Southwestern Chicken Salad
This Southwestern Chicken Salad is full of healthy ingredients like kale, vegetables, cheese, corn, black beans, and chicken that are chopped and combined. This salad is topped with an incredibly delicious Cilantro Lime Avocado Dressing.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 548kcal
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 pound chicken (cut into bite-size pieces)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons chili powder (divided)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup black beans
- 1 cup corn
- 1/2 cup roasted red peppers (from a jar, diced small)
- 4 cups kale (chopped)
- 1/2 cup pepperjack cheese (diced small)
Cilantro Lime Avocado Dressing
- 2 limes (juiced)
- 1 avocado
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup (or honey)
- salt (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
Instructions
Salad
- Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon of the chili powder.1 pound chicken, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 2 teaspoons chili powder
- Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and add the chicken. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until no longer pink in the center. Set aside to cool.1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- In a small bowl, combine the black beans, corn, roasted red peppers, and remaining teaspoon of the chili powder. Stir to combine.1 cup black beans, 1 cup corn, 1/2 cup roasted red peppers, 2 teaspoons chili powder
Cilantro Lime Avocado Dressing
- To make the avocado dressing, add the lime juice, avocado, cilantro, olive oil, and maple syrup to a blender cup. Season with salt and pepper. Blend until well combined and smooth.2 limes, 1 avocado, 1/2 cup cilantro, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, salt, pepper
- Taste and adjust seasonings, as needed.
- Divide the kale, beans and corn mixture, cheese, and chicken between 4 bowls. Top with 1-2 tablespoons of the dressing.4 cups kale, 1/2 cup pepperjack cheese
Notes
Tips & Techniques
- If you do not like kale, you can substitute romaine, butter, or iceberg lettuce instead. You could also make this salad with arugula and/or spinach, as well.
- Store any leftover salad and dressing separately, tightly covered, in the refrigerator. Consume the salad within 2-3 days. The dressing may not keep very long due the fact that the avocado may start browning. The lime juice does help to slow this process down quite a bit.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 548kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 22g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 712mg | Potassium: 931mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 7595IU | Vitamin C: 89mg | Calcium: 330mg | Iron: 4mg