Blackened Chicken Southwestern Salad Food

BLACKENED CHICKEN PASTA

Steps:

• Cook the penne, then drain and set aside.
• Place olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add chicken; cook until cooked through, turning chicken halfway through. Remove from pan and slice into bite-sized pieces. Return chicken pieces to pan with mushrooms, tomatoes, green onions and minced garlic. Saute together while tossing occasionally for 2 minutes. Add heavy cream, Parmesan, Creole seasoning and noodles to chicken and vegetables and cook, stirring frequently to heat noodles and melt cheese. Taste and add more Creole seasoning until it's just right. If you are brave enough to toss all the ingredients in the pan, do it! We love to catch the flame just right and it creates a wonderful show for the guests to watch.

~ BLACKENED CHICKEN / SOUTHWESTERN SALAD ~

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Prepare chicken: Mix all spice together in a small bowl. Pound chicken to thin some. Sprinkle seasoning on each side of chicken, making sure its thoroughly coated. In a skillet cover bottom with oil, over med high heat, Once smoking, add chicken and cook on one side for 5 minutes, turn and cook for 5 minutes longer. Place on a sheet pan and place in oven, cook until juiced run clear, about 15 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes, then slice each breast. Prepare salad while chicken cooks.
• 2. In a medium bowl, mix corn, beans and peppers, set aside. On each plate measure out 1 cup or more lettuce. Add desired onion slices. Sprinkle each with even amount of cheese. Place 3 mounds per plate around the edge of lettuce with bean mixture. Place 8 halves of tomato around the edge of each salad. Sprinkle each with even amount of bacon. Top each salad with a sliced chicken breast. Add to the side or on top of chicken, a couple avocado slices. Sprinkle with fried tortilla chips. Serve with dressing.
• 3. Mix dressing with taco seasoning and serve aside the salad.

SOUTHWEST CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients; pour over chicken mixture and toss to coat. Refrigerate until serving. Serve as desired., Salads: Top salad greens with chicken salad; sprinkle with almonds., Pitas: Line pita halves with lettuce leaves; fill with chicken salad., Wraps: Place chicken salad off-center on tortillas; top with avocado. Roll up.

BLACKENED CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• For the blackened chicken: Combine all the spices with the garlic and oil in a bowl. Evenly rub the chicken pieces with the spice mixture. Place in a large re-sealable plastic bag or a bowl covered in plastic wrap. Keep in the refrigerator for 1 hour or up to overnight for a more intense flavor.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a cast-iron skillet heat over high heat, add enough vegetable oil to coat the whole bottom of the pan. The pan will be ready when it starts to gently smoke. First place the chicken drumsticks in the skillet (they take the longest to cook) and blacken all sides, about 5 minutes. Add the rest of the chicken pieces and continue in the same manner for another 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and place the skillet in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, set aside and keep warm.
• For the French vinaigrette: Add the tomato soup, ketchup, vinegar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, mustard seeds, shallot, garlic and lemon juice to a blender and puree all the ingredients together. Slowly add the oil until it emulsifies and becomes thick and creamy. Season with salt and pepper and blend again. (Add a little bit of water if the vinaigrette is too thick.) Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator. The vinaigrette can be made ahead and will be good for up to 1 week.
• For the salad: In a bowl, mix together the romaine lettuce with the red onions, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the red wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the chicken thighs from the skillet, slice lengthwise and toss into the salad. Mix well and set aside.
• In another bowl, mix together the radishes, herbs and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
• To serve: Dress the plates with the romaine and chicken thigh salad mix. Top each plate with a blackened chicken drumstick and garnish with the radish salad. Drizzle with the French vinaigrette and serve.

BLACKENED CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Combine the seasonings; rub over chicken. Broil or grill, uncovered, over medium heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. , On a serving platter or individual plates, arrange the salad greens, tomatoes and red pepper. Slice chicken; place over salad. Top with croutons and dressing.