Santa Fe
Rating
This Santa Fe salad is the ultimate Southwestern salad. It's loaded with tender, juicy chicken, fresh veggies, and creamy black beans.
Ingredients
- For the Dressing
- 1 avocado
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- ¼ bunch fresh cilantro
- ¼ cup water
- For the Salad
- 2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped into bite-size pieces
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 5 radishes, sliced thin
- 1 cup frozen corn, thawed and rinsed
- 1 15oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
- ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup pico de gallo
- 1 cup crushed tortilla chips
- For the Chicken
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add the avocado, sour cream, minced garlic, salt, lime juice, and cilantro to a food processor or blender. Puré until smooth. Cover and set aside in the refrigerator.
- Chop romaine lettuce into bite-sized pieces and transfer to a large salad bowl.
- Dice bell peppers, slice radishes, thaw frozen corn, and rinse and strain canned black beans. Add this and ½ cup of pico de gallo to the large salad bowl on top of chopped romaine lettuce. Cover and keep in the refrigerator while you prepare the chicken.
- Place the chicken breasts inside a heavy duty food storage bag and flatten with a rolling pin or a tenderizing mallet until the breasts are consistently about ¾ inch thick. Start in the middle at the thickest part of each breast for more even cooking. This step helps the chicken cook more evenly.
- Prepare the Santa Fe Chicken seasoning blend by combining chili, paprika, cayenne, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper.
- Rub chicken breasts with 1 Tbsp olive oil and divide the seasoning blend between the them, making sure to thoroughly coat the entire surface of each chicken breast with seasoning.
- In a large skillet, add 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is glistening and hot, add the chicken breasts. Cook your chicken for a total of 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway. While the chicken cooks, do not wiggle or disturb it except for flipping. Remove the chicken from the heat when it reaches an internal temperature of 160°F. Allow chicken to rest on a cutting board for 5-10 minutes before slicing into strips. After resting, the chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Fan out the sliced chicken on top of the salad and drizzle creamy avocado dressing over the top. Toss and serve!
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