Fiesta Ranch Salad with Salsa Verde Chicken

This southwest inspired Fiesta Ranch Salad with Salsa Verde Chicken is a quick and easy dinner or lunch that’s perfect for days when you’re short on time! Full of flavors and toppings the whole family can get behind.

Thanks to Dole® for sponsoring this post. As always all opinions are my own.

It’s the start of a busy week for me as I’m heading out of town this weekend for a much needed vacation with my husband. With everything I have going on, there won’t be much time left for cooking. That doesn’t mean I’ll be ordering takeout, it just means I’ll be looking for something convenient, but also wholesome and healthy. 

This Fiesta Ranch Salad with Salsa Verde Chicken is the perfect combination of convenience, homemade and healthy all in one. The convenient part of this meal is thanks to the new line of Bountiful Kits from Dole® and in the case of this salad, they’re Fiesta Ranch Kit. Salad kits aren’t something I buy on a regular basis, but boy do they make life easy when you’re short on time. 

I have to say, salad kits have come a long way from when I first started seeing them. They used to consist of iceberg lettuce, a few shredded carrots and a packet of ranch or Italian dressing. It was far from appetizing in my opinion. However, salad kits have greatly improved and these new Bountiful Kits from Dole® all tasted amazing!

What Other Flavors Do the Bountiful Kits Come In?

The Bountiful Kits come in four different flavors and they’re all unique in their flavors and were all delicious. The kits are a great option if you’re vegetarian or looking to have a meatless lunch or dinner as they all include hearty plant based ingredients to help keep you full.

1. Bountiful Fiesta Ranch– The toppings that came with this were black beans, red bell peppers, corn and a taco spiced ranch dressing. If you like southwest flavors you’ll love this!
2. Bountiful Lentil Cucumber– This was my second favorite. The topping for this one is marinated lentils and it comes with a cucumber vinaigrette, which I was obsessed with.
3.  Bountiful Triple Quinoa– Instead of greens for the base of the salad, this one uses kale. The topping was a mixture of seasoned chickpeas and quinoa and a lemon basil vinaigrette.
4.  Bountiful Sweet Thai– The toppings for this one were edamame, black beans, red rice and sesame seeds. The sweet Thai chili dressing was perfect for this salad. 

On it’s own, the Fiesta Ranch kit worked great for lunch, but I like to add a little more protein to my dinner. To make the salad more filling for dinner I made salsa verde chicken to put on top. The flavor of the chicken was a perfect match to go with the salad. 

The chicken is of course the homemade part of this salad, but making it requires almost no work on your part. The chicken is marinaded in your favorite brand of salsa verde (green salsa), ground cumin, salt and pepper. It will need about an hour to marinade, but you can let it go longer if that’s more convenient. I like to get my meat marinating in the morning and then by the time dinner rolls around it’s had plenty of time to absorb all the flavors.

The salsa verde chicken can be grilled, sautéed in a skillet or baked in the oven. I grilled mine because I love the char and flavor the grill adds. If you’re looking for an alternative chicken recipe to use for this salad I would recommend this Grilled Cumin Chicken or this Tequila Lime Chicken. The chicken can be sliced and put on top of the salad or served on the side. This quick and easy southwest flavored salad will be a go-to recipe when you’re short on time for cooking!

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Fiesta Ranch Salad with Salsa Verde Chicken

Yield: 2 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 package Dole® Bountiful Fiesta Ranch Kit
• 8 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup salsa verde
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In freezer bag or bowl with a lid, combine the chicken, salsa, cumin, salt and pepper. Massage the marinade into the chicken and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.
2. Grill, sauté or bake the chicken until the internal temperature reads 165° F. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing it.
3. Assemble the Dole® Bountiful Fiesta Ranch Kit and top with the salsa verde chicken or serve on the side.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 320Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 103mgSodium: 766mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 39g