Cheever Sauce

¿Te gusta la comida Mexicana? Same here. After recently getting back from a work trip in LA, I find the city’s culinary triumphs usually stick with me upon my return. Yes, NYC is home to some of the best pizza, bagels, and pasta in the country, but I have to say, Los Angeles has got its Mexican food down to la perfección. Even the Manhattan favorite La Esquina pales in comparison to the mom and pop restaurants that line the Hollywood hills.

Still in a full craving mode this week, I wanted to cook a delicious Mexican meal, but still keep it CheeverSauce friendly. Also, Mexican food is great to make for dinner because it still tastes delicious (if not better) the next day for lunch. And we all know how I feel about lunch.  I decided going the salad route was the safest bet, but because I sacrificed tortillas and cheese in this recipe, I had to make sure all the other ingredients popped with flavor. This meant sautéing shredded chicken with chili powder and spices, and adding other hearty yet healthy ingredients, like a black bean and yellow corn salsa. I also swapped sour cream for Fage 0% Greek yogurt and I swear (trust me, my roommate was originally skeptical at first, only to completely take back her original doubts once she ate it) you can hardly taste the difference. While completely eliminating the fat, yet still offering a creamy texture and sweetly sour taste, Greek yogurt is the best healthy replacement to sour cream. 

I know a lot of you die hard Mexican fans may think this salad isn’t true Mexican fair and I can’t agree with you more. Trust me, I wanted to melt cheese all over this. But I can promise you it is an amazing healthy alternative packed with authentic flavors, and it completely satisfied my Mexican food cravings until I get to fly back to LA - or even Mexico - for the real thing. :) 

Onward to the recipe:

1. Boil 4-5 lb. whole chicken until cooked through. The meat should be white not pink once it’s cooked. (This took up to an hour because I used a full chicken with all the fat and skin because it leaves a better broth after the chicken boils, and it ultimately tastes better than the prepackaged chicken breast strips. However, if you don’t have time to boil it - use the strips and cut the time in half).
2. While your meat is cooking prepare your salsa by combining 1 can of black beans and 1 package of organic frozen corn (boil the corn for 5 min before using). Add to your corn and beans lime juice from 1 lime and 3 splashes of white wine vinegar. Mix.
3. Chop half a bunch of cilantro and add to your black bean/corn mixture. Mix and let sit. 
4. Once your chicken is done, remove from the water onto a cutting board and remove any fat or skin. **Keep the water as it should have created a nice chicken broth at this point** Shred the meat from your chicken both white and dark meat. 
5. Place your shredded meat in a sauté pan on medium heat. Add 10 dashes of chili pepper, 7 dashes of garlic powder, 7 dashes of onion powder, 3 dashes of salt, and 4 dashes of pepper to the meat (add more spices to your preferred taste). Add 1 cup of your chicken broth sauté for 7 minutes, allowing the meat combine with the spices and broth.
6. To plate, place the shredded chicken on top of a handful of romaine lettuce. Add your bean and corn mixture. On the side, add a spoonful of guacamole, a spoonful of Greek yogurt, and a spoonful of salsa and garnish with the remainder of your cilantro. CheeverSauce tip: break up a couple blue corn tortilla chips and sprinkle on the top for some added crunch. 
7. Disfrutar!

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