Poblano Lime Chicken Salad
When I spotted a beautiful, crisp poblano pepper at Earth Fare today, had to create a salad. Wanted something along the Chipotle line, but trying the poblano pepper for crunch and flavor. I have cooked poblanos, but never tried them raw. This salad was absolutely FANTASTIC, with tender chunks of chicken, black beans, avocado, lime juice, cucumber poblano, and a salsa made of tomatoes and avocados! If only we had cilantro, it would have been perfect!
Ideal for a quick dinner, you can prepare it all in advance and assemble quickly, in a couple of simple steps. We grill a ton of chicken breasts up at one time, then freeze for later use. They have that great grilled flavor and are ideal for quick meals. Make up our delectable Blackened Seasoning, which gives you total control over your taste buds. Adjusts easily as you mix it up, so you can take the Blackened Seasoning any way you want to go, hot and spicy, medium, barely hot, low salt, or anywhere in-between!
Poblano Lime Chicken Salad is low carb, anti-inflammatory, gluten free, casein free and loaded with anti-oxidants and flavor. But don't tell the fam, they will love it just like it is!
Spicy Blackened Chicken Mix
- 4 chicken breasts, throw them on the BBQ and cook thoroughly, then dice
- 1 small onion diced
- EVOO
- 1-3 teaspoons Blackened Seasoning (see archives) to taste
In a cast iron skillet, saute diced onion in a drizzle of EVOO. When onion is translucent, add chopped grilled chicken. Warm gently, sprinkle with our homemade Blackened Seasoning, starting with a teaspoon. Taste the chicken and determine how much more flavor you want and take it there. Spice the chicken mix to where it has hearty flavor. Add a few tablespoons of water to the pain to scrape up any Blackened Seasoning stuck to the pan. Set aside to cool slightly (super hot chicken will melt the lettuce!) You could also make ahead, refrigerate and use it cold.
Black Beans
- 1 can black beans
Heat gently to warm. Add a little heat and flavor with a dash or Blackened Seasoning!
Tomato Avocado Salsa
- 2-3 chopped roma tomatoes (or any tomato on hand, especially during the growing season!)
- 1 avocado, diced
- 2 Tablespoons lime juice
- 1 handful of cilantro, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Blackened Seasoning
Assemble, drizzle with lime juice and shaken on your desired amount of Blackened Seasoning. Set aside to let the flavors meld.
Salad Base
- 1 head Green Leaf Lettuce or Romaine, torn into bite sized pieces
- 1 English cucumber, diced finely (adds sensational flavor and crunch)
- 1 poblano pepper, finely diced
- Cilantro chopped
Chop poblano peppers and cucumber finely, set aside. Tear lettuce into bite sized bits and if you want some extra pizazz, sprinkle with Blackened Seasoning. Chop cilantro.
Assembly
Assembly is super simple, think Chipotle! Once everything is chopped, assembled and warmed (if needed), start with a large individual salad bowl or plate. Put lettuce on the plate, top with black beans, then add chicken. Sprinkle with cucumber and poblano pepper, and top with a dollop of Avocado Salsa, and sprinkle chopped cilantro over the whole salad! Squeeze lime on it for additional flavor.