Description
This Southwestern Chicken Salad is a flavorful and healthy dish featuring tender shredded chicken mixed with a creamy, spiced Greek yogurt dressing and vibrant veggies like black beans, corn, and bell peppers. Perfect for a quick lunch or light dinner, it can be served on toast, with tortilla chips, or in a tortilla wrap.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Chicken
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
- Kosher salt & black pepper to taste
Dressing & Salad Mix
- 1 cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt or skyr
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 3/4 tsp ground cumin
- 3/4 tsp chili powder
- 3/4 tsp smoked paprika
- Kosher salt & black pepper to taste
- Cayenne pepper, optional, to taste
- 3/4 cup black beans
- 1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper
- 1/2 cup corn (preferably fire-roasted)
- 1/4 cup finely diced red onion
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Cook the Chicken: Place the chicken breasts in a medium pot and season them with kosher salt and black pepper. Cover the chicken with at least 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover the pot with a lid, reduce the heat to low, and let the chicken simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Shred the Chicken: Transfer the cooked chicken to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Shred the chicken using the mixer for quicker results or use two forks to shred manually.
- Prepare the Dressing and Combine: In another large bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, and optional cayenne until well combined. Add the shredded chicken along with the black beans, red bell pepper, corn, red onion, and cilantro. Stir thoroughly until all ingredients are evenly mixed. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Chill and Serve: Refrigerate the chicken salad until it has cooled and the flavors meld, about 30 minutes. Serve it on whole wheat toast, with tortilla chips, on a rice cake, or wrapped in a tortilla. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can substitute about 2.5 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken or canned chicken for the cooked chicken breasts.
- Fire-roasted corn adds a smoky depth but regular corn will work fine.
- Adjust cayenne pepper based on your spice preference.
- This salad can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 350mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 32g
- Cholesterol: 75mg
