Southwestern Chicken Salad

  3.9 – 11 reviews  

In this dairy-free “nice cream” dish, dried cherries lend a hint of acidity and vegan chocolate chips quadruple the chocolate delight.

Prep Time: 45 mins
Total Time: 45 mins
Servings: 4
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  1. 1 lemon, thinly sliced
  2. 1 bay leaf
  3. 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  4. ¾ teaspoon dried thyme, divided
  5. 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
  6. ¾ teaspoon paprika
  7. ⅓ cup light mayonnaise
  8. ¼ cup sour cream
  9. ½ teaspoon salt
  10. ¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
  11. ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  12. 1 ½ cups fresh corn, cooked and cut from the cob
  13. 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  14. ¾ cup diced orange bell pepper
  15. 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

Instructions

  1. Fill a large skillet with 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water. Add lemon slices, bay leaf, peppercorns and 2/3 of the thyme, and bring to boiling over high heat. Add chicken, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-18 minutes, turning chicken once, until juices run clear and chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from liquid and set aside to cool.
  2. In a small skillet, stir together the paprika and remaining thyme over medium-low heat for 2 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together the toasted paprika mixture, mayonnaise, sour cream, salt, ground pepper and nutmeg until evenly blended.
  3. Cube cooled chicken and transfer to a medium bowl. Add prepared dressing, corn, cilantro, orange pepper and jalapeno and toss until evenly coated. Serve warm, or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 230 kcal
Carbohydrate 19 g
Cholesterol 48 mg
Dietary Fiber 4 g
Protein 17 g
Saturated Fat 3 g
Sodium 506 mg
Sugars 4 g
Fat 11 g
Unsaturated Fat 0 g

Reviews

Robert Calderon
I made some changes to the recipe and I think it made all the difference. I added chili powder to the chicken while cooking as well as garlic powder. When making the dressing, I added more chili powder and garlic and some lime juice –squeezed about a tablespoon. This made the dressing so much more flavorful and more Southwestern.
Kelsey Rodriguez
Very tasty! Really like the flavor of the chicken and the ‘dressing’ was good too. Yum!
Leonard Thornton
The chicken did have good lemon flavor and was juicy cooked this way. However, I thought the dressing lacked flavored. In my SW salad, I like to add avocado and blackbeans as well. Good concept. Fun to serve in little tortilla bowls.
Marco Martinez
My husband and I really like this salad. I use about 12 ounces of chicken, light mayo, and light sour cream. I add either lime or lemon juice to the dressing to add a little brightness. I added halved grape tomatoes to it last night and found that to be a nice addition as well. I think leaving the seeds in the jalapeno would add the zing other reviewers are seeking.
Amanda Yang
Needs more salt and spices. This has the base for a truly delicious salad but I agree with the others it needs to be kicked up a couple of notches. It was good on chips and would be good on tostada shells but it just missed the mark. Note: 2nd go-round added about 1 to 1-1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce, more salt and pepper and it was much better.
Heather Chavez
Easy, quick and yummy. I accidentally left my unfinished pita with this salad in my mom’s fridge after visiting her. She asked me a few days later what I had left because she had eaten it and loved it!
Brandon Patel
This recipe was okay. I prefer to have it warm in a tortilla. While it wasn’t a big hit with me, my family loved it!
Diana Rocha
My 19 year old daughter made this for us the other night. She wouldn’t tell me anything about what it was until it was on the table. We all agreed it was yummy and a recipe to keep. I think that marinating and grilling the chicken would add a lot of flavor. It was good cold and served as a wrap filling, I added a little cheese to mine. Definitely will have her make this one again!
Claudia Ayers
Needs more salt, but otherwise outstanding served with chips and salsa.
Mrs. Sheri Hill
Delicious! I served it in pita halves.
Joseph Bullock
At least it was filling… I made this for dinner tonight and was not impressed. The taste was not what I was looking for, too bland for a “southwestern” dish. Even after doubling the jalapeno and seasoning the green pepper. The creamy dressing was bland, I added salsa to it and it still was not good. Will not make again, but at least my tummy is full.

 

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