Bajio Green Chile Chicken Salad

This is one of my favorite salads from the Bajio Mexcian Grill Restaurant and when I came across the recipe, I knew I had to try it. There are a lot of steps to make it, but it is well worth it. The dressing is even tasty on a normal green vegetable salad. I had never used tomatillos before so I looked them up on the internet. There is a link to wikipedia that describes them.

BAJIO'S Green Chili Chicken Salad

INGREDIENTS

2 Grilled Chicken Breasts

1 cup Green Chile Chutney (see recipe below)

1 cup of Caramelized Onions

2 cups Fresh Pico De Gallo

1 cup Shredded Cheese (a mix of cheddar and jack cheese)

8 cups of Fresh Lettuce mix (a combination of red and green leaf is optimal)
Crispy Corn Tortilla Chips

Cilantro Lime Dressing (see recipe below)

DIRECTIONS

Marinate Chicken Breasts in 1 cup of lime juice and 1 cup oil, let stand for at least two hours in the refrigerator. On a hot grill, grill the chicken until done and set aside to rest. Once the chicken has had time to rest and cool, shred into small pieces. Slice 1 whole white onion into slices. In a medium saute pan, add 2 TBL spoons of oil and saute the onions until they are translucent. Once the onions are done, add the shredded chicken and cup of Green Chile Chutney, and saute all together until well heated. Slice corn tortillas into strips and saute them in oil until crispy. Drain on a paper towel until ready to serve. On individual plates, pile with mixed greens, add a cup of Fresh Pico De Gallo. Add the warm chicken mixture and top with cheese, a cilantro lime dressing and crispy tortilla strips. Serve.

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Green Chile Chutney
3 large anaheim peppers, halved, seeds removed
1 - 2 jalapeno peppers, halved, seeds removed
4 oz. can diced green chiles
5-7 tomatillos, husks removed
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
dash each of chili powder, cumin, salt
1 large sweet onion, halved
Place peppers, tomatillos, and onion on baking sheet/rack. Roast in 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes, or until nicely browned. Place tomatillos and about 1/4 cup onion in blender and process until mostly smooth. Dice peppers. Add all ingredients except the remaining onion into a large pot. Cook over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes or until thickened and reduced. Add more sugar/peppers to adjust the spiciness/sweetness to taste. Slice the remaining onion and saute with a little bit of the green chile sauce over medium-low heat until carmelized.

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Cilantro Salad Dressing

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing (dry mix)
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 small jalapeno (remove seed)
1 cup mayo
1 tsp. lime juice
1-2 tomatillos (remove outer papery skin)
1 garlic clove

Blend all ingredients together in a blender.