The Best Smells Come from the Grill
I love the sound of chicken hitting a hot grill. That sizzle is a happy sound. It means a good meal is coming. The smell of the smoky seasoning fills the whole backyard.
Doesn’t that smell amazing? It reminds me of summer evenings with my family. We would all sit outside while my dad grilled. I still laugh at that. I was always in charge of the salad.
A Little Secret for the Dressing
Let me tell you a small secret. The dressing needs to rest. Mix it up first and put it in the fridge. The cold lets all the flavors get to know each other.
This matters because a patient cook makes a tastier meal. While it chills, the lime and cilantro become best friends. The dressing turns from good to wow. What is your favorite salad dressing?
Why We Marinate the Chicken
Putting the chicken in a bag with oil and spices is called marinating. It is like giving the chicken a flavor bath. It sits in the fridge for an hour and soaks everything up.
This step matters more than you think. It makes the chicken juicy and full of taste inside and out. It keeps it from getting dry on the grill. Fun fact: The acid in lime juice helps make the meat tender.
Building Your Beautiful Bowl
Now for the fun part. We build the bowl. Start with a bed of crisp, green lettuce. Then add little piles of color all around.
You get red from the tomatoes, black from the beans, and yellow from the corn. It is like making a food rainbow. I think eating pretty food just tastes better. Do you like to make your food look colorful?
The Grand Finale
Lay the warm, sliced chicken right on top of your rainbow. It looks so pretty. Then, drizzle that cool, creamy dressing over everything.
The warm chicken and cool dressing are a perfect match. The crunch from the lettuce and the soft avocado feel great in your mouth. Every bite is a little party. What is the best meal you have ever shared with your family?
Ingredients:
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Buttermilk | 1 cup | For the Dressing |
| Mayonnaise | 1 cup | For the Dressing |
| Sour cream | ½ cup | For the Dressing |
| Ranch salad dressing packet | 1 (0.4-ounce) | For the Dressing |
| Fresh lime juice | 4 tablespoons | For the Dressing |
| Fresh cilantro | 7 tablespoons | For the Dressing, chopped |
| Boneless skinless chicken breasts | 4 | For the Salad, approx. 1½ to 2 pound package |
| Southwest Ranch Chicken Taco seasoning packet | 1 (0.87 ounce) | For the Salad, McCormick |
| Light olive oil | ½ cup | For the Salad |
| Water | ¼ cup | For the Salad |
| Romaine lettuce hearts | 24 ounces | For the Salad, rinsed and chopped |
| Canned black beans in seasoned sauce | 1 cup | For the Salad, liquids drained |
| Canned whole kernel sweet yellow corn | 1 cup | For the Salad, liquids drained |
| Campari tomatoes | 1 cup | For the Salad, from 4 to 6, quartered |
| Hass avocado | 1 | For the Salad, diced |
| Red onion | ½ cup | For the Salad, thinly sliced |
| Santa Fe Style tortilla strips and a lime wedge | For the Salad, optional garnish |
My Zesty Ranch Bowl: A Little Taste of Sunshine
Hello, my dear! Come sit with me. Today we are making my Zesty Ranch Bowl. It always reminds me of summer evenings with my family. The smell of grilled chicken fills the whole yard. Doesn’t that sound wonderful?
This recipe is like putting a happy, sunny day right into a bowl. We make a creamy, tangy dressing from scratch. It is so much better than the bottled kind. I still laugh at my grandson’s face when he first tried it. He said, “Grandma, this is magic!”
Let’s get our hands busy. First, we make the dressing so the flavors can get to know each other. Step 1: Grab a medium bowl. Pour in the buttermilk, mayonnaise, and sour cream. Add the ranch packet, fresh lime juice, and chopped cilantro. Whisk it all together until it’s smooth and green-flecked. It already smells so fresh.
Now, cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Pop it in the fridge for an hour. This waiting is the secret. It lets all the flavors become best friends. While it chills, we prepare the chicken. Step 2: Put the chicken breasts in a big zip-top bag. In a small bowl, mix the taco seasoning, olive oil, and water. Pour this over the chicken.
Seal the bag, pushing out all the air. (This is my hard-learned tip: get all the air out! It helps the marinade hug the chicken tightly.) Let it sit in the fridge for an hour, too. Patience makes the best meals, I always say. What’s your favorite smell from a summer grill? Share below!
After an hour, heat your grill to medium-high. Step 3: Carefully place the marinated chicken on the hot grill. Cook it for about 8-9 minutes on each side. You want the inside to reach 165 degrees. I use my little thermometer for this. It never lets me down.
Take the chicken off the grill and let it rest for a minute. Then, slice it into pretty strips. While it cooked, you can chop all your veggies. Step 4: Divide the chopped romaine lettuce between four big bowls. Top each one with black beans, corn, tomatoes, avocado, and red onion. It looks like a garden!
Step 5: Now for the fun part! Lay the sliced grilled chicken over each beautiful salad. Drizzle that amazing cilantro-lime ranch dressing all over everything. If you like a little crunch, add some tortilla strips on top. A squeeze of fresh lime juice makes it perfect. And there you have it!
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 18 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Category: Dinner, Salad
Three Fun Twists to Make It Yours
The best recipes are the ones you can play with. Here are some fun ideas for our ranch bowl. You can try a different one every time!
