Southwest BBQ Chicken Salad

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 (1 ¼ ounce) package sloppy joe seasoning mix (Williams if you can get it)
• 5 tablespoons barbecue sauce , divided
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 1 ¾ cups ranch dressing
• 1 (1 ¼ ounce) package taco seasoning mix
• 1 (16 ounce) bag tossed mixed salad greens
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans , rinsed and drained
• 3 green onions , chopped
• 1 tomato , chopped
• 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese or 1 ½ cups monterey jack cheese or 1 ½ cups colby-monterey jack cheese
• 1 ½ cups chili-flavoredcorn chips or 1 ½ cups barbecue-flavored corn chips

Directions:

1. Blend together sloppy joe seasoning mix, 1 Tbsp barbecue sauce and melted butter; brush over chicken breasts.
2. Grill chicken over medium heat about 5-7 minutes per side or until fully cooked.
3. Meanwhile, blend together ranch dressing, remaining 1/4 cup barbecue sauce, taco seasoning; set aside.
4. Toss together salad, black beans, green onions and tomatoes in a large salad bowl.
5. Cut grilled chicken into thin slices and arrange over salad.
6. Top with cheese and chips.
7. Serve with dressing.
8. Any left over dressing may be refrigerated and served on favorite salads, tossed with pasta or used as a sandwich spread.

Reviews

[WorkingMom2three]

I made this for a pot-luck cook out, and it was very good - a little more work than your ordinary green salad, but worth it. Here are the (slight) modifications I made: I used chicken tenders for ease of cooking, and I let them sit in the sauce mixture about 20 mintues before I grilled them. I added a chopped cucumber to the salad, and I used light ranch dressing to cut out some of the fat. It makes A LOT of dressing - way more than I would use on a salad. I also did not like the look of any of the bagged salads, so I used 2 heads of torn up romaine. It was probably a little too much lettuce, but as I was bringing it to a large gathering, I wanted it to go further. I really resisted adding bacon or bacon bits to this salad. I thought it would be a good addition, but I wanted to see how the original recipe was. The original is great, but I think it would be a good addition to have the bacon - probably just 3 or 4 slices cooked and crumbled. I loved the sloppy joe seasoning for the chicken (although, mine came out more of a paste than a sauce), and I think I will use it to grill chicken as a stand-alone meal.

[ashley dixon]

So yummy! I made a healthier version by marinating chicken in bbq sauce and sloppy joe seasoning (no butter), then grilled it. No beans or tortilla chips, but added jicama. Dressing is awesome...blends perfectly!