Southwestern Chopped Salad

It seems like I am on a chopped salad kick these days because that is the first thing I see on menus and order when we go out to eat. There is just something about how the ingredients in the salad are on even par with the chopped lettuce. Have you ever chowed down on a salad and then discover all the little toppings settled in the bottom of the bowl? In a chopped salad that doesn’t seem to happen as much. I like to use romaine lettuce when I make this salad because chopping up the hard white stem at the base of the leaf just adds more crunch. This salad is so delicious!

So in addition to the chopped lettuce, there is a lot going on in this salad and a lot of color, too. Lots of chopping involved but it is so worth it in the end. There’s black beans, corn, green peppers, tomatoes, green onions, chicken, avocado and tortilla strips. All tossed together with a taco ranch dressing that is way too good for how easy it is and I suspect it is a little healthier than bottled recipes.

My husband is a meat and potato guy so this salad doesn’t work for him. But I do like to take it to potlucks and I make it extra big because everyone loves it. To make it even easier, I use some of my favorite kitchen tools: an avocado knife that makes dealing with avocados easy, my Alaskan Ulu knife that works fabulous (I bought it in 1997 in Alaska) and my favorite little colander bowl which is great for draining cans of beans and corn. Last but not least, I throw the chicken into the crockpot which makes it just tender enough to shred easily with two forks.

Southwestern Chopped Chicken Salad

salad:
2 cups shredded chicken
1 cup of diced green, red, and yellow bell pepper
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can sweet yellow corn
3 roma tomatoes, diced
4 green onions, sliced

2 bags leafy romaine lettuce, washed and chopped

2 ripe avocados, diced
1 cup crushed tortilla chips OR Tortilla Strips Salad Topper

I use my emersion mixer to make the dressing.

dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 (6 oz) Greek yogurt container
1 tbsp ranch seasoning
1 tbsp taco seasoning

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine all salad ingredients together, excluding the tortilla chips.

Just before serving toss with the chips and dressing.