COWBOY CHOPPED SALAD RECIPE - (4.6/5)

Cowboy Chopped Salad Recipe - (4.6/5) image

Provided by margiekyle

Number Of Ingredients 26

12 slices bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, for frying
4 corn tortillas, cut into strips
BBQ RANCH SALAD DRESSING
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped chives
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Buttermilk, as needed, to adjust the consistency
Hot sauce, to taste
Kosher salt
SALAD
1 head iceberg lettuce, cut into chunks and sliced
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 bunch scallions, sliced
1 pound Cheddar cheese, grated
Pico de gallo, store-bought or homemade, recipe follows, for topping
PICO DE GALLO
12 Roma tomatoes (slightly under ripe is fine)
3 yellow or red onions
2 cups fresh cilantro leaves
1 to 2 jalapenos, plus more if needed
1 lime
Salt

Steps:

For the bacon and tortilla strips: Fry the bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Add some vegetable oil to the bacon skillet and fry the tortilla strips until crisp, approximately 1 minute. Drain on paper towels. For the BBQ ranch dressing: In a bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, barbecue sauce, parsley, chives and garlic. Adjust the consistency with buttermilk to make it a little thinner. Taste and add hot sauce and salt as needed. For the salad: Put the lettuce, tomatoes, scallions, bacon and most of the cheese into a bowl. Drizzle over the dressing and stir. Scatter over the pico de gallo, tortilla strips and the reserved cheese, then serve.