Monday, April 5, 2010

Chipotle Chicken Salad

Southwest Chicken Salad

Call me an earthquake virgin.  As a relative newcomer to SoCal, I found myself a bit confused, not scared by yesterday's Easter earthquake.  While I felt the floor gently sway, it took me a few moments to decipher whether I was still feeling the effects of our Saturday Funday or whether we were having a very long earthquake.  During these moments of profound thought, I stood in the absolute worst place in our house: underneath our hanging pot rack, next to our cabinets full of glasses and plates.  Hmm, not smart.  Thank goodness most are safe and sound and chalking this up to a learning experience...including me!  Other than that, I enjoyed the sunny weekend with some good friends who drove down to visit and a big Easter brunch full of pancakes, sausage and kale (yes, kale!) with hubby.  He proclaimed we were probably the only people in America dining on kale during our Easter brunch.  Anyone want to prove him wrong?

After a long and eventful weekend I wanted to make something super simple for dinner tonight.  After rummaging through random cooking magazines on my bookshelf, I found a winner from a 2006 Cooking Light.  Can you say hoarder?  ha.  I have held on to this magazine for 4 years now, and am finally made something from it. Luckily, it was a winner of a recipe so I didn't have to feel like such a loser.  It's super simple to throw together and if you're feeling lazy, buying pre-cooked chicken will speed up the already speedy recipe.

**I have a great giveaway coming up later this week so check back in!**

Chipotle Chicken Salad
Cooking Light, 8/06

Dressing:
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 cup light sour cream
1 tablespoon minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Chicken:
2 large chicken breasts
Creole seasoning
Kosher salt
pepper

Salad:
4 cups romaine lettuce, chopped (I used a mix of chopped spinach and romaine)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup diced avocado
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, rinsed an drained

1. Combine dressing ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.

2. Season chicken breasts with creole seasoning, salt and pepper to taste. Heat olive oil in a skillet and saute chicken on both sides until fully cooked through.

3. To make salad, combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken. Toss with dressing and serve immediately.

16 comments:

La Bella Cooks said...

I am a fan of anything with chipotle and this looks perfect to me. Glad to hear you did ok with the earthquake. They are pretty strange while they are happening, aren't they?

Sasha said...

Ooh this salad sounds awesome. I love the addition of beans. I'm bookmarking this post ; )

Anonymous said...

This looks so good! I'm making it this weekend. :)

vanillasugarblog said...

i'm taking care of a bunny for friends and he was eating kale for easter :-P

kat said...

I remember my first earthquake when I'd moved to San Francisco, so weird!

Meghan said...

I guess I am out of the loop - I hadn't heard about the earthquake! Glad to hear you are safe. You will be prepared if another one hits again.

Love this chicken salad - it looks like a great springtime dinner!

Joanne said...

Don't even mention hoarding to me. I don't think I've ever cooked from a single magazine that I have. And yet I keep buying them. Because someday. I will.

This chicken salad looks delicious! Love how colorful it is.

Pam said...

Sounds a little scary with the earthquake thing! Your salad looks and sounds delicious I love kale but didn't serve it for Easter. Bet it was great!

grace said...

i keep all kinds of old magazines too--you never know what might appeal to you as your tastes change! one thing i'll probably always enjoy is a little heat. this salad appeals to me very much!

BrittWilk said...

this is exactly what i need to clean out the randomness in my fridge tonight... chipotle peppers, romaine, black beans... you're the best!!!

Pam said...

I've only been in one earthquake and it scared me.

Loving this salad - it looks hearty and delicious.

Katrina said...

That looks really good, Sharon. I would love it, just not sure the rest of the fam would. Maybe I'll make it for my lunch one of these days!

Melissa said...

Girl, I'm a hoarder too! I love chipotle anything-this looks great!

Chef Fresco said...

Man I'm glad you're alright! I has some friends in CA during the quake -scary! On another note, your chipotle chicken salad looks delish!

iamronel said...

i love salad too,,and this one is great ill try this definitely thanks for the recipe..:)

Leslie said...

You stood under a pot rack?? lol
I am glad you are safe!
Yummy salad!