Taco Chicken Salad

I made this dish after eating at Restaurant Serenade in Chatham, NJ. I was reviewing the restaurant for the Chatham Patch. It was an enjoyable meal but my dish- the taco chicken salad was disappointing. I came home trying to figure out how to improve the salad and came up with my own version.

I marinated cooked chicken breast (or dark meat) in some very flavorful ingredients, including orange juice, adobo sauce and smoked paprika. The chicken in the original dish was tender but extremely bland. I wanted to infuse as much flavor as possible and so I marinated the chicken for a couple of hours.

Next- I prepared the toppings. I added some lime juice and salt to the sliced onions as well as the avocados.

I bought some small corn tortillas (although the flour ones will be fine as well) and filled them with the flavorful chicken and topped them with the onions and avocados. It is super easy to put together-  it surprised me the restaurant couldn’t get it right.

I served it with a pico de gallo rice- the recipe will be posted tomorrow. Now that it is grilling season, you can cook the chicken on the grill and marinate it in the wonderful flavors. It could be a great grilled dinner on a weekend or even a weeknight. Serve some delicious Rose with it and you have a fabulous meal…

• 2 cups cooked shredded chicken (left over rotisserie chicken will be fine)
• Juice of 2 Clementines
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons salt

Add the Clementine juice, adobo sauce, smoked paprika and salt in a small bowl. Drizzle the olive oil while whisking the juice emulsifying the dressing.

Place the shredded chicken into a ziplock bag and add the dressing. Let chicken sit in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours.

Toppings

• 1 red or white onion, sliced thin
• Juice of half a lime
• 1 teaspoon salt

Add the red onion, limejuice and salt in a small bowl. Mix well and keep aside.

Avocados

2 avocadoes cut into 1-inch pieces
Juice of one lime
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon salt

Add the avocado pieces, cilantro, limejuice and salt in a medium bowl. Mix well and keep aside.

4 to 6 small corn or flour tortillas

Heat each tortilla and fill with the marinated chicken. Top with avocado and sliced onion. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Serve with pico de gallo rice (recipe to follow).