Spicy Southwest Chopped Salad with Salsa Verde Recipe

Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 30 min
Servings: 4
Yield: 4 servings

Description

Spicy grilled chicken breasts are dressed with a tomatillo and fresh cilantro salsa verde sauce in this tasty Southwest chopped main dish salad recipe.

Ingredients

2 ears corn
1 pound tomatillos, husked
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 large white onion, chopped
4 teaspoons lime juice
1/2 jalapeno chile pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
salt, to taste
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 medium head red cabbage, chopped
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, or to taste
1 head green leaf lettuce
1 cup crumbled cotija cheese
1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions

1 Fill a large pot with water and bring to a rolling boil; add corn. Boil for 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer corn to a work surface; set aside until cool enough to handle. Cut kernels off cobs; place kernels in a large bowl. Discard cobs.
2 Meanwhile, combine tomatillos, cilantro, onion, 4 teaspoons lime juice, jalapeño, garlic, and salt in a blender; blend until finely chopped. Transfer salsa verde to a bowl; set aside.
3 Stir black beans, bell pepper, and cabbage into corn. Toss avocado with remaining 1 teaspoon lime juice in a separate bowl; stir into corn mixture.
4 Preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate. Season chicken breasts with Cajun seasoning.
5 Cook chicken on the preheated grill until no longer pink in centers and the juices run clear, about 6 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into centers should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Set breasts aside until cool enough to handle; cut into bite-sized pieces.
6 Divide lettuce leaves among four plates; mound corn-avocado mixture on top, followed by chicken. Sprinkle with cotija cheese. Serve with salsa verde and lime wedges.