Easy Southwestern Chicken Salad with Creamy Dressing
This Southwest Chicken Salad is creamy, loaded with flavor and nutrition and a high protein option to meal prep for the week!
Equipment
- 1 food processor (or blender)
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 2 cups shredded cooked chicken)
- salt & black pepper (to taste for seasoning chicken)
- ½ cup black beans
- ½ cup corn
- ½ a bell pepper, chopped (~½ cup chopped)
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, diced (or 1 roma tomato diced)
- ¼ cup red onions
- ¼ cup cilantro
Dressing Ingredients
- ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon lime juice (~1 small lime)
- ½ tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon cilantro
- 1 clove garlic (or ¼ teaspoon garlic powder)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (more to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200°C). Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Coat the chicken in olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165℉ (75°C). Let the chicken cool and shred.
- Make the dressing by adding the ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
- While the chicken is baking, chop the red bell pepper, tomatoes, red onion, and cilantro. Drain and rinse the black beans and corn if using canned. Add everything to a large bowl including the black beans, corn, veggies, cilantro, and shredded chicken.
- Pour the dressing on top and give everything a good toss. Add more salt to taste.
- Hint: I like to shred my chicken by pulsing it in a food processor.
Notes
Expert Tips
- A small amount of mayo added to the Greek yogurt goes a long way in this recipe and cuts the tanginess of the Greek yogurt! It also helps the dressing emulsify a bit better. With that said, you can totally leave the mayo out. It still tastes great.
- I like to finely chop the vegetables for this recipe so I get a little bit of everything in every bite.
- If you or someone you are serving doesn't like cilantro, replace it with parsley or leave it out.
- Give the chicken salad a taste about 5-10 minutes after combining everything and add more salt to taste as needed.
- Refrigerator - store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
For more nutrition information and tips, visit mallorythedietitian.com. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! 😊
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cupCalories: 260kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 33gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 85mgFiber: 4g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!