Mexican Inspired Chicken Salad Food

MEXICAN CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Place the cooked and shredded chicken, potatoes, carrots, celery, sweet peas and apple into a large bowl.
• Mix gently and stir in the mayonnaise (carefully, to avoid breaking or mashing the cooked vegetables).
• Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate for about 4 hours to allow the flavors to blend. Believe me, it is worth the wait, as it will definitely taste better.

MEXICAN CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• For the dressing, in a small bowl combine the apple cider vinegar, honey, cumin, chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cayenne pepper, and mix well with a wire whisk; set aside.
• If you are making the salad components ahead of time, refrigerate this dressing.
• Heat the olive oil in a 12" skillet. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt, then saute it in the skillet with the minced garlic, stirring frequently, until it is cooked through to 165 F , about 5 to 7 minutes.
• Combine the cooked chicken, corn, red onion, tomatoes, black beans, and red bell peppers in a large bowl.
• Stir in the apple cider vinegar dressing.
• Cover and chill this mixture for at least 1 hour. (we usually prepare the chicken and vegetable mixture up to this point and chill it until the next day.)
• When you are ready to eat, combine the chicken mixture with the lettuce in a pretty salad bowl.
• Serve the salad along with the avocados, cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream, and salsa. Each diner garnishes his own salad as desired.

CHOPPED MEXICAN CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• To make the dressing, add all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until it emulsifies.
• In a large bowl add all the salad ingredients together and toss. Drizzle with dressing and serve.

LAYERED MEXICAN CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• In small bowl, mix dressing and taco seasoning mix.
• On large serving platter or individual serving plates, layer remaining ingredients except tomatoes. Drizzle with dressing. Sprinkle with tomatoes.

MEXICAN CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Mix dressing ingredients and set aside.
• Heat oil in skillet.
• Sprinkle chicken* with garlic salt, then sauté in pan until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
• Combined cooked chicken, corn tomatoes, black beans, onions and red peppers in a large bowl.
• Stir in dressing.
• Chill at least 1 hour.
• (can be prepared the day before).
• When ready to eat, combine chicken mixture with lettuce.
• Serve along with avocados, cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream and salsa.
• Each diner garnishes his own salad as desired.
• *Rotissirie Chicken or left-over chicken works just great!

MEXICAN-INSPIRED CREAMY CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Mix margarita mix, cumin and zest. Pour over chicken in shallow dish; turn to coat. Refrigerate 2 hours to marinate.
• Heat grill to medium heat. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Grill chicken 6 to 8 min. on each side or until done (165ºF). Cool 10 min.; coarsely chop.
• Mix mayo, yogurt, cilantro, lime juice and pepper; toss with chicken.
• Arrange tomatoes, avocados and onions on serving plates; top with chicken mixture.

MEXICAN CHICKEN SALAD WITH GUACAMOLE

Steps:

• Marinade/Dressing: Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and chile, and cook until the garlic is soft and lightly browned, 2-3 minutes. Cool, reserving the oil.
• In a blender, add the lime juice, cilantro, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and the garlic and chile oil. Purée until smooth. Lay the chicken breasts into a large baking dish; pour a third of the marinade on top, then use tongs to evenly coat the thicken. Marinate in the refrigerator for up to 1 hour.
• Heat a grill pan or gas grill to medium to medium-high heat. (Alternatively, start a charcoal fire and let it burn until the coals are medium-hot and covered with white ash.) Lightly brush the onion slices with oil and season with salt. Grill the onion slices and the chicken until the chicken is cooked through and the onion is well-browned, 5-6 minutes per side.
• Guacamole: Chop the grilled onion into small pieces and set aside in a bowl. Pit and peel the avocados; add the flesh to the onion. Add half the remaining Marinade/Dressing; then coarsely mash everything together with a potato masher, large fork, or the back of a spoon. Taste and season with salt, about ½ teaspoon.
• Salad: Put sliced romaine into a large bowl. Add about half the remaining Marinade/Dressing, and toss to combine.
• Assembly: Divide the dressed romaine among four plates. Dollop a portion of the guacamole into the center of each plate. Cut the grilled chicken into cubes and arrange over the guacamole. Sprinkle with cheese and drizzle with remaining Marinade/Dressing before serving.

MEXICAN CHICKEN PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, rinse, and set aside.
• Combine all vegetables in a large bowl.
• Combine all dressing ingredients; stir thoroughly.
• Pour dressing over salad; toss to coat.
• Chill 1 hour, then serve.
• Note: Instead of mixing lettuce into salad, you can layer it on top to keep it from wilting.