Mexican Chicken Salad

The other night, Matt said that he really needed a salad, but being the meatatarian that I am, I couldn't just eat a plate of rabbit food. (Ha, ha!) So, of course, I had to put my own spin on this salad idea. Here's what I did....

-boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 per person)
-any mixed greens of your choice (in the quantity needed/desired)
-ripe avocados (allow a half an avocado per person)
-1 can of whole black beans, drained and rinsed
-2 handfuls of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
-1 small can of green chilies
-1 ear of fresh corn, cut from the cob, sauteed in a little olive oil for 2-3 minutes (you may also use frozen corn, of course)
-1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
-3 to 4 scallions, chopped
-1 lime
-1/2 TBS of ancho chili powder (or any kind of chili powder you have on hand)
-1/2 TBS of smoked sweet paprika (regular paprika will be fine too)
-a heavy pinch of salt
-1 tsp of onion powder

Combine spices in a small bowl and sprinkle generously over the chicken. Using a basting brush, brush the chicken with extra virgin olive oil. You can either grill the chicken, about 4-5 minutes per side or bake in the oven at 350 for about 20-25 minutes. Since chicken thickness varies, always test the internal temperature of the chicken with a thermometer. The thermometer should read around 165 as it will continue cooking another 10 degrees as it rests. (AKA carry-over cooking) Let the chicken rest about 10 minutes before slicing. While the chicken is cooking, combine the black beans, cilantro, scallions, green chilies, corn, and tomatoes and toss. Slice the avocado and juice half of the lime over it to keep it from turning brown. Arrange the greens on the plate, spooning the desired amount of black bean and corn salsa over them. Add the sliced chicken and avocado slices as desired. To make it extra fancy, alternate the chicken and avocado slices. :) For the dressing, you have several options...you can use one that you already have, you can make a sour cream based dressing or an olive oil based dressing. If you choose Option B, take about a cup of sour cream (feel free to use light) and instead of putting the avocados in the salad, put them into the food processor or blender with the sour cream. Add the juice of one lime and a small handful of cilantro and pulse until smooth. For Option C, take equal parts extra virgin olive oil and lime juice, adding honey to taste. I like it pretty tangy so I only use about 1 tsp, so go from there. Whisk vigorously for 1-2 minutes or until the oil and lime juice are combined.

You may have noticed that my Black Bean and Corn Salsa is already on my blog, which means that if you've made it for something else, this recipe is a good way to use up leftovers! This salad can also be enjoyed with leftover grilled or baked chicken or leftover steak.

I apologize for the lack of pictures, but trust me, this salad is very good! Let me know what you think of it!