Ingredients for Marinade
2 cups water
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp ground chipotle pepper (or 1 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper) - I used cayenne pepper
2 tsp hickory smoke flavoring
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
4 skinless chicken breast fillets
Ingredients for Mexi-ranch Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp minced onion
2 tbsp diced tomato
1 tbsp buttermilk (feel free to substitute with milk)
1 tbsp white vinegar
2 tsp minced fresh cilantro
1 tsp canned chopped milk green chiles
3/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
pinch dried dill weed
pinch ground cumin
pinch cayenne pepper
Ingredients for Pico de Gallo
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/3 cup diced red onion
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
2 tsp lime juice
2 tsp minced fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Remaining Ingredients for Salad
8 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
8 cups chopped romaince lettuce
1 cup chopped red cabbage (We only had iceberg and romaine)
1 cup fancy shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup fancy shredded Monterey Jack cheese (We only had cheddar)
4 handfuls tortilla strips or chips
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup guacamole (We didn't have sour cream or guacamole, but I know they would've been amazing additions)
You want to marinate the chicken for 2 hours in advance, so make the marinade first by combing all the ingredients for the marinade in a medium bowl. Stir well until the sugar has dissolved. Drop the chicken breasts into the marinade, then cover and chill for 2 hours. You don't want to marinate for much more than 2 hours or the chicken could get tough.
While the chicken marinates, make the Mexi-ranch dressing by combining the ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and chill so the flavors will develop as the chicken marinates.
You'll also make the pico de gallo in advance so that it can rest a bit in the fridge. Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl, then cover and chill this as well. When the chicken has marinated for 2 hours, fire up the grill to medium/high heat. (We just used a skillet) Grill the chicken breasts for 4 to 7 minutes per side or until the chicken is done. Take the chicken off the grill then let it rest for a bit while you prepare the salads.
Build each salad in a large bowl by first tossing 2 cups chopped iceberg lettuce and 2 cups chopped romaince lettuce with 1/4 cup chopped red cabbage and about 1/4 cup of the dressing. Combine the shredded cheeses and then add, about 1/2 cup to each salad on the lettuce. Sprinkle a handful of tortilla strips or crumbled chips on next.
Slice each chicken breast into strips and arrange each one on each of the salads. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup of pico de gallo over the top. Finish off each salad by adding a 2 tbsp scoop of sour cream on one side of each salad, then a 2 tbsp scoop of guacamole on the other side.
We didn't construct our salads nearly so mechanically, but I wanted to give you the original recipe. You can easily loosen up the construction, etc. to suit your needs. But let me just add again that this salad was absolutely delicious! There's a lot involved, but it's worth the work. We've already had it like 3 times since he made it in May. Soo good!
