Description
This vibrant Southwest Salad combines spicy seasoned chicken with fresh vegetables, black beans, corn, and creamy guacamole, all topped with a zesty Cilantro Lime Dressing. Perfect for a nutritious and flavorful meal that’s easy to prepare on the stovetop.
Ingredients
Scale
- ½ of a small chicken breast
- 2 Tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon avocado oil (can substitute vegetable, canola, or olive oil)
- 1 ½ cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 4 cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup black beans (drained and rinsed)
- ¼ cup corn
- 1/8 cup black olives
- 4 slices bell peppers (any color)
- 1 jalapeno pepper (seeded & diced)
- 2 Tablespoons guacamole
- 2 Tablespoons sour cream
- 2 sprigs fresh cilantro
- ¼ cup tortilla strips
- ½ cup Mexican cheese (shredded)
- 2 Tablespoons Cilantro Lime Dressing
- 2 lime wedges (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the avocado oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat to prepare for cooking the chicken.
- Generously coat both sides of the chicken breast half with taco seasoning.
- Add the seasoned chicken to the hot skillet and let it cook undisturbed for 5 minutes until it develops a deep golden brown crust and begins to release easily from the pan.
- Carefully flip the chicken using kitchen tongs, searing the other side for 4-5 minutes while reducing heat slightly if necessary, until fully cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from heat and let it rest for at least 5 minutes to allow juices to redistribute, ensuring juiciness when sliced.
- In a large bowl or pie dish, add the chopped romaine lettuce as the salad foundation.
- Top the lettuce with cherry tomatoes, black beans, corn, black olives, bell peppers, jalapeno, guacamole, sour cream, shredded Mexican cheese, tortilla strips, and sprigs of fresh cilantro.
- Slice the rested chicken breast thinly and arrange on top of the salad.
- Drizzle 2 tablespoons of Cilantro Lime Dressing over the salad and serve immediately with lime wedges on the side if desired for extra zing.
Notes
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 salad
- Calories: 929 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 55 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 30 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 62 g
- Fiber: 12 g
- Protein: 52 g
- Cholesterol: 100 mg