Barbecued Chicken Salad with Corn, Avocado, and Creamy Poblano Dressing

Name: Barbecued Chicken Salad with Corn, Avocado, and Creamy Poblano Dressing
Yield: makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 1/2 to 2 cups diced barbecued chicken meat, from leftovers or a store-bought roasted chicken; 1 ripe avocado, diced; 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed, or 2 ears corn, grilled in the husk (see below), then shucked and cut from the cob; 1/4 cup thinly sliced celery or celery hearts; 3 scallions, thinly sliced; 1 head Bibb lettuce, broken into leaves, washed, and dried; Creamy Poblano Dressing (or quick ranch dressing); 1 poblano, roasted and peeled (see below); 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice; 2 tablespoons chopped scallion greens; 1 garlic clove; 1 cup Mayonnaise (p. 181); 2 tablespoons sour cream or buttermilk

December 14, 2011

I have never been able to do the cold-pizza-for-breakfast thing, but there are some foods I just love eating cold the day after—fried or barbecued chicken, for instance. Happily, my local grocery store does rotisserie chicken, either plain or barbecue, and on weeknights when homework is taking forever, I am grateful for this easy main course salad that the kids will actually dig into. For my husband and me, it’s all about the creamy, spicy poblano dressing. But for the kids it’s strictly ranch—no cilantro, please! For a more substantial meal, serve this with corn bread or, better yet, jalapeño corn bread (add chopped pickled jalapeños to your favorite recipe).

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