One of my favorite ways to incorporate salads into our menu is under the influence of Mexican Monday. Typically salads are just plain boring, but with big flavors in Mexican cuisine, no salad is ever boring. And creamy dressings are my favorite. This dressing gets a kick from the chipotle pepper in adobo, but is mellowed out by the sour cream and cilantro.

This salad makes for a great lunch or quick dinner – and can be assembled even more quickly if you have left over cooked chicken or stop at the store and pick up a rotisserie chicken from the deli. With black beans in the salad, you could even omit the chicken if desired for a Meatless Monday too.

For a little crunch in your salad, topped with crushed up tortilla chips or the tortilla strips salad topping from the store (they’re typically next to the packaged croutons).

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

Ingredients for dressing:

• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo*
• 1/3 C packed fresh cilantro
• 2/3 C sour cream
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• juice of 1 1/2 limes
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

*for a milder dressing remove seeds from pepper, for a spicier dressing include some of the adobo sauce

Ingredients for salad:

• 1-2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 1 head of lettuce, chopped
• grape tomatoes, halved
• red onion, thinly sliced
• canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• canned corn, drained and rinsed
• avocado, diced
• red bell pepper, thinly sliced

Steps:

1. Season chicken with S+P. In a non-stick skillet, cook chicken over medium-high heat in a little bit of olive oil.
2. Place dressing ingredients in a food processor or blender. Pulse until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste.
3. In a large bowl combine salad ingredients with cooked chicken. (Note: I didn’t specify amounts for the salad ingredients, use any or all to create your perfect salad!)
4. Toss salad with as much dressing as desired.

*This recipe is adapted from David at http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chipotle-chicken-taco-salad-10000001215905/*