What's for dinner?

Caribbean Chicken Salad

1/2 cup lemon juice (use real lemons, people!  It only takes 1.)

1/3 cup honey

3 T vegetable oil

6 green onions, sliced

3 tsp dried thyme

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

6 chicken breast halves

Romaine lettuce

2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

Chunks of pineapple, to taste

Mandarin oranges, to taste

Small pieces of blue corn tortilla chips

Diced green onion (garnish)

Combine first 8 ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth to make the marinade.  (Make a double batch if you'd like to have enough to use as the actual salad dressing!  It's that good...)  Pour 1/2 cup of marinade into a small bowl for basting.  Cover and refrigerate.  Set aside a portion of marinade for dressing, if you've doubled the recipe, and refrigerate; then pour remaining marinade into large ziplock bag and add chicken; turn to coat, refrigerate for up to 6 hours.  

For grilled chicken: Discard marinade and grill chicken over medium heat for about 6-7 minutes on each side, until no longer pink in the center.  Baste with reserved marinade while grilling.

For baked chicken: Discard marinade and place chicken breasts in baking dish.  Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.  

Let chicken rest while you assemble the salad.  Tear lettuce, arrange on individual plates; top with chopped tomato, pineapple chunks, mandarin oranges and green onion.  Slice chicken into long thin strips and layer onto salad.  Sprinkle tortilla pieces on top, and serve with dressing on the side.

I will post a picture of our salads later this evening!  I can tell you now, this marinade/dressing recipe tastes JUST LIKE the one Chili's used to serve with their Caribbean Chicken Salad, which has been discontinued.  I just made it and tasted it, and it is amazing - it tastes like summer!  I doubled the marinade recipe and had plenty to use as marinade for the chicken AND dressing for the salads.  Yum.