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 ingredients |  avocado, herbs, dressing |  corn & beams |  everything else but lettuce |  toss gently to serve |
It's been triple digit heat for weeks now in North Texas (2 days ago broke the record at 109 each) and no rain in 43 days! But at least our humidity is in the 20s, so it's "only" a dry sauna out there! Still, no one wants to turn on their oven. Everything is done outside on the BBQ, or pieced together with what you find at the grocery store.
The measurements (and even the actual ingredients) can be changed to fit what you have on hand, and what your family likes. I would prefer to use fresh cilantro, but all of my herbs are now "dried herbs", and the only herb that's still alive and healthy is my basil, so that's what I used. It's fine though, because I do have tomatoes in the salad.
If you go later in the afternoon to the grocery store, you can usually find a rotisserie chicken on sale that was made in the morning (or can use store-bought fried chicken instead too). I took off the wings & drumsticks (to eat as "leftovers" maybe tomorrow), and peeled off the skin ~ then used about half of the chicken meat in this salad. I think I'll use the rest of it maybe tomorrow to make a "regular" chicken salad (the type to go on sandwiches) ~ or even put it into a Taco Salad. (yes, I have one that you can search by keyword)
You'll notice that I did NOT add any cheese b/c we just eat that much cheese and it's much lighter (and healthier) without it. It's also GLUTEN-FREE (low carb), so you can have some garlic bread with the carbs you saved, if you want.
I have an ear of grilled corn on the cob in here (done with dinner on the BBQ the night before) ~ roasted peppers would also be good
No-Cook CHICKEN SALAD DINNER
iceburg lettuce ~ thinly sliced (then I cut those slices in half) ~ I used about 1/2 small head
cherry and/or grape tomatoes ~ I cut the grape tomatoes in half (mine were multi-colored)
1-2 ears corn (I grilled mine on BBQ night before), cut off husk ~ or can of corn, drained
about 1/4 to 1/2 rotisserie chicken meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 can small beans (whatever you like ~ pinto are good), drained
about 1/4 to 1/2 sweet white or yellow onion, thinly sliced (then cut slices in half)
1-2 avocadoes, cubed or sliced (to put on right before serving)
1-2 TB fresh cilantro ~ basil ~ or whatever you like (chopped)
other options to add in: sliced black olives ~ diced jalapeno ~ chopped bell pepper
SALAD DRESSING: Store-bought (I like a vinaigrette-based one best, but my husband really likes the Sweet Vidalia Onion Dressing. Even salsa would be ok. So, whatever you like ~ and "lite" is fine)
***
Put everything EXCEPT the lettuce into the bottom of your big serving bowl (you can do this several hours ahead). You can even add about 1/2 cup dressing then, and stir it all up to absorb the dressing, if you want. When you're ready to eat, add the dressing (if you haven't already) ~ then the lettuce on top ~ and gently fold until everything is mixed well. I add the avocado on top before serving. If I have fresh cilantro, then I'll put some fresh chopped cilantro on top too.
The measurements (and even the actual ingredients) can be changed to fit what you have on hand, and what your family likes. I would prefer to use fresh cilantro, but all of my herbs are now "dried herbs", and the only herb that's still alive and healthy is my basil, so that's what I used. It's fine though, because I do have tomatoes in the salad.
If you go later in the afternoon to the grocery store, you can usually find a rotisserie chicken on sale that was made in the morning (or can use store-bought fried chicken instead too). I took off the wings & drumsticks (to eat as "leftovers" maybe tomorrow), and peeled off the skin ~ then used about half of the chicken meat in this salad. I think I'll use the rest of it maybe tomorrow to make a "regular" chicken salad (the type to go on sandwiches) ~ or even put it into a Taco Salad. (yes, I have one that you can search by keyword)
You'll notice that I did NOT add any cheese b/c we just eat that much cheese and it's much lighter (and healthier) without it. It's also GLUTEN-FREE (low carb), so you can have some garlic bread with the carbs you saved, if you want.
I have an ear of grilled corn on the cob in here (done with dinner on the BBQ the night before) ~ roasted peppers would also be good
No-Cook CHICKEN SALAD DINNER
iceburg lettuce ~ thinly sliced (then I cut those slices in half) ~ I used about 1/2 small head
cherry and/or grape tomatoes ~ I cut the grape tomatoes in half (mine were multi-colored)
1-2 ears corn (I grilled mine on BBQ night before), cut off husk ~ or can of corn, drained
about 1/4 to 1/2 rotisserie chicken meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 can small beans (whatever you like ~ pinto are good), drained
about 1/4 to 1/2 sweet white or yellow onion, thinly sliced (then cut slices in half)
1-2 avocadoes, cubed or sliced (to put on right before serving)
1-2 TB fresh cilantro ~ basil ~ or whatever you like (chopped)
other options to add in: sliced black olives ~ diced jalapeno ~ chopped bell pepper
SALAD DRESSING: Store-bought (I like a vinaigrette-based one best, but my husband really likes the Sweet Vidalia Onion Dressing. Even salsa would be ok. So, whatever you like ~ and "lite" is fine)
***
Put everything EXCEPT the lettuce into the bottom of your big serving bowl (you can do this several hours ahead). You can even add about 1/2 cup dressing then, and stir it all up to absorb the dressing, if you want. When you're ready to eat, add the dressing (if you haven't already) ~ then the lettuce on top ~ and gently fold until everything is mixed well. I add the avocado on top before serving. If I have fresh cilantro, then I'll put some fresh chopped cilantro on top too.
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