What's For Dinner Tonight? Pittsburgh Style Grilled Chicken Salad!!!

Tonight my 17 y.o. son asked me to make one of his favorites for dinner: Grilled Chicken Salad- Pittsburgh Style, of course, as that's where i was born and raised. This is a very filling salad- you will soon understand why.

 Grilled Chicken Salad- Pittsburgh Style 
 4 med.. chicken breasts- defrosted, seasoned, and tenderized
1 C Shredded colby/jack cheese
1 bag frozen french fries ( I use ore-ida, crinkle cut)
2 heads of Romaine lettuce, finely cut
4 med. tomatoes, diced
2 med. carrots, diced
1/2 C oil and vinegar dressing ( I use Newman's Own Oil and Vinegar)
 2 C oil (for frying)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Salad dressing of your choice-
We only eat Ranch dressing on this salad- good GF choices are- Light House Ranch, and  Bolthouse Farms- Creamy Yogurt Dressing- Classic Ranch.

Take defrosted chk. breasts, and place in gallon sized bag with 1/2C oil and vinegar dressing, seal bag and ensure it is as airtight as possible. Beat the chicken with a meat tenderizer or a rolling pin, on both sides, until chicken is half of it's original thickness. Grill Chicken till done, being mindful not to over cook. (My Chicken grilled for about 8 mins. on each side...but it was only 35 degrees outside!)

While chicken is grilling, slice and dice all veggies, adding whichever other veggies you want. Place all diced veggies in a large bowl.
Also, start to preheat 2C oil in a frying pan, on the stove top, on med-high heat. To know oil is ready- (test one french fry and make sure it floats to the top right away)- add french fries, and cook till golden brown and crispy. Remove fries from the oil and place on brown paper bag(grocery store type), sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. You see, back home in Pittsburgh, we eat hot french fries on everything....salads, sandwiches...everything!!! Try it...you'll be surprised how good it is!

Shred cheese, and place on a separate plate.

Take Chicken off of the grill when juices run clear, and there is no pink in the center of the thickest piece of chicken, slice into strips.

Assemble your salad:
Veggies
French Fries
Grilled Chicken Strips
Shredded Cheese Sprinkled

 Top off with your favorite dressing, and eat immediately!

All name brands I mention are Gluten Free when this recipe is posted- Companies change formulas all of the time. Make sure to do your homework to verify Gluten Free status of any product before consuming.