Grilled Chicken Taco Salad with Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing

After all the heavy dairy 9 days eating I was in desperate need of some light meat filled fare and this salad fit the bill perfectly. I make taco salad quite often with the salsa and mayo dressing and don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan but I wanted something a little different this time around so I went with a totally different flavored dressing and lots of yummy chicken. I marinated the chicken breast in lots of strong spices- smoked paprika, cumin, garlic to give it great flavor and then grilled it for smokiness and it was delicious atop this salad. The creamy lime dressing was the perfect cooling agent for the spicy chicken not to mention it was a welcome change from the usual dressing. I am usually not a fan of cilantro because of its aggressive shampoo taste but sometimes it just hits the spot. This dressing I think really needs the cilantro for more authentic Mexican flavor and the lime with the cilantro is just a great combo. Of course you can't have a taco salad with out some taco chips so get your crunch on and crumble some taco chips on top. Enjoy!

For the grilled chicken:
3 chicken breasts
salt, smoked paprika, granulated garlic, cumin


Sprinkle the chicken breasts on both sides with the seasonings and grill until ready.

For the Salad:
2 heads Romaine lettuce
1 red onion diced
2 avocados, diced
3 large tomatoes, diced
1 can black beans, drained
1 can of sweet corn, drained
1 bag taco chips, crumbled
Toss all the ingredients together, add dressing and chicken and serve with taco chips on top.

For the dressing:
1 cup mayo
Juice and zest of one lime
1/2 cup chopped cilantro or parsley
 1 tsp cumin
3 cloves garlic, crushed
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients for the dressing together and let dressing sit in the refrigerated for at least half an hour for the flavors to really come together.


                                                          Dayummmm that looks good!