How many of you serve a large salad as an entrée for dinner?
My family quickly realized salad night meant a satisfying and filling meal, packed with protein. Salads are also a nice deviation from the normal, weeknight dinner routine, regardless of the time of year. And nothing could be easier than combining some of my favorite ingredients, in fresh ways, to create healthy and nutritious dinners. It’s a win-win for everyone.
In order to keep calories in check, making a healthy meat choice to include in our salads was key. I find chicken to be one of the most versatile meats to use in this type of meal and the perfect blank canvas for all of my favorite seasonings and flavors.
My homemade southwest seasoning is a flavorful blend of many spices used in southwest cooking. It’s an absolute star when used to season chicken. Even my pickiest eater loves chicken seasoned in this way. It really is fantastic.
And while flavor and delicious food are important to the overall eating experience, buying and consuming local foods is something I aspire to as often as possible. As a small farmer myself, I understand what consuming local products really means and buying food from small, family farms is very important to me.
I use thin-sliced breast fillets for this recipe. The chicken is nicely trimmed and I slice it half one more time after I seasoning it. This allows the chicken to cook as quickly as possible and the seasoning does not burn in the frying pan.
It only takes a few minutes to cook and it looks beautiful once finished. The chicken is a meal in itself! It also tastes wonderful the next day, which is not a surprising when starting with such a fresh product.
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The dressing is homemade and can be prepared up to two days prior to serving. I might even suggest making a double batch to keep on hand. It’s one of our family favorites.
The chicken is juicy, succulent and delicious, not to mention versatile in so many recipes. This seasoned chicken is also great in tacos…hint-hint.
I hope you enjoy this wonderful meal, my family asks for it again and again.
Southwest Chicken Salad with Homemade Southwest Dressing
Ingredients
Southwest Seasoning Mix:
- 1-1/2 Tablespoons chile powder
- 1-1/2 Tablespoons paprika
- 2-1/2 teaspoons table salt
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground pepper
Southwest Dressing:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 Tablespoons ketchup
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon creamy horseradish
- juice of two limes
- 1 teaspoon Southwest Seasoning mix (from above)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon ground oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Southwest Salad:
- 1 cup dry, red or white quinoa
- vegetable oil
- 1-1/2-2 lbs Foster Farms Simply Raised Thin-Sliced Chicken Breasts
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed
- 1 can (15 oz) sweet corn, drained
- 2 ripe avocados, peeled, seeded and cubed
- 2-3 heads romaine lettuce, depending on size, chopped
- 2 cups baby spinach leaves
Directions
- For the seasoning mix, add all ingredients to a small bowl and mix until fully combined. Set aside.
- For the dressing, whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl. Place in the refrigerator until you are ready to use.
- Prepare quinoa according to package directions. Set aside to let cool down.
- Season raw chicken with southwest seasoning, making sure to cover the whole breast. Slice each chicken breast in half, allowing for a faster cooking time.
- In a large, nonstick skillet add vegetable oil (a few Tablespoons) and cook chicken in batches over low heat. (This will keep the seasoning from burning. You might have to add some extra oil to each additional batch.) Cook thin-sliced breasts about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove to a paper lined tray. Let the chicken rest about 10 minutes before slicing into smaller pieces for the salad.
- To serve, you can either add all ingredients (lettuce, spinach, corn, black beans, avocado and chicken) to a large bowl and toss together, or make individual salads in separate bowls for each person. Drizzle dressing over the top of salad.