Southwest Chicken Salad with Avocado Lime Dressing
Grilled marinated chicken, crispy baked tortilla strips, fire roasted corn, tomatoes, black beans and spiced pepitas all on top of crunchy romaine lettuce.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
Baked Tortilla Strips
- 4 corn tortillas, cut into approximately 1/2 inch wide strips
- Cooking spray
- Kosher salt to taste
Pepitas
- 3 tablespoons pepitas
- 1/8 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/8 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Chicken
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Salad
- 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced radishes
- 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 1/2 cup black beans rinsed and drained
- Crumbled queso fresco and chopped cilantro
Dressing
- 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup diced avocado
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Baked Tortilla Strips
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.
- Lay the corn tortilla strips on the foil and spray the tops with cooking spray. Sprinkle with kosher salt, toss to coat and then spread them into a single layer. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden and crisp.
Pepitas
- Heat a small non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, pepitas, and spices to the skillet. Stir to coat them.
- Cook the pepitas, stirring occasionally, until they start to turn lightly brown and become fragrant. Remove from the heat and cool.
Chicken
- Combine the chicken and the remaining ingredients together in a resealable freezer bag. Press the air out of the bag, seal, and massage the marinade into the chicken. Refrigerate for an hour or overnight.
- Preheat your grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Oil the grates then place the marinated chicken on them. Grill the chicken approximately 5-7 minutes per side or until the thickest part reaches 165° F.
- Remove from the grill and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
Dressing
- Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. If the dressing is too thick add more water as needed to loosen it to your desired consistency, it should be a thicker/creamier type dressing.
Salad
- In a large serving bowl or platter add the chopped romaine. Top with the radishes, tomatoes, black beans, corn, chicken, pepitas, queso fresco and tortilla strips.
- Drizzle on the desired amount of dressing onto the salad or serve it on the side.
Notes
If you don't plan to eat the entire salad in one day I recommend serving the pepitas, tortilla strips and dressing on the side so they stay crisp and the salad doesn't become soggy.
Nutrition
Calories: 430kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 99mg | Sodium: 218mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 5g