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Protein Salad · Mexican-inspired

Mexican-Inspired Chicken Salad

A meal salad of fajita-style seared chicken, charred peppers and onion, romaine, black beans, and avocado, with a lime and cilantro dressing.

Prep
25 min
Cook
30 min
Total
65 min
Servings
4 (a main-course salad for four)

For the chicken

  • 1.5 lb / 700g boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
  • 2 tbsp / 30ml neutral oil or olive oil, divided
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp kosher salt

For the peppers and onion

  • 14 oz / 400g bell peppers, any color, cut into 1 cm (½ in) strips
  • 1 medium red onion, cut into 1 cm (½ in) wedges

For the dressing

  • 3 tbsp / 45ml fresh lime juice, from 2 to 3 limes
  • 0.25 cup / 60ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • 0.25 cup / 15g fresh cilantro, finely chopped, tender stems included
  • 1 small clove garlic, grated
  • ¼ tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp honey
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 small jalapeño, seeded and minced (optional)

For the salad

  • 9 oz / 255g romaine hearts, washed, dried, and chopped into bite-size pieces
  • 9 oz / 250g cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 can (15 oz / 425 g) canned black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 ripe avocados
  • 0.25 cup / 35g hulled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
  • 2 oz / 60g queso fresco or cotija, crumbled (optional)
  • to serve lime wedges

Season the chicken

  1. If you're using breasts, slice each one in half horizontally so the pieces are about 2 cm (¾ in) thick. If you're using thighs, trim off any large pieces of fat. Pat the chicken dry. Don't wash it.
  2. In a small bowl, mix the chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, oregano, and kosher salt. Rub 1 tbsp of the oil over the chicken, then rub on the spice mix.
  3. Put the chicken on a plate, cover it, and refrigerate it for 20 minutes while you prepare everything else. Use a separate board and knife for the raw chicken, and wash your hands and the board before you touch anything else.

Make the dressing and toast the pepitas

  1. In a bowl or jar, whisk or shake the lime juice, olive oil, cilantro, garlic, ¼ tsp cumin, honey, sea salt, and the jalapeño, if using. Taste it on a piece of romaine and add more lime or salt if needed.
  2. Toast the pepitas in a large, dry skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until they smell toasty and start to pop. Tip them into a bowl.

Char the vegetables, then cook the chicken

  1. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in the same skillet over high heat. Add the peppers and onion and cook, stirring only now and then, for 7 to 9 minutes, until softened and charred in spots. Move them to a clean plate.
  2. Turn the heat to medium-high. Add the chicken in a single layer, working in two batches if it doesn't fit. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes on each side, until a thermometer in the thickest part reads 165°F (74°C). Go by the thermometer, not the clock.
  3. Move the chicken to a clean board and let it rest for 10 minutes. Slice it across the grain into 1 cm (½ in) strips. Let the peppers and onion cool for the same 10 minutes.

Assemble

  1. Toss the romaine with half the dressing. Divide it among four bowls, or pile it onto a platter.
  2. Top with the beans, chicken, peppers and onion, tomatoes, sliced avocado, pepitas, and cheese, if using. Spoon over the rest of the dressing and serve with lime wedges.

This is a Mexican-inspired salad, not a traditional dish: fajita-style seasoning and seared peppers, a lime and cilantro dressing, and enough chicken and beans that it works as dinner. The chicken and the charred vegetables do most of the work, so they get the heat and the attention.

Season, then sear

The seasoning is a dry rub, with no liquid marinade. That keeps the method simple, and it means there is no raw-chicken liquid to deal with later. If you do add a liquid marinade of your own, discard it, or boil it before it goes anywhere near cooked food.

Slice breasts in half horizontally so they cook evenly. Cook the chicken in a single layer so it sears instead of steaming, and take it out when a thermometer in the thickest part reads 165°F (74°C), not when the timer says so. Breasts and thighs vary, and 5 to 7 minutes a side is only a guide. Thighs are more forgiving. If you'd rather poach the chicken and dress it with mayonnaise, the Classic Chicken Salad shows that method.

Handling the raw chicken

Raw chicken doesn't need washing, and washing it can spread germs around the sink and counter. Keep it on its own board and plate, and keep it in the refrigerator, not on the counter, while the spices sit on it. Cook the peppers first, in the same pan, so the vegetables never touch the raw chicken or its board.

Let the hot parts cool a little

Give the chicken and peppers ten minutes before they go near the romaine. Hot chicken on cold lettuce wilts it. The rest also lets the chicken settle so it slices cleanly.

The dressing

There is a little more oil than lime here, about four parts oil to three of lime juice, which is brighter than a mild vinaigrette on purpose. It has to stand up to chicken, beans, and avocado. Honey softens the edge without making it sweet. Taste it on a leaf of romaine, not off the spoon.

What's essential, what's optional

The chicken, peppers, lime dressing, and romaine are the salad. The beans make it a full meal. The avocado, cheese, and pepitas are the extras. Avocado adds richness and the pepitas add crunch, so skip whichever you don't have. The cheese is the easiest thing to leave out. The jalapeño adds heat to the dressing, and you can drop it without anything else changing.

Keeping it

Refrigerate the cooked chicken within two hours, or one hour if the room is above 90°F (32°C). The chicken and peppers keep for three days. Keep the greens, dressing, and avocado apart and put each bowl together when you eat, so you only dress what's being eaten.