Southwest Chicken Bowl

5 from 1 vote

This is a beautiful salad that I like to serve in layers before tossing. The dressing is a creamy salsa mixture that can be made high protein and low fat or high fat, depending on what you prefer. Similarly, use chicken thighs or chicken breasts and customize this as much as you like!

Course Main Course, Salad

Cuisine Latin American, Mexican

Keyword Chicken, dairy-free, egg-free, Latin American, main, mexican, nut-free, salad, salsa

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Total Time 40

Servings

Calories 420kcal

Author Jenny Ross

Ingredients

Chicken

1 1/2 tablespoons chipotle in adobo pureed
3/4 teaspoon cumin ground
3/4 teaspoon oregano dried
3/4 teaspoon black pepper ground
3 cloves garlic minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts (if using breasts, be sure to pound them to 1/4 inch thickness)

Creamy Salsa Dressing

3/4 cup salsa homemade or store bought
3/4 cup cottage cheese reduced fat for lower fat, or, or 1/2 cup mayonnaise and 1/4 cup sour cream for higher fat, or cashews for higher fat and dairy-free

Salad

1 head butter lettuce rinsed and torn
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes quartered
2 bell peppers diced (1 orange and 1 yellow)
4 green onions sliced
1/4 cup cilantro leaves roughly chopped
1/4 purple cabbage shredded
15 ounce can black soybeans rinsed and drained, optional
1 avocado diced
1 cup low fat Mexican blend cheese optional

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Combine all the chicken ingredients in a bowl and toss the chicken well to coat evenly. Add to a nonstick pan with a bit of avocado oil to prevent sticking and cook on medium-high heat until well browned then flip and cook the second side until well browned and the chicken is cooked through when tested at the thickest point, about 15 minutes for the thighs and 5 minutes total if using breasts. Set aside to cool and then roughly chop.
While the chicken cooks, prepare the dressing. Combine the salsa and cottage cheese in a blender and blend until completely smooth. Set aside.
Add the butter lettuce to a large bowl. Top with rows of the tomato, bell pepper, onion, cilantro, cabbage, and soybeans, if using. Lay the chicken pieces across the top and sprinkle with the cheese. Serve with avocado and the dressing drizzled over top.

Notes

Protein:Energy Quotient [calories]: 1.28, Protein % of calories: 46%

Nutrition without soybeans: Calories: 356 cal, Carbs: 16g, Fiber: 6g, Fat: 14g, Protein: 43g, Protein:Energy Quotient [calories]: 1.45, Protein % of calories: 49.1%

Nutrition without avocado: Calories: 366 cal, Carbs: 24g, Fiber: 7g, Fat: 10g, Protein: 46g, Protein:Energy Quotient [calories]: 1.6, Protein % of calories: 51.7%

Nutrition without soybeans or avocado: Calories: 302 cal, Carbs: 13g, Fiber: 4g, Fat: 9g, Protein: 42g, Protein % of calories: 57.3%, Protein:Energy Quotient [calories]: 2.02

Nutrition