Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

I'm always on the lookout for new main course salads, so when my friend Jessy posted this one for Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad I immediately added it to my weekly menu.


I ended up bringing this into work for lunch instead of eating it at home. Now that I'm taking a weekly exercise class we end up doing FFY (Fend For Yourself) one night a week and my plan had been to eat this when I got home, but SP got me a sandwich instead. I chopped everything the night before and kept the veggies and chicken separate from the lettuce and the dressing, combining everything in the bowl at the last minute.

I think I need to admit to myself that I'm just not a chipotle fan. Or maybe I am but in very small doses. I dipped a piece of lettuce into the dressing before putting it on the whole salad and it was overwhelmingly chiptole flavored, which is great if you love the flavor and not so great if you're like me. Combined with the lettuce, chicken and veggies the flavor is more muted but I found myself wishing for good old Ranch dressing instead. Even so, I cleaned my plate. I love a good salad, especially if it includes avocado. Couldn't let that go to waste.

The only real change I made from Jessy's recipe was to omit the black beans and sub Mexicorn for the regular corn. I bought two cans (and only needed one) when I made the BBQ Chicken Ranch Salad and really dug the bits of peppers mixed in with the corn.

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad
Gourmet Day to Day

Dressing:
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Salad:
4 cups shredded romaine (or spring mix) lettuce
2 cups chopped roasted skinless chicken
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 diced peeled avocado
1/3 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (I omitted but add them in if you like beans)
1 can Mexicorn, rinsed and drained

To prepare dressing, combine first 7 ingredients, stirring well.

To prepare salad, combine lettuce and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.