Southwestern Cobb Salad with Green Goddess Dressing
Yield: 8servings as a main dish
Prep Time: 1 hourhr30 minutesmins
Cook Time: 20 minutesmins
Total Time: 1 hourhr50 minutesmins
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade:
¼cupfreshly squeezed lime juice, 2-3 limes
¼cupolive oil
¼cupsoy sauce
½teaspoonground cumin
½teaspooncrushed red pepper flakes
3-4boneless skinless chicken breasts
Black Bean Salsa:
1 (15-ounce)canblack beans, rinsed and drained
½mediumsweet onion, I used vidalia, diced
¼cupcilantro, chopped
1tablespoonolive oil
Yellow Pepper Salsa:
1largeyellow pepper, seeded, and diced
1 mediumtomato, seeded and coarsely chopped
1canlarge olives, coarsely chopped
½mediumsweet onion, I used vidalia, diced
Avocado Salsa:
2ripe avocados, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Juice of 2 limes
¼cupcilantro, chopped
½teaspooncumin
¼teaspooncayenne pepper
Toppings:
4-5largeeggs
6-8slicesthick-cut bacon, I used turkey bacon – it was delicious
1headromaine lettuce, washed, dried and torn into 1-inch pieces
Green Goddess Dressing:
½cupmayonnaise
½cupsour cream
2tablespoonslow-fat buttermilk
1tablespoonwhite wine vinegar
1teaspoonWorcestershire sauce
1bunchchives, coarsely chopped (about 1/4 to 1/3 cup)
2green onions, white and green parts, cut into thick chunks
2tablespoonschopped fresh cilantro
2tablespoonschopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1teaspoonsugar
1teaspooncoarse or Kosher salt
½teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
1pinchcayenne pepper, optional
Instructions
For the chicken marinade, in a small bowl, combine the 1/4 cup lime juice, olive oil, soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon cumin and red pepper flakes. Place the chicken breasts in a ziploc bag and pour the marinade over the chicken. Close the bag and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to overnight.
Heat a grill to medium-high heat (an indoor grill pan or skillet could be used also). Grill the chicken until it is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes per side. Cool the chicken completely then cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside.
Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Cover and remove from the heat. Let the eggs sit for 13 minutes then rinse them under cold water until they are completely cooled. Peel and coarsely chop the eggs. Set aside.
Cook the bacon over medium heat until it is crisp. Drain on paper towels. When cool, crumble and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the yellow pepper, tomato, olives, and 1/2 of the sweet onion. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
In another bowl, combine the black beans, 1/4 cup cilantro and onion. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
In another bowl (don’t worry, we are almost done with the excess of bowls), combine the avocado, 1/4 cup cilantro, juice of 2 limes, cayenne pepper and 1/2 teaspoon cumin. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
On a large platter (or large bowl), arrange the romaine lettuce. Arrange the chicken in a strip down the middle of the romaine. On either side, make piled strips of the eggs, bacon, yellow pepper mixture, black bean mixture and avocado mixture. Drizzle with dressing or serve it on the side. The easiest way to serve this on a platter is with a pair of tongs. If using a large bowl, gently toss to combine all the ingredients before serving.
For the dressing, combine all the ingredients together in a blender. Process until smooth. Thin with additional buttermilk (adding it one teaspoon at a time), if desired. Store the dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.