Chicken Taco Salad with Cumin Lime Vinaigrette

I realize I make a lot of salads, but this one is by far one of my favorites. (I don’t say that about every one, do I?!) The taco reigns supreme in my household, and this salad is really just an inverted version of the taco. Sans cheese. Really, you don’t need it. There are plenty of flavors and textures without it. But if you’re a huge cheese fan… Another optional ingredient is avocado. The most important part of this recipe is the chicken. It really needs a good coating of red chile sauce. If you don’t want to make your own tortilla strips, you could use store-bought chips, but they tend to pack a lot of oils and salt. I prefer the baked version below, myself.

Ingredients:

*Note: This salad will easily fill two people. Also note: The measurements aren’t precise. Adjust as necessary.

½ lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
enough romaine lettuce to fill a large salad bowl (6 cups? I use two small heads…)
½ red pepper, diced
½ cup corn kernels
¼ cup black beans
jalapeno, seeded and diced
4 corn tortillas, cut into strips
½- 1 cup chicken stock
¼ cup, plus 1 tbsp. red chile powder, divided
2 tbsp, plus 1 tbsp. cumin, divided
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. Mexican oregano

Dressing Ingredients:

juice of 1 lime
equal parts canola oil to lime juice
1 heaping tsp. cumin
a pinch of brown sugar

Baked Tortilla Strips:

Cut your tortillas into strips, about ½ wide. Season with salt, 1 tbsp. red chile powder, and 1 tbsp. cumin. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10-12 minutes, or until they reach desired crispness. Check them around 8 minutes, to make sure they’re not burning.

Guidelines:

Simmer chicken breasts in plenty of water seasoned with salt and pepper for 30-40 minutes, or until they easily shred. Let cool briefly, then shred.

In a large bowl, combine ¼ cup red chile powder, 2 tbsp. cumin, the garlic powder, and oregano. Add ¼ cup chicken stock and mix well. Add the shredded chicken and toss until well combined. At this point, you may need to add more chicken stock to achieve a uniform spice coating. Add enough until you’re satisfied, but don’t add enough that the chicken is watery. Let sit while you prepare the rest of the salad.

Mix your dressing ingredients.

Make the baked tortilla strips.

Wash and chop the romaine. In a large salad bowl, combine romaine with vinaigrette.

Add corn, red pepper, black beans and jalapeno, and give the salad another toss.

Top individual plates with the salad. Top with spiced chicken and tortilla strips.