Spicy Chicken Salad

I am always on the lookout for a great main dish salad. A few weeks ago I got a surprise package in the mail. This cookbook:

I love Taste of Home; they have some of the best recipes! If they publish one of your recipes, they send you a copy of the cookbook it is in. I’ve actually had a few of my recipes published, and it is a thrill every single time. I think my hubbie and boys get even more excited than I do. They love to look at the book and see my name in it. The recipe that they used this time is Cashew Chicken Salad. If you haven’t tried it, you really should. It gets rave reviews every time I serve it!
OK, enough tooting my own horn. This cookbook is full of wonderful recipes that I can’t wait to try. The Fiery Chicken Salad was a huge hit with my family.  I wasn’t sure if my ranch loving boys would be thrilled with the dressing, but they all ate it. No one even asked where the ranch was, so I know it is a winner. The BBQ sauce might seem a little strange, but we actually really liked the flavor it added. Yum!

This time I used the packaged chicken strips, but I have included the recipe for the homemade chicken strips as well. They are much lower in fat, but we still love them!

Spicy Chicken Spinach Salad

1/2 bag of fresh spinach
1/2 head of leafy lettuce, chopped
1 tomato, diced
1/2 cup baby carrots, julienned
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, drained
1/4 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 pkg. spicy frozen chicken strips, cooked according to package directions (or make your own)

Dressing:
3 Tbsp ranch dressing
2 Tbsp BBQ sauce
3 Tbsp salsa

Chicken Strips:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2-3 Tbsp olive oil or butter
Cut chicken into 1/2 inch strips. Combine all dry ingredients in a large Ziploc bag. Add chicken and shake to coat. (I do half at a time.) Cook chicken in oil/butter for about 8 minutes or till juices run clear.