BBQ Chicken Salad with Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing

Here is another great tasting salad I found on the web, this time from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. Be sure to go there and check out her site because she has some really good stuff on there.

NOTE from Mel: this recipe calls for already cooked chicken so plan ahead! I like to cook my chicken in the crockpot, using frozen chicken breasts and about 1 cup of chicken broth for every 2 chicken breasts. I cook on low for about 4-5 hours and then shred and refrigerate (or freeze) for later.

NOTE from me: I HATE cold chicken so I suggest if you feel the same way just make your chicken a little beforehand and have it ready. I also suggest the use of FRESH corn, fresh vegetables in general are better tasting.

Have you ever see anyone on Top Chef use canned veggie's? No you have not, pre-made puff pastry, yes and we all know how that went.

Anyway, I also roasted the corn and heated the back beans as well. Again, not a step you have to take but life is all about options. Last thing, the cheese, I'm not sure you need it on there, I initially forgot to add it and then went back and did so but I can't say that it added anything special. However, I did add tortilla strips for a little color and added crunch.

Serves: 4-6

INGREDIENTS:
Chicken and Salad:
3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups BBQ sauce, storebought or homemade
½ head iceberg lettuce, cored and chopped
2 romaine hearts, chopped
1/2 red onion diced
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cubed small or shredded
4 ounces Monterey jack cheese, cubed small or shredded

(optional) Tortilla strips

Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise, light or regular
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 to 1/2 cup BBQ sauce

DIRECTIONS:
For the salad, combine the cooked chicken and BBQ sauce in a medium bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.

OR Grill chicken and let cool until you are able to shred it then toss in BBQ sauce. Heat black beans and allow to simmer until you are ready to use them. Strain and add to salad. At the same time you can roast the corn and again add to salad when ready.

In a large bowl, toss together the iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, red onion, cilantro, corn, black beans and cheese. Toss the mixed salad with about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the dressing, if desired. Otherwise, you can serve the dressing on the side. Place salad on plates and top with the prepared BBQ chicken and additional dressing.

For the dressing, combine all the ingredients together and whisk (or shake, if using a jar) vigorously to combine. You could also run this through a blender to make it even more smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.