Barbecue Chicken Salad

This recipe is based on California Pizza Kitchen's BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad. I haven't had theirs for years, but I always really liked it, so long ago, I took a stab at replicating it at home. It's been a long, long time since we've made it, but Steve suggested it this week. We used cilantro, basil, and chives from our garden and lettuce and beets from our CSA share.

This is less a recipe and more a list of ingredients and assembly instructions.

And it definitely doesn't abide by the use-only-ingredients-you-have-on-hand rule.

Ingredients:
Chicken breasts (1 for every 2 people)
Canola oil or other neutral-tasting cooking oil
Barbecue sauce
Lettuce, torn
Carrots, shredded (I actually used raw beets sliced into thin strips this time, because I had some on hand and wanted to try it.)
Jicama, peeled and sliced into thin strips (I suggest using a paring knife to peel jicama. A veggie peeler is hopeless.)
Bell peppers, chopped (I like the visual appeal of yellow peppers in this salad. I actually used mixed mini peppers this time--yellow, orange, and red.)
Green onions, chopped (I used chives instead)
Basil, shredded
Cilantro, chopped
Canned black beans, drained and rinsed (you could also prepare your own from dry beans if you like)
Corn (you can use canned or you can thaw some frozen corn. I supposed you could also cut some off the cob, but I've never done that with this recipe.)
Shredded cheddar or jack cheese (I used cheddar)
Ranch dressing (you could probably use vinaigrette instead)
Tomatoes, chopped (or you can use cherry or grape tomatoes. I used grape tomatoes this time.)
Tortilla chips, crumbled (I used blue corn tortilla chips)
Lime juice

Cut the chicken into strips. Heat a little oil in a skillet over medium heat, and add the chicken. Cook until no longer pink. Add some barbecue sauce and cook for a bit longer. Put the lettuce into a large bowl. Add the veggies and herbs (except the tomatoes) and toss well. Add cheese and toss again. Add ranch dressing and toss once more. Arrange tomatoes around the edge of the bowl. Sprinkle crumbled tortilla chips over the salad. Add chicken on top of the tortilla chips. Drizzle with barbecue sauce and lime juice.

Comments:
This was tasty; it always is. The beets worked well in it.