Spicy Southwest Salad

Spicy Southwest Salad

from sailorbailey.com
35 min
4 servings

Spicy southwest salad has the crunch, creamy tangy dressing and juicy, spiced marinated chicken.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb chicken breasts, cut in half
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 orange, squeezed
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tbsp shallot, minced
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • 1 large red bell pepper
  • ⅓ cup pepita seeds
  • 1½ cup cherry tomatoes
  • 1 cup cooked black beans (*see notes)
  • 1 cup thawed/fresh corn kernels
  • ⅓ cup shredded cheese (*see notes)
  • ½ cup tortilla chips, crumbled
  • 10 cups chopped romaine (about 2 large romaine)
  • 1 cup sour cream (*see notes)
  • 1 lime (squeezed )
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2½ tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp shallot, minced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp dried cilantro
  • ½ tsp salt (more to taste as needed)
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper (more as needed for spicer)
  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp honey (more to taste as needed)

Directions

  1. 1

    In a large bowl, make chicken marinade with ACV, orange, oil, garlic, shallot, cayenne pepper, paprika, salt, pepper. Cut the chicken breasts in half and add to the marinade. Let them sit for at least 10 - 20 minutes. The longer the better. Meanwhile, gather all other ingredients.

  2. 2

    Once the chicken has marinated, preheat the oven to 350º. Add the chicken and the marinate to a baking dish. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. *chicken will vary in size so please be sure to check that internal temp is at 165º

  3. 3

    Let the chicken rest. While it's resting, slice and seed the pepper, slice tomatoes, chop romaine and microwave the corn and beans in a microwave safe bowl for about 1 minute to get the "chill" out of them. Skip if corn is fresh.

  4. 4

    In a small high speed blender or food processor, add all the dressing ingredients together and whiz until it's well combined. The dressing will taste a little tangy, it's so good on the salad. Feel free to add a little more salt if needed.

  5. 5

    Slice or cube up chicken. In a large bowl add romaine, peppers, tomatoes, seeds, cheese, beans, corn, dressing and mix well. Add chicken to the top and serve. Optional to add sliced avocado as well. Sprinkle crushed tortilla chips over the top and enjoy.