Smokey Mesquite BBQ Chicken Salad {Recipe} #KraftFreshTake

As much as I love to cook, I don’t have the time to spend hours in the kitchen every day preparing gourmet meals. That doesn’t mean I buy a lot of prepacked dinners or go out for fast food all the time– quite the contrary, actually. My focus on serving my family fresh food is one of the reasons I gladly accepted Kraft’s invitation to be a part of their Kraft Fresh Take Flavor Makers program.

Throughout the program I will be sharing my own personal recipes using Kraft Fresh Take — blends of fresh natural cheeses and expertly seasoned breadcrumbs that can be used to create fast and delicious entree, appetizer, and side dish combinations.

To make things a little more fun, Kraft has selected a special Fresh Take variety for me to use –Smokey Mesquite BBQ– along with two challenge cards. Blog posts and recipes will be posted over the next few weeks, and there’s even an awesome giveaway for you at the end .. so pay close attention!

My first challenge was to create a weeknight friendly meal/new salad that I’ve been dying to make.

My inspiration came from those hearty dinner salads at steakhouse restaurants … which cost up to $15 each! My version is made with boneless chicken breast breaded with Kraft Fresh Take Smokey Mesquite BBQ on top of a bed of spring mix lettuce with bacon, tomato, avocado, corn and Honey BBQ Ranch dressing. Sounds delish, right?

Smokey Mesquite BBQ Chicken Salad Recipe

Ingredients (makes 4 dinner salads):

• 4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
• 1 package Kraft Fresh Take Smokey Mesquite BBQ
• 1/2 pound bacon
• 1 1/3 cup corn
• 2 Avocados
• 2 Tomatoes
• 16oz Baby Spring Mix

For Honey BBQ Ranch dressing (combine):

• 8 Tablespoons Kraft Classic Ranch
• 3 Tablespoons Kraft Honey BBQ Sauce

Directions:

Preparation is super easy. The only real cooking involved is baking the chicken with Kraft Fresh Take and frying the bacon (if you serve bacon for breakfast, this step can be omitted– crumbled leftover bacon keeps really well in the fridge).

Step 1. Mix Kraft Fresh Take seasoning and cheese mix throughout in pouch. Per package instructions, coat each piece of chicken with mixture and bake in oven until thoroughly cooked (cooking times/oven temps vary — see Fresh Take package).

Step 2. Fry bacon in pan — remove excess oil with paper towel and crumble when crispy.

Step 3. Pile desired amount of baby spring mix, along with 1/2 sliced avocado, 1/2 sliced tomato, 2oz crumbled bacon and 1/3 cup corn to each plate. Top with sliced Smokey Mesquite BBQ chicken breast and serve with Honey BBQ Ranch dressing. Enjoy!

Fast, Easy and Fresh — What’s not to love!?

KRAFT Foods is providing the prizes for this program at no cost to me and has provided me with a gift of equal value for review.  This program is not administered or sponsored by Kraft Foods or its affiliates, but solely by Mommy Musings. All opinions are my own.