how2heroes » Chicken Tortilla Salad w/ Cilantro-Lime Dressing

Salads » Chicken Tortilla Salad w/ Cilantro-Lime Dressing

Cookbook author and personal chef Catherine Walthers shares a light, refreshing, and healthy salad that defies what most think of as a salad. No boring layers of limp lettuce here. Moist roasted chicken and baked tortilla strips join avocados, crisp romaine, and sweet summer tomatoes, finished with a vibrant cilantro, lime and jalapeño dressing.

Print Recipe

Serves 4-5

Ingredients

For the Chicken

4 split bone-in chicken breasts with skin (or 4 cups cooked, shredded chicken)
olive oil
kosher salt

For the Baked Tortillas

6 corn tortillas (6" in diameter), cut into ¼" strips
1 tsp olive oil
kosher salt

For the Salad

6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
2 cups small sweet-variety tomatoes, halved
½ small red onion, slivered
2 avocados, peeled & sliced
2 cups feta or shredded cheddar cheese

For the Cilantro-Lime Dressing

½ cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh lime juice
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (remove seeds for less heat)
1 clove garlic, minced
½ cup lightly-packed cilantro leaves
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper

Equipment

parchment paper-lined baking sheet
instant-read thermometer
blender

How-to

Roast the Chicken

Preheat oven to 350º
Place chicken pieces on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet
Drizzle chicken pieces with olive oil and rub into both sides
Rub chicken breasts on both sides with salt
Roast 40-45 minutes, until just cooked (check at 40 minutes), reaching an internal temperature of 160-165º
When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin
Then remove the meat from the bone and shred by hand into thin strips
Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use

Make Dressing

To make the dressing, combine all of the dressing ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth

Bake the Tortillas

Preheat oven to 350º
Cut tortillas in half, then cut each half into ¼" strips. Place tortilla strips on a baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tsp of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake, turning occasionally with tongs, for about 10 minutes or until lightly crisp

Arrange Salad Components

Place romaine on a large oval or rectangular serving platter
Arrange the remaining ingredients in rows on top of the greens on the platter: chicken, cheese, avocados, tomatoes, red onion and tortilla strips
Serve the dressing on the side

Variation: Make wraps by using flour tortillas, skipping the corn tortilla strips in the original recipe. To spice up the dressing, add 1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce and a touch of honey for balance