MENU DESCRIPTION: “Grilled chipotle chicken breast with guacamole and sour cream on a bed of greens tossed with two cheeses, pico de gallo, tortilla stnps and our Mexi-ranch dressing.” Create a robust chipotle marinade that fills your chicken fillets with flavor. As you wait for the chicken to marinate you have plenty of time to throw together clones of the Mexi-ranch dressing and fresh pico de gallo. Now most of the work is done, and you’re standing in front of the gate to salad heaven. When you’re ready to enter, simply grill the chicken, assemble your salads and open wide. You should know that if you don’t have buttermilk for the dressing, and don’t want to buy a whole carton to use just a single tablespoon, simply substitute regular milk. You’ll find ground chipotle pepper where all the spices are in the market (I use McCormick). If you can’t track down ground chipotle, use ground cayenne pepper Just be sure to measure roughly half the amount, since cayenne packs more heat than chipotle.

Serves 4.

INGREDIENTS

FOR MARINADE:

• 2 cups water
• ⅓ cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon ground chipotle pepper (or 1 ½ teaspoons ground cayenne pepper)
• 2 teaspoons hickory smoke flavoring
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 skinless chicken breast fillets

FOR MEXI-RANCH DRESSING:

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons minced onion
• 2 tablespoons diced tomato
• 1 tablespoon buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon canned chopped mild green chiles
• ¾ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Pinch dried dill weed
• Pinch ground cumin
• Pinch cayenne pepper

FOR PICO DE GALLO:

• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• ⅓ cup diced red onion
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

FOR SALAD:

• 8 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
• 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 1 cup chopped red cabbage
• 1 cup fancy shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup fancy shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 4 handfuls tortilla strips or chips
• ½ cup sour cream
• ½ cup guacamole

INSTRUCTIONS

1. MARINADE: In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients for the marinade. Stir well until the sugar has dissolved. Drop the chicken breasts into the marinade, then cover and chill for 2 hours.
2. MEXI-RANCH DRESSING: While the chicken marinates, combine all the ingredients for the Mexi-ranch dressing in a medium bowl. Cover and chill so the flavors will develop as the chicken marinates.
3. PICO DE GALLO: Make the pico de gallo by combining all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and chill in the fridge.
4. When the chicken has marinated for 2 hours, fire up the grill to medium/high heat. Grill the chicken breasts for 4 to 7 minutes per side or until chicken is done. Take the chicken off the grill then let it rest for a bit while you prepare the salads.
5. Build each salad in a large bowl by first tossing 2 cups chopped iceberg lettuce and 2 cups chopped romaine lettuce with ¼ cup chopped red cabbage and about ¼ cup of the dressing.
6. Combine the shredded cheeses then add about ½ cup to each salad on the lettuce. Sprinkle a handful of tortilla strips or crumbled chips on next.
7. Slice each chicken breast into strips and arrange each one on each of the salads. Sprinkle about ¼ cup of pico de gallo over the top.
8. Finish off each salad by adding a 2-tablespoon scoop of sour cream on one side of each salad, then a 2-tablespoon scoop of guacamole on the other side of the salad.