When it’s this hot and humid outside all we want to eat are zesty, crunchy, fresh salads. Keeping it simple and low key is crucial to not heating up the kitchen. I love a good bowl from Cava or Roots but unfortunately we live 20 minutes away from all the good salad places and sometimes it’s nice to customize it just the way we like it. This simple recipe takes less time to make than it does for us to drive into town. It’s delicious and mostly healthy too. This recipe is really adaptable so feel free to use some creative licensing. I just wrote the recipe as we prepared it yesterday.
What you need:
1 lb of chicken breast
1 tbsp bbq rub or mesquite seasoning (my go to is Shenandoah Spice company Memphis rub)
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup of your favorite bbq sauce
Salad mix (I did a mixture of cabbage, shredded brussels, and kale but mixed greens work)
1 cup of precooked rice
1/2 cup of frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/2 cup of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup of diced cucumbers
1/4 cup salted roasted nuts (we used chopped spicy pecans and pepitas)
This is my homemade Ranch dressing. Mix it up before you start everything else so that the flavors can meld. It’s amazing. In fact the kids were begging me to bottle it and start a new business venture last night : )
1/2 cup Dukes mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tbsp champagne vinegar
1/2 tsp dried chives
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried dill
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
For the chicken, it’s very important that you slice it against the grain and chop it up properly. This greatly affects how tender it is. I like to chop it in roughly 1 inch cubes so that it cooks quickly. You can ruin chicken by slicing it the wrong way, so I beg you to check out this link for a quick tutorial if you are unsure: https://www.seriouseats.com/knife-skills-how-to-slice-chicken-breast-for-stir-fries
After you have cut up the chicken sprinkle it all over with your bbq rub. Add the olive oil and butter to a skillet and warm to medium heat. Toss in the chicken and allow to sit for about 5 minutes before stirring and letting to sit for another 5 minutes. The chicken should be almost cooked through at this point so you can pour over the bbq sauce and stir. Lower the heat just slightly and finish cooking the chicken (maybe another 3-5 min) Depending on the sugar content of your bbq sauce it could burn easily so keep an eye on it. Now assemble the rest of your salad bowl and when the chicken is finished add it to the top. Pour over the ranch dressing and stir to combine. Enjoy!
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