Black Bean Swap: Leave out the chicken and use a whole can of black beans. It makes a wonderful, filling vegetarian meal. My friend Maria taught me this.
Spicy Fiesta: Add a chopped jalapeño to the dressing. You could also use a spicy taco seasoning for the chicken. It gives you a little kick!
Summer Corn Party: In the summer, use fresh corn cut right off the cob. It is so sweet and crunchy. It tastes like sunshine.
These are just a few ways to change it up. Which one would you try first? Comment below!
The Perfect Way to Serve Your Creation
This bowl is a full meal, but it’s nice to add a little something extra. I love serving it with warm, buttered tortillas on the side. My family likes to scoop up the last bits of dressing with them.
For a drink, a tall glass of iced tea with a sprig of mint is so refreshing. If you’re having a grown-up dinner, a cold, crisp lager beer pairs beautifully. It cuts through the creamy dressing just right.
So, what will it be for you tonight? A cool tea or a crisp beer? Which would you choose tonight?
Keeping Your Ranch Bowl Fresh and Tasty
Let’s talk about storing this delicious salad. Keep the dressing separate from the salad. Store them in different containers in the fridge.
Your salad will stay crisp for two days this way. I remember making a big batch for a family picnic. I mixed it all together the night before. It was a soggy mess by lunchtime. We learned our lesson.
You can also cook extra chicken. Just freeze it in a zip-top bag. This makes a quick dinner later in the week. Batch cooking saves you so much time on busy nights.
This matters because good food should not go to waste. A little planning makes weeknight meals easy and fun. Have you ever tried storing it this way? Share below!
Simple Fixes for Common Salad Problems
Sometimes cooking does not go as planned. Do not worry. Here are some easy fixes. Is your dressing too thick? Just add a splash of buttermilk. Whisk it in until it looks right.
Is your chicken sticking to the grill? Make sure the grill is hot before you start. I once put chicken on a cold grill. It stuck like glue. A hot grill gives you those beautiful marks.
Is your avocado turning brown? Squeeze a little lime juice over it. The acid keeps it looking fresh and green. Fixing small problems builds your confidence in the kitchen. It also makes your food taste so much better. Which of these problems have you run into before?
Your Quick Ranch Bowl Questions Answered
Q: Can I make this gluten-free? A: Yes. Just check your seasoning packets and tortilla strips for gluten.
Q: Can I make parts ahead? A: Absolutely. Make the dressing and marinate the chicken a day early.
Q: I do not like cilantro. A: No problem. Use fresh parsley or just leave it out.
Q: Can I feed a crowd? A: Of course. Simply double or triple all the ingredients.
Q: Are the garnishes needed? A: They are optional, but the tortilla strips add a nice crunch. Which tip will you try first?
A Little Note From My Kitchen to Yours
I hope you love making this zesty ranch bowl. It is a favorite in my house. My grandkids always ask for it.
Fun fact: The acid in lime juice helps tenderize the chicken. It is like a little kitchen secret.
I would love to see your creation. Sharing food brings us all together. Have you tried this recipe? Tag us on Pinterest!
Happy cooking! —Lena Morales.
Zesty Ranch Bowl: Creamy, tangy ranch bliss.:
Description
Creamy, tangy ranch bliss in a bowl! This easy Zesty Ranch Bowl recipe is your new favorite healthy lunch or dinner. So flavorful and satisfying!
Ingredients
=== For the Dressing ===
=== For the Salad ===
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, packet of ranch salad dressing mix, fresh lime juice, and fresh chopped cilantro.
- Whisk together to fully incorporate all the ingredients. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour while preparing the remainder of the Southwest salad recipe.
- Add the boneless skinless chicken breasts to a large, heavy-duty, zip-top bag.
- To a small mixing bowl, add the packet of ranch chicken taco seasoning, light olive oil, and water. Stir to combine.
- Pour the seasoned marinade over the chicken breasts inside the zip-top bag. Seal the bag, making sure to remove as much air as possible, and place it into the refrigerator to allow the chicken to marinate for 1 hour.
- Once your chicken has marinated, you can preheat your outdoor grill to medium-high heat (approximately 425°F to 450°F, depending on how your grill runs).
- Grill your chicken breasts for 8 to 9 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Remove from the grill and slice each chicken breast into ½-inch thick slices. Try to keep your chicken breast together to transfer it to your salad for a pretty presentation when assembling your salad.
- While the chicken is grilling, you can prepare the romaine lettuce, black beans, corn, tomatoes, avocado, and red onion slices. You will need to divide the romaine lettuce equally into 4 large salad bowls.
- Top each bowl of lettuce with ¼ cup black beans, ¼ cup corn kernels, ¼ cup sliced tomatoes, a quarter of the chopped Hass avocado, and some red onion slices.
- Place one of the sliced grilled chicken breasts onto the top of your salad and garnish your salad with a drizzle of the cilantro-lime ranch salad dressing.
- You can add an optional garnish of the Santa Fe-style tortilla strips and a lime wedge to squeeze over the entire salad.
Notes
- Nutrition: Calories: 1160kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 60g | Fat: 86g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 31g | Monounsaturated Fat: 37g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 177mg | Sodium: 1051mg | Potassium: 2111mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 15457IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 326mg | Iron: 7mg
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