Mexican Corn Inspired Chicken Salad

I saw a picture of grilled Mexican corn walking home from work... you know the kind where it's slathered in mayo and cheese lime juice (Yum!), and was inspired to incorporate that into my dinner. Lucky for me I had fresh corn in my fridge, but I also had squash I needed to eat. So the following dinner is sort of a fusion of flavors and the end product was rather delicious!

Mexican Corn, Chicken Salad, Summer Squash

Ingredients:
Chicken Breast
Garlic Powder
Salt & Pepper
Corn (fresh corn on the cob is the best!)
Red Onion
Grape or Cherry Tomatoes
Mayonnaise
Lime Juice
Summer Squash
Olive Oil
Goat Cheese

Put a pot of water on to boil. (You could put two pots on to boil so you can do your corn and poach your chicken at the same time, but I just did my corn first and chicken second)

While you wait for it to boil, shuck your corn and set aside. Since that doesn't take more than a minute, you can also use this time to prep the rest of your corn salad ingredients. Dice some red onion and cut your tomatoes into smaller chunks and put it all into a mixing bowl and set aside. If your water hasn't come to a boil yet, you can also cut your squash into thin slices so it's ready for later.

Place your corn into the pot of water and let boil for 3 minutes. As you wait, you can prep your chicken breast (on a separate cutting board!!) and season both sides with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Remove your corn from the water with a pair of tongs and set aside to cool.

Stick the seasoned chicken into the still boiling water, and reduce to a simmer. Let it poach for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn the heat off and let the chicken sit in the water for another 5-10 minutes.

While the chicken is doing its thing, take your corn (if it's still too hot to touch, run it under some cold water) and cut the ears of of the cob and put it into the mixing bowl with the red onion and tomatoes.

If you haven't yet sliced your squash yet, do so now. Put a pan on medium heat with some olive oil and wait for it to heat up. Saute your squash, tossing it occasionally, for 7-10 minutes. You want to make sure the squash isn't too firm, but don't overcook it or else it will be soggy. Transfer your squash to a plate and crumble the goat cheese on top.

Remove your chicken from the water and shred it using a fork. Place the shredded chicken into the mixing bowl with the corn, red onion, and tomatoes you set aside earlier. Add mayo and lime juice to the mixture and toss to coat all your ingredients. Plate on top of your squash and eat!

I know it seems like a lot of steps, but it's really just simple multitasking. Plus, I stuck to (almost) my ten ingredient rule so extra points for me! If you are using 2 pots of water, you can enhance your poaching liquid to make your chicken more flavorful. You can also set the chicken salad in the fridge so that the flavors have time to meld together. I'm usually too impatient for that, but I also tend to have leftovers... no wonder it's always tastier the next day! You also don't have to do the squash as a base, you could put this on top of mixed greens, toasted bread, or just eat it straight out of the bowl!