BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad

This is a quick meal.  Really quick.  Most of the ingredients we usually have on hand.  Plus, it's versatile so even if you don't have the required ingredients on hand, you can improvise.

We stole this recipe from the Cheesecake Factory.  I mean, we don't actually know their recipe, but we made ours based on theirs.  And I'm guessing our final recipe is about a 1/4 of their recipe since most of their dishes designed for a single person could easily feed 2-3 people.

Anyway, onto the recipe.  Here is what the Cheesecake Factory's looks like:

And then here's what you can more realistically expect your salad to look like:

I realize that second salad does not look appetizing at all, but, trust me, it is.  I also have no dreams of being a great food photographer, so I will never learn how to make my food look scrumptous.

Anyway - onto the recipe.

Chicken

Lettuce (spinach, romaine, iceburg, whatever you have on hand)

Can of black beans (rinsed)

Can of corn (or bag of frozen cooked first)

Cucumbers

Tomatoes

Ranch Dressing

BBQ Sauce

You can make your chicken however you prefer, or you could even just use those pre-cooked seasoned strips you can find by the deli meat.  We like our chicken just a little bit crispy on the outside though, so I heat up some olive oil, toss in a tiny bit of butter.  While that is getting nice and hot, I season (salt, pepper, garlic salt) the chicken, then I sprinkle a bit of flour on each side.  I'm not going for the "fried" chicken effect, so it's not much flour....just enough for a tiny bit of crispiness.  Cook both sides of the chicken until they are a nice golden brown.

And from here, it's really up to you and your pantry.  Tonight, we didn't have a cucumber on hand, and I wasn't feeling like tomatoes. Our spinach, which we normally use (added health benefits), was looking a little sad so I went with traditional iceburg, but would have preferred romaine.

Black beans aren't normally on my list of foods I seek out, but they really add something in this salad.

Mix the ranch dressing and BBQ sauce together in a 2:1 ratio (respectively) and enjoy!

White Chicken Chili

I'll let you in on a secret.  I don't like cooking.

Well, that's not completely true.  If I had the time to cook a nice meal, without Austin, Ellie, and Riley's "help", I'd enjoy it a bit.  But, since the kids aren't going anywhere anytime soon, I don't look forward to making dinner.  Therefore, my cooking style is quick, easy, and yummy.  I lean towards healthy choices, but I also don't let a little extra fat or salt stop me from making a dish.

Enter:  White Chicken Chili

It's fast, it's fairly "hands off", and it's probably loaded with salt.  I don't know that for sure, because I haven't read the back of the package, but most mixes are.  But, aside from the salt content, it's a fairly healthy dish.

I doctor it up a bit, so here's my recipe:

~1 lb of cubed chicken breast
1 tsp olive oil
salt, pepper, garlic salt
1 pk of McCormick's White chicken chili ($0.88 at walmart)
1 can northern beans (not drained)
1 c water
1 can diced tomatoes (drained)
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (drained)

Heat the oil in a large wok/skillet.  Add chicken, season it, and cook through.  Once the chicken is cooked, add the beans, water, seasoning packet, and tomatoes.  Mix well and simmer for 20 minutes.  The directions recommend covered but I've done both and don't taste a difference.

I serve it up with a mound of shredded cheese on top.  Everything is better with cheese.  The chili has a bit of a Santa Fe taste to it.  If you're worried about the spicy-ness of the dish, then I recommend omitting that can of tomatoes with green chilis.  On occasion, I've also thrown some frozen corn into the mix.

It's one of the easiest recipes we make around here.  Surprisingly, each one of the kids eats it.  Even Ellie, who refuses Kraft Mac and Cheese on occasion.  She's our toughest critic these days and last night she said "Mmmmm....yummy mommy!  I yike it!"