BBQ Chicken Nacho Salad.

September 9, 2010

This is my compromise.

I love nachos, but nachos don’t always love me. Or my thighs.

But for some reason, salads love me. Trust me, the feeling is not mutual.

I toasted my own tortilla chips, but that was simply because we didn’t have any others in the house. I find the best tortillas for getting crispy are corn tortillas.

And anytime I make something BBQ-flavored, I love using smoked cheese. Well, I love using smoked cheese all the time, especially when I feel like consuming half a brick while mindlessly watching trashy TV.

But believe me, smoked cheese is the way to go.

This salad (nachos?) is also a great way to get in some greens! At least for me it is. We all know I have trouble with that. I chopped some arugula and spinach and just layered it on top of the chips. The crunchy chips, sweet caramelized onion and smoky cheese helped the greens go down. It was truly delicious.

I’m kinda wishing I could eat it for breakfast. Too bad I’m lazy.

BBQ Chicken Nacho Salad

serves 1

1-2 whole wheat tortillas (depending on how many chips you want)

3-4 ounces grilled chicken, marinated or seasoned with BBQ sauce or seasoning

1/4 onion, sliced and caramelized

1/4 teaspoon BBQ seasoning (I use McCormick’s)

1 1/2 cups greens (spring, arugula, spinach), chopped

1/2 ounce smoked cheddar cheese

1/2 ounce smoked gouda cheese

1-2 tablespoons BBQ sauce

Preheat oven t0 400.

Cut tortillas into triangles and season with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until chips are golden and crispy.

One finished, lay on a plate and top with greens, chicken, and caramelized onions. Sprinkle with BBQ seasoning. Top with cheese and BBQ sauce.

So how would you eat the nacho salad? With a fork? Or scooped up with chips?

Something exciting: I was asked to judge a dessert contest on OurKitchen Stories. I love the concept of Our Kitchen Stories because they are all about preserving family traditions when it comes to recipes and food. You guys know how much that means to me since my family’s recipes were the reason I started this blog. The contest was presented by Shop ‘n Save and had some incredible desserts! It was so hard to choose, but you have to check out the desserts below! They are truly fantastic.

Winner: White Chocolate Mousse Parfaits

Runner up: Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Runner up: Pina Colada Punch

Which one do you guys think I should try first?!