Chef Gordon's Kitchen: Grilled Chicken Salad with Tequila-Lime Vinaigrette

DVC Villa-Style Grilled Chicken Salad with Tequila-Lime Vinaigrette

For the chicken, mix together the first four ingredients and place into a zip-lock bag, or into a glass bowl. Add the chicken breasts to the marinade and refrigerate for about 2 hours, give or take an hour (don’t marinate more than 4 hours or the chicken will change texture and become tough).

For the vinaigrette, combine all of the ingredients, stir well and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the tortilla strips, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the strips onto a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with pan coating. Lightly spray the strips with pan coating, and then sprinkle with the spices. Bake for about 8 minutes, remove from oven and let cool (they will continue to crisp after being removed from oven).

Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the liquid. Grill the chicken for about 5 or 6 minutes on each side, until done (you can broil or pan sauté the chicken if you prefer). Slice the chicken into strips. Toss the mango and the greens together in a large bowl. Add the vinaigrette and gently toss until all of the greens are coated. Arrange the greens on a plate, top with the chicken strips and then with the tortilla strips.

Serve with an off dry Riesling or Gewürztraminer (the sugars in the wine will smooth out the spiciness of the salad ingredients).

For dessert, serve Mickey Mouse Ice Cream Bars and Champagne!

Notes: The vinaigrette and the chicken can both be prepared ahead of time and kept in separate containers. Store bought tortilla chips can be substituted for the tortilla strips. Any other type of tropical fruit may be used in place of the mango.

Chef Gordon Holmes is a Cast Member at Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort where he has worked since the resort's opening in 1996. Since 2003 he has also worked as an Executive Chef and restaurant consultant. Previous stop include prestigous restaurants in New York City, New Orleans and Nemours (France).  Chef Gordon can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..