Chicken Salad

Hello Again!

Jill here, Cindy's daughter.  Every once in a while I like to hack into my momma's blog and post a thing or two.

Recently, my handsome man Scotty started working nights, so I get to make tasty salads every night for dinner...he is a meat and potatoes kind of guy, so salads rarely (and by rarely, I mean never) make an appearance as the main dish on my menus. 

A few nights ago, I started throwing things together for a salad and by the end I had created something delicious. I'm going to take you step by step through the process, there is no real recipe here. And, although all the components might not seem to work, they really do...trust me on this one!!

First, let's make the dressing. a few weeks ago my mom posted this Honey Mustard Sauce. As is turns out, it makes a fabulous salad dressing. seriously folks, do yourself a favor and go make this dressing right now. It's very simple but the flavor will amaze you. It will keep in your fridge for atleast a week, probably longer but it's never lasted that long in my fridge. It may seem a little *Ahem* fattening, but come on...we are eating salad for pete's sake. We can afford a few extra calories, right?? :) I'm sure you can slim it down easily with low-fat mayo if you feel the need.

Next, cook up some chicken.  I love the chicken tenders from Costco...you can cook two or twenty, it just depends on how many people you are feeding.  Put them in the pan frozen, and squeeze a little bit of BBQ sauce (I like Sweet Baby Ray's) on the frozen chicken. Put a lid on the pan and cook it on medium heat for 10-12 minutes.  when it's done, slice it up, and throw it in a bowl with some more BBQ sauce.

This chicken can be made and refrigerated for a few days, so I usually make enough for a few salads. This will cut down your prep and clean up time on an already quick meal!

Next, let's make the salad.  Slice up some Romaine. I love slicing lettuce...there is something about the sound of a blade slicing through crispy lettuce that is almost therapeutic. Is that weird? Probably. I'm weird. 

I also like to julienne carrots in there. Have you ever used a Julienne peeler? It's quite possibly the best $10.99 you will ever spend...not kidding. I use this thing nearly every day...salads, stirfry, pasta dishes, soups, you name it!

Mine is from Pampered Chef. If you ever use carrots, this needs to be in your kitchen.

After you julienne your carrots, thinly slice some green onions to throw in there too. Oh, and grate a little sprinkle of cheddar cheese in there to, just to add a little more depth.

The last thing for the salad is your "crunch". Normally, I would use croutons, but these crispy wonton strips are the perfect amount of texture and crunch needed to complete your salad.

You can find them in the produce section with the salad toppings (or you can make you own, but who has time for that these days? right??)

Throw it all in a bowl (and decorate it with your beautifully julienned carrots...appearance is everything, afterall) and serve it up!!  It's fresh and hearty, without being too heavy.  There is a great range of flavors and textures that all work perfectly together.

So, quick recap...

- Honey Mustard Dressing (I usually double this recipe to use several times)

- Chicken sliced and tossed with BBQ sauce

- Romaine Lettuce

- Julienned carrots

- Green onions

- Grated cheese

- Crispy wonton strips

* And any other goodies that suit your fancy...this is America afterall, you can put what ever you want in your salad :)

Thanks for letting me stop by, I'm sure you'll be seeing me again!!