Chili Chicken Salad (switch it up!)

Jul 13, 2010

It’s Summer!  …but do you miss your chili?  I’ve got a chicken salad that will knock your socks off! It’s so good you don’t even need bread (butter lettuce is the perfect cup!). When cooking, I like to think of food in metaphors:  citrus is the “cheerleader” of recipes (encourages flavors to come together, freshens and perks up...ha!), so don’t forget the lime which will brighten this whole concoction!  Salt is a magnification glass:  it doesn't make things taste salty (if it does, you've used too much), but it should make the ingredient taste more like itself!  ...in other words, it magnifies the flavor.  Chicken will taste more chickeny, chili more chilish, cheese more cheesier, etc..  (I know many of those words are "technical" culinary terms:).  I know salt has been in the news lately, but if we stop eating out so much (which many of us have), we are seriously cutting the sodium stats!  Using a little at home is no big deal and will make your food taste delicious. 

Anyways, enjoy, and let me know what you think!!!  


Chili Chicken Salad 
by Annessa Chumbley, RD
www.flourishyourlife.com 
 

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked

½ cup light or fat free mayonnaise (not a may fan? Try plain yogurt or Greek yogurt!)

juice of 1 lime

1 teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup canned dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

½ cup 2% reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese

1 rib celery, chopped

3 Tablespoons chopped green onions

1 head of Boston lettuce (also called Bib or Butter lettuce)

1.) Cut or shred cooked chicken breasts into small, bite-sized chunks. Set aside.

2.) In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, lime juice, chili powder, ground cumin, and salt, stirring to form a sauce.

3.) Add chicken, kidney beans, shredded cheese, celery, and green onions. Fold until everything is evenly incorporated.

4.) Peel 12 leaves off of the head of Boston lettuce. Rinse them well, and dry with a paper towel.

5.) Scoop 1/3 – ½ cup of Southwest Chicken Salad and tuck into a lettuce cup. Repeat for the rest of the lettuce cups. Or, enjoy on a bed of lettuce for lunch, and refrigerate the rest!

*Flourish Note: This recipe can easily be halved to make a smaller amount

Nutrition Facts: Serving Size 1/2 cup; Calories 110; Calories from Fat 40; Total Fat 4.5g; Saturated Fat 0g; Trans Fat 0g; Cholesterol 25g; Sodium 180g; Total Carbohydrate 7g; Dietary Fiber 2g; Sugars 1g; Protein 12g

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