This southwest chipotle-lime chicken salad is made with a fresh mixture of tomatoes, black beans, and corn, with a blend of spiced brown rice, shredded chicken, and cheese, then topped with red onions, avocado, and a kick-in-the-mouth chipotle-lime vinaigrette. Oh yeah, and all this on a bed of mixed greens.
The Salad Ingredients:
- Spring Greens Mix: I went for the container of spring greens mix to make it easy. If you feel like chopping something, I would recommend some crisp romaine lettuce.
- Brown Rice: Not boring brown rice – I promise! We’re going to mix it with some spices to add flavor.
- Cherry Tomatoes: Pick firm tomatoes and pray they last through the week. I like cherry tomatoes, sometimes I might not cut them to hold their firmness. If you plan to use a different type of tomato, I would remove the seeds and watery membrane to prevent the salad from getting soggy.
- Black Beans: Open a can of black beans, drain, rinse, and you’re ready!
- Corn: I opt for frozen corn over canned corn. I think it gives a little more crunch and freshness. I unthaw the corn in a bowl of lukewarm water.
- Shredded Chicken: Much-needed protein to keep you full.
- Cheese: Would it be a southwest salad without cheese? I ended up using a Mexican blend from a bag because we had it in the fridge. If we didn’t, I would have bought a block of sharp cheddar or Colby-Jack cheese and quickly shredded it.
- Red Onion: Add a bit of zest and antioxidants (oh hello!).
- Avocado: Much-needed healthy fat to fill you up.
- Chipotle-Lime Vinaigrette: Oh boy! This vinaigrette is fresh and zesty with a kick of chipotle spice. I would use a blender to smooth it all together. This will prevent you from getting any chunks of the chipotle pepper – no matter how hard you try to mince.
Cooking Tips:
- Cooking Rice: You know how rice can get sticky and hard after being in the fridge for a few days? I can usually prevent that from happening with two simple steps. First, rinse your raw rice before cooking to wash away extra starch. Second, add a teaspoon of olive oil to boiling water when cooking your rice.
- Shredded Chicken: I love this shredded chicken slow cooker recipe and usually have a batch in the fridge or freezer. If I’m fresh out or in a pinch, a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store is a great option!
- Avocado Freshness: I will cut an avocado in half and wrap it in aluminum foil. When ready to eat, with my utensil I’ll ever-so-slightly scrap off the browning layer, and reveal the fresh green avocado right underneath. Then, I’ll scoop chunks of avocado out of its skin and plop them on the salad.
Southwest Chipotle-Lime Chicken Salad
This southwest chipotle-lime chicken salad is made with a fresh mixture of tomatoes, black beans, and corn, with a blend of spiced brown rice, shredded chicken, and cheese, then topped with red onions, avocado, and a kick-in-the-mouth chipotle-lime vinaigrette. Oh yeah, and all this on a bed of mixed greens.
Yields: 5 salads
Ingredients
Salad:
- 1 ¼ cup brown rice, cooked with 2 ½ cups water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne , optional
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 can black beans, rinsed
- 1 cup corn
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken, about 2 breasts or store-bought rotisserie chicken
- 8-10 cups mixed spring greens
- ½ cup cheese, shredded
- ¼ cup red onions, chopped
- 2-3 avocados
Chipotle-Lime Vinagrette:
- ¼ cup lime juice, about 2 limes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, extra virgin
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chipotle pepper in adobe sauce, about 1 pepper with liquid + 1/2 teaspoon for extra spice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 clove garlic , minced
Instructions
- Rice. Cook the rice as instructed on the package. Add ½ teaspoon salt and 1 t teaspoon olive oil to the boiling water while cooking. This will add flavor and help the rice from sticking together. Once cooked, move rice to a large mixing bowl to cool (you can pop the rice in the fridge to cool faster). Next, mix in spices (cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and cayenne). Finally, add the tomatoes, corn, and black beans.
- Chicken. In a medium size bowl, mix shredded chicken and cheese.
- Assemble. Start with the spring greens, add about 1 cup of the rice mixture to each salad container, evenly distribute shredded chicken-cheese mixture, top with avocado and sprinkle on red onions.
- Dressing. Add all the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.
Notes
Cooking Rice: Rinse your rice to wash away extra starch and add a teaspoon of olive oil. That usually does the trick for me.
Shredded Chicken: I love shredded chicken from the slow cooker or a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.
Avocado Freshness: Cut an avocado in half and wrap it in aluminum foil. When ready to eat, with your utensil scrap off the browning layer to reveal the fresh green avocado underneath. Then scoop the avocado out of the skin on top of the salad.
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