Good Morning Darlings!

Golly gee whiz, it is HOT here in Georgia. Yes, I know, it’s August. But wow, all I want to eat is chopped salad these days. I’m on a kick and taking Eric with me.

Here is one of the salads we’ve been enjoying recently. I’m a big fan of California Pizza Kitchen and love their BBQ Chopped Chicken Salad. I could eat it everyday. But that would get pricey, so I learned how to make it at home. Would you like to make it for yourself? Let me help!

You can make this at home, too!

I didn’t say I was dieting, I’m just beating the heat. Add a Corona – don’t judge.

The recipe is from Food.com, and I can’t lie, I used tortilla chips and bottled ranch dressing and then threw it all together. If you have the time to follow all these steps, bless your heart.

INGREDIENTS:

• FRIED TORTILLA STRIPS

• vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• 12 corn tortillas, cut 1/4-inch strips

• GARDEN HERB RANCH DRESSING

• ¹?₂teaspoon dry mustard
• ¹?₄teaspoon cold water
• ³?₄cup mayonnaise
• 1cup buttermilk
• 8tablespoons sour cream
• ¹?₂tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• ¹?₂tablespoon thinly-slicedscallion top, and whites
• 2teaspoons minced garlic
• 2teaspoons minced fresh Italian parsley
• ¹?₂teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1teaspoon minced fresh dill
• ¹?₄teaspoon minced dried oregano
• ¹?₂teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• ¹?₄teaspoon minced fresh basil

• GRILLED GARLIC BBQ CHICKEN

• ¹?₂tablespoon olive oil
• ¹?₂tablespoon minced garlic
• 2teaspoons soy sauce
• 2teaspoons salt
• 4boneless skinless chicken breasts (5 oz ea)
• ¹?₄cup good-quality sweet-&-spicybarbecue sauce

• SALAD

• ¹?₂head iceberg lettuce (cored, rinsed and dried and cut into thin 1/8″ strips)
• ¹?₂head romaine lettuce leaf(separated, trimmed, rinsed, dried, and cut thin strips)
• 12large fresh basil leaves, cut 1/8-inch strips
• 1lb jicama, cut 1/4-inch by 1/4-inch by 3/4-inch strips
• 2cups shredded monterey jack cheese
• 1cup canned black beans, rinsed drained
• 1cup canned sweet white corn kernels, drained
• 3tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2lbs fresh ripe tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dices
• ¹?₂cup good-quality sweet-&-spicy barbecue sauce

DIRECTIONS

1. To Make the Fried Tortilla Strips: In a deep, heavy frying pan, heat several inches of vegetable oil to a temperature of 375 degrees. Working in batches if necessary to prevent overcrowding, carefully add the tortilla strips to the hot oil, submerging them with a metal skimmer or slotted spoon. Fry the tortilla strips until evenly golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully lift them out with the skimmer or slotted spoon and transfer them to paper towels to drain and cool. Set aside, uncovered.
2. To Make the Garden Herb Ranch Dressing: In a mixing bowl, use a fork to stir together the mustard and cold water, forming a paste. Set aside for 10 minutes. Add the remaining dressing ingredients to the bowl and, using a handheld electric mixer at low speed or a whisk, blend together just until smooth, taking care not to incorporate too much air into the dressing. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
3. To Make the Grilled Garlic and BBQ Chicken: Preheat a stovetop grill or the broiler. In a mixing bowl, stir together the olive oil, garlic, soy sauce, and salt. Turn the chicken breasts in this marinade and leave to marinate at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Grill or broil the chicken breasts until cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator. Cut the chicken breasts into 3/4-inch cubes and, in a bowl, toss with the barbecue sauce to coat well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
4. To Make the Salad: In a large mixing bowl, toss together the lettuces, basil, jicama, Monterey Jack cheese, beans, corn, cilantro, dressing, and half of the Fried Tortilla Strips. Transfer the salads to chilled serving plates. Surround each salad with diced tomatoes and the remaining Fried Tortilla Strips. Top each salad with chunks of Grilled Garlic BBQ Chicken and drizzle the chicken with the barbecue sauce. Garnish with the scallion.

Gobble down like hungry badgers. Crack open another cold beer. Sit in the air conditioning and watch Stranger Things. OMG, I love that show!

What are you doing to beat the heat?

xoxo, Patti