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Mark this down as one of my biggest kitchen wins!
Taco salad is a staple in our house. Its easy to throw together and relatively cheap. You can customize it to fit your tastes and if you’re missing an ingredient or two its not the end of the world.
However, this week we made one of my wife’s new favorites. We’ve combined crispy, zesty fried chicken with our traditional taco salad mix ins. Add a bit of our Tomatillo Salad Dressing on top and BOOM! This hearty salad keeps you full for hours without making you feel heavy.
The secret to the extra crunchy chicken is crushed cornflakes. This is the first time I’ve breaded anything with them, and I must admit I liked it more than I thought. You can’t taste the cornflakes and it gives them an extra crispy texture we all love!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 8 cups crushed cornflakes
- 4 cups flour
- 1/2 cup garlic powder
- 1/2 cup onion powder
- 3/4 cup taco seasoning
- 1/2 cup black pepper
- 10 eggs
- 1/4 cup of milk
- 1 head of lettuce
- 2 orange bell peppers
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 large tomato
- 1 can black beans
- 1 can corn
- Tomatillo Salad Dressing
Instructions
- Slice the chicken thighs into 2-3 thin strips each.
- Place chicken and buttermilk in large ziplock bag or bowl. Remove as much air as possible, and place in the fridge. Marinate for at least 2 hours. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, garlic powder, onion powder, taco seasoning, and pepper. In a shallow dish, beat eggs and milk together. Place cornflakes in a third bowl or dish.
- To bread chicken, shake buttermilk off each piece and then dredge in flour mixture. Shake off excess flour and dredge in egg mixture. Dredge in flour and eggs again, then bread in crushed corn flakes.
- Place breaded chicken on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. As pan fills, layer more parchment paper and chicken as needed. Place baking sheet in freezer for at least 2 hours, allowing breading to adhere to chicken.**
- Preheat deep fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place chicken in oil and fry for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Place on pan lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.
- Chop up lettuce, bell peppers, and tomato. Drain and rinse black beans. Drain corn. Toss veggies in a large bowl.
- Slice the chicken into bite size strips. Place chicken on top of salad and serve with Tomatillo Dressing.
Notes
**You can freeze the chicken to keep on hand. After chicken is fully frozen, place pieces in an air tight container and place back into the freezer. Cook as described above. Chicken can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Made this recipe and loved it as much as we did? Let us know! We’d love to hear from you!