quesadilla explosion salad

Since moving to New York I have learned that there are some things that I will always miss from Florida. For starters, the grocery store Publix. They have amazing sweet tea and rasberry tea from the deli. Amazing subs and chicken tenders. Did I mention they have the BEST chocolate chip cookies from the bakery?! Oh, and they have great potato salad and coleslaw. If you can't tell, I miss this particular grocery store. I also miss Chik fil a. Mmmm... chicken. I also miss Carrabba's and Red Robin being closer than an hour and a half away, some of those copy cat recipes to come later.

One of the places I miss the most... Chili's. Chili's has great queso, salsa, fajitas and pretty much everything else. I'm here to share my love of the quesadilla explosion salad. The combination of dressings on that salad is what makes it amazing! I've come up with my own rendition and it's pretty freaking delicious. My husband and I are obsessed with it. We eat this pretty much once a week or every other week.

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 bag lettuce of your choice (I use romain hearts)

1 can whole kernal corn

1 can black beans

1 onion, diced (I use a medium sweet onion)

2 plum tomatoes, diced (you can really use any tomatoes)

tortilla strips for salad toppings

mexican cheese (optional)

Kraft Southwest salad kit (marinade and dressing; picture of product to follow)

First, I cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and cook over the stove. I pour the fajita sauce over the chicken in the beginning and middle of the cooking process. While the chicken is cooking, drain and rinse the black beans. Also, drain the corn (DO NOT rinse). Cook until no longer pink in the middle.

Next, layer the salad (all quantities are up to your tastebuds):

• lettuce
• corn
• black beans
• tomatoes
• onions
• chicken
• tortilla strips
• mexican cheese

The secret to this salad is all in the dressing. When I think of the salad I think about the unique dressing that Chili's uses. They use a unique combination of a ranch dressing and a balsamic vinaigrette. Ryan likes using the BBQ ranch that the salad kit comes with. I use equal amounts of ranch dressing and balsamic vinegar. I know it sounds extremely weird but the combination is great. Just try it :)

I included a few pictures for clarification and drooling. Also, I found the salad kit at walmart. This has got to be one of my favorite dinners!

**Sidenote: it should make about three servings, depending on appetite. If we're super hungry we can normally finish it in two servings but generally we have leftovers for lunch :)