Jacked-Up Monterey Chicken Salad

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If you enjoy Monterey Chicken, you are going to LOVE this Jacked-Up Monterey Chicken Salad! It's quick, easy and perfect for a wholesome weeknight dinner!

I'm sure you have noticed that I have a thing for salads this summer. Really though, what is not to love?! They're easy, the flavor combinations are endless and most of them are loaded with lean proteins and tons of veggies! Oh, and did I mention that they're easy?!

I think the fact that they are so easy (and delicious!) is one of the biggest reasons that dinner salads have become a staple for my family this summer. I'm going to be honest, it's been too hot here in Phoenix to be too excited about cooking much of anything .... but a person still has to eat - and if you have a family, they expect food on a regular basis! Hehehe. Unless it is something that can be cooked on the grill or something that won't heat up the house, it's just not happening right now. Cooking on the grill keeps our house cool and let's be honest, the flavor just can't be beat!

Are you familiar with Monterey Chicken? It's a grilled or baked chicken breast that is topped with BBQ sauce, cheese, tomatoes, green onions, and bacon! If you haven't every tried it - you must! I hope to have the recipe up for just the Monterey Chicken on the blog soon - but for now, let's just go with this Jacked-Up Monterey Chicken Salad! It has all of the same yummy ingredients as the traditional Monterey Chicken, just deconstructed in a salad!

I love that Walmart and Kraft have all of our grilling and dinner needs for less! I also love that this Jacked-Up Monterey Chicken Salad comes together in the time it takes to cook the chicken on the grill - that's less than 20 minutes, y'all! With the help of some of my favorite Kraft products and Walmart's Marketside brand, I easily created a new family-favorite dinner that was fuss-free and perfect for a hectic night! Or a not-so-hectic night! :)

Using ingredients like Kraft cheese, Oscar Mayer bacon, Kraft salad dressing, and Kraft BBQ sauce paired with a few fresh ingredients in my local Walmart's produce section from the Marketside brand such as Pico de Gallo, chopped green onions and organic salad made this Jacked-Up Monterey Chicken Salad quick and easy ... and delicious!

If you are looking for more great grilling recipes, be sure to download the Fire Up the Grill Cookbook - it's full of great recipe ideas!

Jacked-Up Monterey Chicken Salad

by Jamie @ Love Bakes Good Cakes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

For the chicken:

4 small boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ cup Kraft BBQ sauce

For the salad:

1 bag (18 oz.) Marketside Premium Romaine Salad
1 container (10 oz.) Marketside Spicy Pico De Gallo
2-3 green onions, chopped
1 cup (4 oz.) Kraft Colby Jack cheese, shredded
8 slices Oscar Mayer bacon, cooked and crumbled
Kraft Ranch dressing, for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Lightly oil grill grate. Cook chicken on the prepared grill for 6-8 minutes per side, or until the juices run clear. During the last 5 minutes of grilling, brush each chicken breast with BBQ sauce. Allow chicken to cook to 160°F (Upon a mandatory rest off the grill, the meat temperature will continue to rise to 165°F approved by the FDA.) Remove chicken from grill and allow to rest while you prepare the rest of the salad.

2. Divide the Romaine salad between 4 serving plates. Top each salad with desired amount of Pico de Gallo. Evenly divide the green onions, cheese, and bacon between the four plates. Cut the chicken into strips or cubes and place on top of the salad.

3. To serve, drizzle each salad with Ranch dressing. Serve immediately.

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