Posted by My daughter Cynthia worked hard for 2 years at a sandwich place in California called ‘Togos’ where she made delicious sandwiches and salads. In fact, she diligently saved all her money to go on a mission for our church in Argentina. Sometimes she would even walk to and from work, 3 miles each way. I’ve always admired how diligently she labored and saved enough money to cover all of her expenses for 18 months in Argentina!
Over the years, we’ve all benefited from Cynthia’s sandwich and salad making skills. In fact, for Mother’s Day, she made me this delicious BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad. She’s not a big salad lover, but this is one of her favorites. It certainly made my day with lots of fresh ingredients including: chicken, romaine, tomatoes, corn, black beans and cilantro. She added grated cheese, Fritos, ranch dressing and BBQ sauce on top, and it was hearty and delicious-yum. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did and thanks to Cynthia for sharing her recipe! So excited to share my daughter, Cynthia’s tasty salad recipe! What’s at the root of this food? Love, nutritious deliciousness and a full stomach…
BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad
- 1 head romaine lettuce (or 1 bag pre-chopped)
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 can black beans
- 1 can corn
- 1 lemon
- Pepper to taste
- 2 tomatoes
- 3 avocados
- 1-2 cooked chicken breasts (see recipe below)
- ½ cup cheddar cheese, grated
- ½ cup Fritos, crumbled slightly
- Ranch dressing
- BBQ sauce
Wash and spin lettuce, then chop finely and place in a large bowl. Cut off cilantro stems, wash and spin; chop and set aside. Drain and rinse black beans and corn; mix with chopped cilantro; squeeze lemon over, add pepper to taste and mix to combine. Chop the tomatoes, avocados and chicken.
Top lettuce with the cilantro/black bean/corn mixture, tomatoes, avocados and chicken.
Sprinkle with cheese and Fritos. Drizzle with your favorite Ranch dressing and BBQ sauce! And, if you want to make them homemade, here are my recipes for Ranch Dressing and BBQ Sauce.
Simple Stovetop Chicken
Place breast(s) in a saucepan and cover with water. Sprinkle with some onion flakes (or powder), garlic granules, salt and pepper. Boil until cooked through; time will depend on the size and thickness of the breast. Easy way to asses: pull breast out, cut in half and check for pinkness. Return to water and boil longer if needed. Cool, chop and use for recipes.
Root Notes
Rich in monounsaturated fats, the avocado has a unique nutrition profile. They contain lots of fiber and are rich in nearly 20 vitamins and minerals, such as B-vitamins, vitamin K, potassium, copper, vitamin E and vitamin C. The avocado contains heart-healthy monounsaturated fat – the good fat! Consumption of avocados has been associated with various health benefits, such as decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. Eat avocados!
Sources: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com & http://www.californiaavocado.com
Family ~ Food ~ Roots 
I just love the Food Roots!!!! I have never learned to cook chicken that way. I am for sure a very beginner chef, but would love to improve. What is the approximate time to have the chicken in the water on the sauce pan? I know that it varies, depending on the size of the chicken. If you put thin breasts in there, would it be approximately 5 minutes? Or 20 minutes? What is the ballpark time? Also, do you need to turn in the breakfasts halfway through? I just love that Cynthia paid for her mission working at Togo’s! And now she has mad cooking skills! What a fantastic and inspiring thing for a young person to do. Thank you!
Hi Anna! Thanks for your nice comments! I shared them with Cynthia and she appreciated it. As for the chicken, just cook for 30 minutes and that should do it. If you have especially large or thick pieces of chicken, check at 30 and add 10 minutes if still pink. No need to turn the breasts over. With plenty of water covering them, they cook through just fine. I use Costco frozen chicken breasts and they come out well. Thanks again!