Smokin' Chipotle Chicken Salad

This dish is healthy, full of flavor and really easy to cook. It can even be Paleo if you take out the black beans. Either way you decide to make it, you will love it. The cilantro brings a bright and fresh flavor the dish that compliments the spicy and smokiness of the  Chipotle seasoning blend.

INGREDIENTS:

3-4 Teaspoons  Smokin’ Chipotle Seasoning
2 Chicken breast, butterflied, grilled and diced ¼ inch pieces
1 Can black beans
2 Tomatoes, deseeded and diced ¼ inch
½ Cup cilantro, chopped
1 Yellow bell pepper, diced ¼ inch
1 Cup Corn, roasted
1 Large jalapeño, deseeded and diced small (keep the seeds if you like a really spicy dish)
1 Lime, juiced 
3-4 Tablespoons Olive Oil 

DIRECTIONS: 

Here are all the ingredients that you will need for this recipe.

The first thing you want to do is open the can of black beans and put them in a small pot over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of  Smokin’ Chipotle and let the bean simmer for 10 minutes or so. Remove from the heat and strain out the juice and place the beans in a large mixing bowl.

While the beans are cooking, you want to get your grill pan going so it’s nice and hot. If you have time to light some charcoal and grill it on your BBQ – even better.  Just make the pan is nice and hot before adding the chicken so it will seal the skin and trap the juices.

Butterfly the chicken and brush olive oil on both sides. Take 1 teaspoon of  Smokin’ Chipotle and use it to season the chicken – ½ tsp per side. Let is sit and season the chicken for 15-20 minutes if you have time. You can cook it right away but it’s always better if you let the dried herbs and spices have some time to release their flavor. Place chicken in pan let it cook for 2-3 minutes each side. The chicken will cook faster since it is butterflied. So keep an eye on it. You don’t want to over cook it.

While the chicken is cooking you can start preparing the other ingredients. 

Remove the seeds from the bell pepper and dice into ¼ inch pieces.

Do the same with the tomatoes. 

For the jalapeño you can leave the seeds or remove them, depending on how spicy you like food. If you like it really hot, leave in the seeds and dice it small. Otherwise remove the seeds.

Take the cilantro and remove the leaves from the stem and give it a rough chop. 

Once the chicken is done, chop it into the ¼ chunks and place in the mixing bowl. 

Add all the ingredients to the bowl with the left over olive oil and the juice of the lime. Give it a taste for seasoning. Add 1-2 more teaspoons of  Smokin’ Chipotle until it’s just the way you like it!

That’s it. Fast, fresh and healthy cooking.

Looking for other mouthwatering chicken salad recipes?  Try any of these:  Pesto Chicken Salad, Chicken Salad with Walnuts & Grapes, and Everyday Chicken Salad

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