Southwest Chicken Chopped Salad

This yummy and refreshing salad features left over BBQ chicken.  You can make it with any cooked chicken, but BBQ chicken really complements the salad best.  It’s also a great recipe for using precooked beans from the freezer! It does takes some time to chop all the ingredients, but only about 15-20 minutes and the results are well worth the effort :)

I also should note that when we are in a hurry we make this with plain ol’ ranch dressing from the bottle and find it just as tasty as the recipe version…

~SOUTHWEST CHICKEN CHOPPED SALAD~ SALAD:
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 green pepper, diced
1-2 cups beans {canned & drained, fresh cooked or from freezer}
1 can corn, drained {or frozen and defrosted}
2 tomatoes, diced
4 green onions, sliced
1 large romaine, washed and chopped
Chopped cilantro {to taste, optional}
2 just under ripe avocados, diced

DRESSING: 
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tablespoon ranch seasoning
1/2 tablespoon taco seasoning
salt & pepper, to taste

In a large bowl, stir all salad ingredients together except the avocado.  In a separate bowl, stir dressing ingredients together until smooth.  When ready to serve, toss salad with enough dressing to moisten, then gently stir in avocado.  Top with crushed tortilla chips {optional}.

Blessings!