Southwestern Chicken Salad with Chili-Lime Ranch

In class last Friday we made this salad dressing, I loved it so much I just had to make it again. There is so much flavor and spice it's overwhelmingly delicious. What's also awesome is that there will be leftover corn and black bean salad which can be used to dip chips in!

Southwestern Chicken Salad with Chili-Lime Ranch

2 chicken breasts

cumin, chili powder and cajun seasoning

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Season the chicken breasts and grill {I used the George Foreman} for about 10 minutes. Take off the grill and put onto a sheet pan lined with foil and bake for 10 minutes.
• Once the chicken breasts are ready, take them out and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut into bite-sized slices.

lettuce, chopped

1 15 oz can corn, drained and rinsed

1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

cilantro, chopped

tomatoes, diced

green onions, sliced

cheese, shredded

tortilla chips

avocado, sliced

chili-lime ranch {recipe below}

• Chop the lettuce and put it into ice water.
• In a small bowl add the corn, black beans, cilantro, tomatoes and green onion and mix well.
• Put a portion of lettuce into a bowl and top with the corn and black bean mixture. Top with the sliced chicken breast, avocado, cheese, tortilla chips and drizzle with the dressing.

Chili-Lime Ranch

2 serrano peppers

1 poblano pepper

1 packet buttermilk ranch

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon cajun seasoning

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup lime juice

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 of an onion, chopped

• Set your oven to broiler and put the peppers in. Turn them so that their skin blackens evenly. Once done, take them out and put into a bowl and cover.
• In a bowl, mix the packet of ranch, buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream and spices together.
• Remove the peppers from the bowl and peel and seed them. Add them to a blender, along with the lime juice, garlic and onions. Blend until smooth.
• Add the pepper mixture to the ranch and mix until combined.
• Adjust the flavor to your liking.

Ashley