Bar-B-Que Chicken Salad with Bacon and Cornbread Crutons

I flew to San Antonio last week for a conference.  It was so nice to be in the "real world" as we call it at my house.  It was 90 degrees above and we had a real lightning and thunder storm (something we don't get in Fairbanks).  I had some great Tex-Mex and some fabulous barbeque.  I was in heaven.
Then the end of the conference came, I flew home (14 hours and three time zones) and my husband looked to me for dinner.  Luckily, I am a planner and I had dinner at the ready.  A fresh bag of lettuce (yes, sometimes you have to buy the bag), some shredded chicken and cornbread from the freezer, and some bottled barbeque sauce and you have Bar-B-Que Chicken salad with Bacon Cornbread Croutons.
It is the salad time of year, and I still had a hankering for that smoky barbeque flavor.  I love it when I think ahead and have something ready to throw together from the freezer.

Chicken and cornbread from the freezer

Bar-B-Que Chicken Salad with Bacon and Cornbread Croutons
makes 2 salads

 2 strips bacon
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup cornbread cut in cubes
4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
 1/2 cup frozen or canned corn (thawed and/or rinsed)
1/2 cup black beans
1/2 avocado diced
2 cups shredded chicken
1/2-1 cup favorite barbeque sauce
blue cheese dressing

Preheat broiler.
Dice bacon and fry in skillet.  Drain all but about 1 Tbsp. of fat. Add butter to the same pan and melt.  Add cornbread and stir to coat all sides.  Place cornbread on broiler safe pan and toast under broiler about 2-3 minutes, turn and toast all sides, being careful not to let it burn.  Set aside and cool slightly
Divide lettuce between two plates.  Top each with half of the corn, beans, and avacado.  Heat chicken in saucepan with desired amount of barbeque sauce.  Divide between plates, top with bacon bits and cornbread croutons.  Serve with blue cheese dressing.

May 15, 2012     Daylight  18 hours,  45 minutes,  50 seconds     Current Temp 52 ºF