It even has chicken in it. I have to say that this chicken aversion monster I’ve got going in this pregnant body of mine was tossed to the side and I fully enjoyed this salad. Really.
Last week at the store I got a wild hair and bought some refrigerated fully-cooked chicken breast strips in the deli and cheese section of my grocery store. I broke a couple of my personal rules that morning when I added this little 8-ounce bag of chicken to my grocery buggy.
1.) It wasn’t on my list. I never buy something that isn’t on my list. I even put chewing gum on my list, folks. Over the course of my shopping trip I may leave/delete things off my list- but I don’t typically add to my list. Keeps me in my grocery budget. I would be a wild woman if I went to the store without a list.
2.) Pre-packaged meat. Way out of the norm to buy something like this. I do love me some rotisserie chicken. I typically will still make my own shredded chicken breast in the Crock*Pot to save money. Mostly because my favorite rotisserie chicken is from Whole Foods.. all seven dollars and ninety-nine cents of it. (It is really good, and worth the $7.99 in my book. But, me and the Fireman don’t read the same book..)
and lastly..
3.) It is pre-cooked chicken. I know I already made my point about the pre-cooked meat, but really my point for this is more personal than financial or out of respect for my Fireman’s wishes. Pre-cooked chicken means that I didn’t take the time with it beforehand to get every ounce of rib meat/gristle/skin off of that piece of chicken before I cooked it myself. The risk of getting one of those squeeky bites of chicken between my teeth has gone up tremendously.
I have given myself the ringer of scoldings for making that purchase- especially when I knew in that moment that there was a 97% chance I wouldn’t touch the stuff after I got it home- especially because I had no clue what I was going to do with it.
But there is always that 3%, you know? And I have a creative brain- I can figure something out. After I had a delicious salmon salad for lunch one day last week, I decided I wanted another salad for dinner. My sweetie happened to be at the fire station that evening, leaving me to cereal or leftovers for dinner.
2 things.. One: cereal has become a not-so-regular meal for me anymore, mainly because I am already eating it dry at least once/day, and I need more protein than that.
and number 2: I can’t do leftovers. I try, but I just can’t make myself do it.

Enter my development of this dinner salad! Ok, so it isn’t complete rocket science to come up with this one, but I actually had all of these ingredients on hand- and with my impulse grocery buy of pre-cooked chicken I was set for a hearty salad for my dinner meal.
Even after serious examination of my chicken strips I found little need for tossing any away due to questionable appearance.
Super simple, and the dressing is super light and delicious. I do think this would be great paired with grilled fish or shrimp- salad or not.

For the record: No squeeky chicken bites. Success!
Mexican Cobb Salad
Yield: 4 servings
Fully cooked fajita chicken breast strips can be found in the deli or freezer section of your grocery store.
Ingredients
-
- Honey-Lime Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
Salad
- 8 ounces refrigerated full-cooked fajita grilled chicken breast strips, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 8 cups torn romaine lettuce
- 1 cup diced tomato
- 1 cup peeled, seeded, and diced cucumber
- ½ cup diced avocado
- ¾ cup (3- ounces) shredded Colby Jack cheese
- 1 small red onion, sliced thin (about 1 cup)
- 1 (15-ounce) can organic low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup golden whole kernel corn, fresh (about 2 small ears) or frozen
- 1 cup baked tortilla chips, coarsely crushed
Instructions
To prepare vinaigrette, combine first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add oil, stirring constantly with a whisk; set aside.
Place 2 cups of mixed salad greens on each of 4 plates. Arrange 5 tablespoons chicken breast, 1/4 cup tomato, 1/4 cup cucumber, 1/4 cup onion, 1/4 cup corn, 2 tablespoons avocado, and one-fourth of beans over the salad greens. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons Colby Jack cheese and 1/4 cup crushed chips over each salad. Drizzle Vinaigrette over each salad.
Toss to combine and enjoy.
Nutritional Information:
Calories: 453; Fat: 18.5 g; Carbohydrate: 49.5 g; Fiber: 7.2 g; Protein: 29.5 g