Southwestern Chicken Salad

Have you ever had the Quesadilla Explosion Salad at Chili's? It's super yummy and The Hubs and I both like it. So, a while back I thought I'd make my own version at home. It turned out tasty (and is much more healthy than the real thing - it is amazing how unhealthy restaurant salads can be). The salad only takes about 20 minutes to rinse, chop and assemble, so its great for a quick, week night dinner.

Ingredients:

* 1 lb.chicken, cooked & chopped (see below)
* 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
* 1 can corn, drained
* 1 large tomato, chopped
* 1 medium avocado, chopped
* 1/4 to 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped (depending on your preference)
* juice from 1/2 a lime
* lettuce
* salad dressing of your choice

Optional Items:

* Cheese Quesadillas on the side
* Shredded Cheese
* Tortilla Strips
* Diced Jalapenos
* Salsa



Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine the beans, corn, tomato, avocado and cilantro. Squeeze juice from half a lime over the top and mix.



2. It's easiest to build each salad individually. So, place a portion of lettuce on a plate and top with the black bean mixture. Add chicken and optional toppings.



3. Top with dressing of your choice.



Yield: One head of lettuce, one rotisserie chicken and the black bean mixture made enough for The Hubs and I both to have 2 full meals (4 large salads total).


My Tid-Bits:

* For the chicken you can use 1 store bought rotisserie chicken OR 2 grilled chicken breasts, chopped

* For the dressing I used light ranch, but a lime vinaigrette would be good, too. I also like to use salsa as the dressing.

* The black bean mixture keeps really well in the refrigerator over night; however you may want to leave the avocado out of the mixture if you plan to do that. Cut the avocado in half. Use one half & put the other in a Ziploc. If you suck all of the air out of the Ziploc so it's snug around the avocado & it will be good the next day with no browning.

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