Santa Fe Chicken Salad

Can you tell I have been craving salads lately? This is a copycat I found for the Santa Fe Chicken Salad they serve at the Cheesecake Factory. It was really good - it might sound like a really bizarre combination of tastes but they really all do go together. Since there are really 3 dressings (a lime dressing, bean relish that is like a black bean salsa, and a spicy peanut drizzle) it is probably best to do the dressings ahead of time. This is one of my new favorite salads.

6 chicken breasts halves
1/2 cup teriyaki marinade
16 cups romaine and leaf lettuce
1 cup cilantro
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed
1 cans whole kernel corn, drained
3 cups grated jack cheese
3 cups corn tortilla chips crushed
3 cups diced seeded tomatoes

Marinate chicken 1 hour in teriyaki marinade. Broil and baste chicken approximately 15 minutes; cool, then cut into bite size pieces or shred. Tear greens; add cilantro and beans and corn. Dress with Lime Dressing (see below).

Fill 8 plates with greens, top each with chicken, 1/4 cup cheese, tomatoes, 1/2 cup Bean Relish (see below). Drizzle with Peanut Dressing (see below).

Lime Dressing:
1/2 teaspoon lime zest
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon snipped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup olive oil

Process until thick.

Black Bean Relish:

Process together:
1 can Beans
1/2 cup each chopped red pepper, green pepper and red onion
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 1/4 teaspoons oil
1/4 teaspoon salt

Peanut Butter Dressing:
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1-2 teaspoons sriracha hot sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons chunky peanut butter
3 tablespoons sesame oil

Process until well blended.

This recipe is for 8, so if you have fewer people to serve, decrease amounts. I halved the dressing, bean relish, and peanut drizzle and had enough for probably 4 people. For the salad amounts, I probably only used 1/4 can beans and corn.