The leading ladies of salad, sisters Mandy and Rebecca Wolfe of Mandy’s Gourmet Salads, share a peek into their latest cookbook with this Dude Ranch Salad recipe that will fill your plate with freshness and a Doritos—yes, Doritos!—flavour explosion.
Dude Ranch Salad
By Mandy Wolfe, Rebecca Wolfe and Meredith Erickson
Every February, we try to honour the spirit of the month in one of two ways: with a Valentine’s Day lovey/heart-health awareness salad or with a decadent throw-caution-and-health-to-the-wind Superbowl kind of salad. This salad might be the second type. Dorito-coated popcorn chicken bites with a ranch dressing? Pass the jalapeño poppers and the remote. Note to Doritos fans: we taste-tested Cool Ranch flavour versus Nacho Cheese flavour for the popcorn chicken recipe and were as surprised as you are that Nacho Cheese was a far superior coating for the chicken. The Cool Ranch was simply too overpowering and tangy and just didn’t work. But pound for pound, they’re still the best flavor of Doritos, if you ask us.
Course Salad
Cuisine American
- 3 cups romaine lettuce chopped
- 1 cup iceberg lettuce chopped
- ¼ cup cherry tomatoes halved
- ¼ cup celery thinly sliced
- ¼ cup strong white cheddar grated
- 2 tbsp cilantro leaves
- 2 tbsp scallions sliced
- ½ cup Dorito Popcorn Chicken (recipe below)
- ⅓ cup Ranch Dressing (recipe below)
Combine the first 7 ingredients in a large stainless steel bowl. Top with the ranch dressing and, using tongs, toss until well mixed and dressed.
Transfer to a serving bowl and arrange the Dorito Popcorn Chicken over top.
Keyword chicken, doritos, lunch, ranch, salad
Dorito Popcorn Chicken
By Mandy Wolfe, Rebecca Wolfe and Meredith Erickson
Course Salad
Cuisine American
- 1 bag Nacho Cheese Doritos tortilla chips (225 g)
- 1 large skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 tbsp olive or avocado oil
- 2 tsp Tabasco hot sauce
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Transfer the Doritos into a large resealable bag. Close up the bag, removing as much air out of it as you can. Use a rolling pin to crush the chips to a fine powder (similar results can be achieved with a few pulses in a food processor).
In a bowl, combine the cubed chicken with the oil, Tabasco, salt, and pepper and stir well to coat.
Place the chicken in the bag of Dorito crumbs, seal the bag, and start shaking! Make sure the chicken pieces are completely coated before transferring them to a sheet tray lined with parchment paper.
Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until crispy and cooked through. Remove chicken bites from the oven and set aside to cool. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use. They’ll keep for up to 3 days.
Keyword chicken, doritos, lunch, salad
Ranch Dressing
By Mandy Wolfe, Rebecca Wolfe and Meredith Erickson
Course Salad
Cuisine American
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tsp whole-grain mustard
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup chives minced
- ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley minced
- 2 tsp red onion minced, optional
In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, lemon juice, and vinegar, and set aside to curdle at room temperature, about 10 minutes.
In a blender, combine the soured milk with the mayonnaise, mustard, and garlic and onion powders. Process on medium-high speed until smooth and well combined, 15 to 20 seconds. Stop the blender and scrape down the sides of the jar with a spatula as needed.
With the blender running on low speed, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified and thickened, about 30 seconds. Add the salt and pepper, adjusting the seasoning to taste.
Transfer the dressing to an airtight container, then stir in the minced herbs and red onion and refrigerate until ready to use. This dressing will keep, refrigerated, for up to 7 days.
Keyword dressing, lunch, ranch, salad
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