Southwestern Chili Taco Salad with Chipotle Ranch Dressing

By Rachel // October 31, 2014 // 29 comments // Share

Taco chicken chili over a bed of mixed lettuce, crisp tortilla strips, cheese and topped off with a spicy homemade chipotle ranch dressing.

Kids shows aren’t just for kids. We especially love the educational kids shows… yes, even the kids! Anything on PBS is a winner. Case in point, The Cat In The Hat. Today, I heard them talk about tomatoes being fruit because they have seeds. Now, I know this is regularly debated. Fruit or vegetable, which is it?

I couldn’t take the idea of something being a fruit just because it has seeds in it. But sure enough, that’s exactly how they’re classified. Seeds inside = fruit. Roots = vegetable. Or at least that’s the rough explanation. Just focus on the seed part for a minute…

Cucumbers are fruit. Peppers are fruit. Corn and even squash… yup, fruit. What?!

I feel like I’ve been lied to my entire life.

Of course then there is the sweet vs savory issue. We think of fruit as sweet, so how could those items be fruit?

We need to reclassify this stuff. There needs to be a new definition because I can’t handle this new information.

Also… this is an amazing chili salad that needs to happen in your kitchen asap. It’s a recreation of one of my favorite meals from our trip to Aruba this year. SO delicious. I obviously changed it up a bit. One, because I didn’t have their recipe. And two, because I can’t help but make things my own.

The original had beef and I used chicken. I’m willing to bet theirs wasn’t made in the slow cooker either, but who knows. I love my slow cooker. Any chance I have to use it, I will. And bonus here, if you want to enjoy the chili as is, just increase the amounts below for a super amazing hearty chili you’ll go crazy for! Hands down one of… or maybe THE best red chili I’ve ever made.

Homemade slow cooker taco chicken chili over a bed of mixed greens, topped off with cheese, tortilla strips and a spicy homemade chipotle ranch dressing.

De-licious!

Print Recipe

Southwestern Chili Taco Salad with Chipotle Ranch Dressing

Taco chicken chili over a bed of mixed lettuce, crisp tortilla strips, cheese and topped off with a spicy homemade chipotle ranch dressing.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time4 hrs

Total Time4 hrs 10 mins

Course: Main Course, Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Salad, Slow cooker

Ingredients

Chili:

• 1 lb ground chicken cooked and crumbled
• 1/2 C yellow onion chopped
• 1/2 C green bell pepper chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 15 oz black beans drained and rinsed well
• 15 oz red beans drained and rinsed well
• 1/2 C tomato sauce
• 1 Tbsp tomato puree
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1 1/2 C chicken stock
• 1/4 C all purpose flour

Dressing:

• 1/2 C mayonnaise
• 1/2 C sour cream
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp dill
• 1/4 tsp chives
• Mixed greens
• Monterey Jack cheese
• Tortilla strips

Instructions

• In a large measuring cup, whisk together flour and chicken stock. In the bowl of a slow cooker, at least 3 quarts in size, add cooked and crumbled chicken along with remaining chili ingredients. Cook on high for 4 hours or until vegetables are tender and mixture has thickened.
• In a food processor or blender, combine dressing ingredients and process until smooth. Chill until ready to use.
• Serve chili over a bed of mixed lettuce with crisp tortilla strips and cheese. Top off with chipotle ranch dressing.

Notes

*Chili as written will serve 4-5 as a stand alone dish or more as a salad topping. Increase to serve a larger crowd.

An original recipe from Baked by Rachel