We may earn money from the products/companies mentioned in this post. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Southwest Chicken Salad
Tender grilled chicken, black bean and corn salsa and a creamy jalapeño cilantro dressing make this Southwest Chicken Salad a lovely meal for summer.
(We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. I am also an affiliate with Trim Healthy Mama. There are affiliate links used in this post.)
This recipe is low fat, gluten free, sugar free, and a Trim Healthy Mama E Fuel.
Summer is not quite officially here, but in most places of our country the weather is beginning to turn warm.
That usually means it is time to dust off the grill, fire it up, and create some tasty dishes for those lazy summer evenings.
Of course, some people like to grill all year ‘round. My husband is like that - we grill all through the year, no matter the weather.
I love it because that means I get a break in the kitchen. Grilling is a funny thing. Growing up, my Mom always did the grilling. But in my husband’s family, his Dad always did it.
When we got married, my husband assumed the responsibility of grilling, and I am so glad! (I can remember ONE time in my life that I grilled!)
We love grilled chicken salads with all the fixings in the summer.
But I thought it would be nice to switch things up a bit and make our traditional chicken salad into an E Fuel (healthy carbs). So, we ended up with this Southwest Chicken Salad!
If you have noticed, I have been posting a lot more E fuel recipes on my blog lately.
I guess that is because I have been eating more of them, which makes me crave them more. E’s don’t have to be difficult!
I created a Black Bean and Corn salsa to be used with this salad. I posted that a couple weeks ago as its own recipe, and it can be used to top any lean meat. Or it is great with baked corn chips!
You can use the salsa to top the chicken, or spread it over the lettuce and place the chicken on top.
Then I needed an E fuel dressing recipe. I have used pureed cottage cheese before to make a creamy sauce, and I assumed it would work with a salad dressing as well.
I added 1 Tablespoon of MCT oil, as I have heard the sisters (Pearl and Serene) say that adding MCT oil to blended cottage cheese gives it more of a mayonnaise consistency.
I was eager to try that, and super excited to discover that it really does work!
This dressing is so creamy, you would never know that it was so low in fat! In fact, the dressing itself is a Fuel Pull!
I also added jalapeño, green onions, garlic, lime and cilantro to the dressing. You may be interested to know that this dressing is my husband’s new favorite.
He is a Ranch-aholic from WAY back (anyone else like that?), and he affectionately calls this dressing “Green Ranch.” Ha! I’m not sure how appealing that sounds, but he uses it for everything.
He dips his meat in it, pours it over main dishes. I think he’s in love!
The dressing recipe makes approximately 2 cups of dressing, and I have included ¼ cup of dressing on each salad for the nutritional information.
I also made a marinade for the chicken, but it is not absolutely necessary. I am including it just in case you want to use it.
I would recommend letting the chicken marinate for at least 6 hours before grilling. It would actually be best if it marinated overnight in the refrigerator!
I do use olive oil in the marinade, but I don’t believe enough oil would soak into the chicken to cause a problem with this meal being an E fuel. (Please be sure to discard the marinade remaining after you grill the chicken.)
I am so excited to have this new recipe in my line-up for summer suppers!
It is light, refreshing, and perfect for hot evenings (since you don’t have to turn on your oven)!
Also, since this is a lighter E meal, you would still be able to have a light E dessert or perhaps a small piece of fruit to round out your E fuel!
So, what do you need for this Southwest Chicken Salad?
2 Pounds Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
Chopped Lettuce
Marinade:
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Juice of 1 Lime (about 2 Tablespoons)
1 Teaspoon Garlic, Minced
½ Teaspoon Cumin Powder
½ Teaspoon Chili Powder
1 Tablespoon Finely Minced Cilantro
Salsa:
1 Recipe Black Bean and Corn Salsa
Dressing:
2 Cups Low Fat Cottage Cheese
2 Tablespoons Minced Jalapeno
1 Tablespoon MCT Oil
2 Green Onions
1 Teaspoon Minced Garlic
1 Teaspoon Salt
¼ Teaspoon Cumin Powder
1 Tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice
⅓ Cup Chopped Cilantro
For the Marinade:
Combine all the marinade ingredients and pour over the chicken breasts. (You can use an airtight container or a gallon Ziplock bag.)
Marinate for at least 6 hours (but overnight is even better)!
Make the Salsa:
For the Dressing:
Place all the dressing ingredients into a blender and blend well. If the dressing seems too thick, you can add a few Tablespoons of unsweetened almond milk to thin it a bit.
For the Chicken:
Heat Grill to medium heat and cook chicken until an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees.
Assemble the Salads:
Place chopped or torn lettuce onto four plates.
Top each plate with 1 cup of black bean and corn salsa.
Lay cooked chicken breast on top of the salsa.
Drizzle with ¼ - ½ Cup Dressing.
Be sure to sign up with your email address so you can receive all my new recipes delivered right to your inbox! (Look for the sign-up box at the top of this post.)
Also, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter!
If you make a recipe and love it, please leave a comment on my Facebook Page or tag me on Instagram (my_montana_kitchen_thm)!
Southwest Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 2 Pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
- Chopped Lettuce
Marinade:
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- Juice of 1 Lime about 2 Tablespoons
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Minced
- ½ Teaspoon Cumin Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Chili Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Finely Minced Cilantro
Salsa:
Dressing:
- 2 Cups Low Fat Cottage Cheese
- 2 Tablespoons Minced Jalapeno
- 1 Tablespoon MCT Oil
- 2 Green Onions
- 1 Teaspoon Minced Garlic
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- ¼ Teaspoon Cumin Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice
- ⅓ Cup Chopped Cilantro
Instructions
For the Marinade:
- Combine all the marinade ingredients and pour over the chicken breasts. (You can use an airtight container or a gallon Ziplock bag.)
- Marinate for at least 6 hours (but overnight is even better)!
Make the Salsa:
- Follow the instructions in the link to make the salsa and let it refrigerate for at least two hours for best results.
For the Dressing:
- Place all the dressing ingredients into a blender and blend well. If the dressing seems too thick, you can add a few Tablespoons of unsweetened almond milk to thin it a bit.
For the Chicken:
- Heat Grill to medium heat and cook chicken until an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees.
Assemble the Salads:
- Place chopped or torn lettuce onto four plates.
- Top each plate with 1 cup of black bean and corn salsa.
- Lay cooked chicken breast on top of the salsa.
- Drizzle with ¼ - ½ Cup Dressing.
Notes
Nutrition
Shop my Pampered Chef Store HERE!
Stacy Klein
Is there something I could use to sub out the MCT oil
Sarah Hardy
You can use unrefined coconut oil or just omit it.