

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of KRAFT Natural Shredded Cheese and Safeway. All opinions are 100% mine.
Remember the classic “Big Salad” episode from Seinfeld, circa 1994?
Elaine asks George to buy a “big salad” for her, to go. George and Jerry volley back and forth about what’s in a big salad, anyway (“Big lettuce, big carrots, tomatoes like volleyballs,” Jerry says; hilarity and eyeball rolling ensues), and then there’s a whole usual misunderstanding between George and the world his girlfriend over who gets credit for providing Elaine said big salad. George obsesses, as usual, because he wants everyone to understand he is generous. He is! Really, he is!
Sounds mundane when I write it out like that, but it was hilarious! And ever since then, a Big Salad has been part of the culinary lexicon. To me, Big Salad = entrée dinner salad.
A Big Salad is often what’s for dinner at mi casa, and we like to throw it together out of whatever is hanging around the refrigerator.
In this case, KRAFT asked me to make one of the recipes from their website to show off their new cheese packaging, so I chose their Chopped Chicken Salad with Mexican style Four Cheese blend (Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Asadero, Queso Quesadilla cheeses).
I headed to Vons (Safeway Just For You in other parts of the country) and perused the shredded cheese aisle. I often use pre-shredded cheese for convenience, and KRAFT is my trusted brand.
The new packaging is smaller and more compact, but contains the same amount of cheese as before. Best of all, it is now in a handy stand-up pouch, so you easily set it up on the counter and grab the cheese as you need it, with one hand.
My Big Salad was a hit at dinner, with kids and my husband.
Elaine would approve.
Recipe: Chopped Mexican Chicken Salad
Summary: Satisfying Big Salad dinner entrée full of chopped vegetables, chicken, black beans and topped off with Mexican Four Cheese blend.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2-2 cups cooked chicken (such as from a rotisserie chicken)
- 1 package (10- 12 ounces) torn romaine lettuce (more if you like)
- 1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1 avocado, peeled, seeded and diced
- 1 large tomato, seeded and chopped (use 2 if you like a salad stuffed with tomatoes)
- 1/2 cup KRAFT Mexican Style Finely Shredded Four Cheese blend
- 1/4 cup KRAFT Zesty Lime Vinaigrette Dressing
- Garnish: Offer chopped fresh cilantro at the table, and hot sauce or salsa for those who like a spicier salad
Instructions
- Add chicken, lettuce, corn, black beans and onion to a large salad bowl. Toss gently to combine. Portion into 4 wide flat bowls, or onto large plates.
- Sprinkle each salad with avocado and tomato (these are more fragile and are damaged by tossing). Sprinkle with cheese. Drizzle each salad with about 1 tablespoon dressing (more if you like).
- Serves 4.
Recipe source
Lightly adapted from Grilled Chopped Chicken Salad on the KRAFT website.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Number of servings (yield): 4
Culinary tradition: USA (General)
[…] Bowl), Chicken & Basil Pomodoro Zucchini Pasta (Inspiralized), Crockpot Turkey Bolognese, Chopped Mexican Chicken Salad (Shockingly Delicious), Easy Herb Spiced Roasted […]
Sigh. I miss Elaine.
Jolly,
She (the actress) lives in the town next to me, so I see her out and about on occasion.
So funny, I just saw “The Soup Nazi” episode last week! This looks so up my alley, I love anything Mexican.
Julie,
Oh yeah, and you can tweak this to your liking. Add fresh cilantro!
This looks fabulous! It has everything Sous Chef loves in a salad. Thanks for the Seinfeld moment – it was a hilarious episode.
Christy,
I know, right? Of course, all Seinfeld moments are hilarious, eh?
This looks just like our dinner at least a couple nights every week in the summertime – cool, crunchy, delicious! I love those pre-shredded cheeses, so convenient!
Donalyn,
The pre-shredded cheese have saved my butt many times!