Recipes ยป Cherry Chipotle Salad Recipe

Cherry Chipotle Salad Recipe

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Cherry Chipotle Salad has an explosion of flavors. You get the sweetness of the cherries and finish with a nice chipotle kick. It’s a perfect make-ahead salad.

A brown bowl of a sweet and spicy Cherry Chipotle salad loaded with roasted corn, dried cherries, black beans, and garnished with cilantro. A second bowl sits in the background over a red napkin. A fork sits to the right of the back bowl and fresh cilantro to the left of the front bowl. Recently, we were lucky enough to get together with some friends that we haven’t seen in several years. They were coming to town and would be staying with relatives. They wanted to have a Mexican theme potluck, our favorite and would be making tacos. I thought that I would try my Cherry Chipotle Salad out on them.

Top-down view of A brown bowl of a sweet and spicy Cherry Chipotle salad loaded with roasted corn, dried cherries, black beans, and garnished with cilantro. A second bowl sits in the background over a red napkin. Fresh cilantro sits to the right of the back bowl. I  didn’t want something that would need to be refrigerated or wilt in the heat. We loved the chipotle flavors in my  Crockpot Chipotle Chicken Taco recipe and have received a lot of compliments on it. So I decided that I could put the same flavors in a salad.

Top-down view of A brown bowl of a sweet and spicy Cherry Chipotle salad loaded with roasted corn, dried cherries, black beans, and garnished with cilantro. A second bowl sits in the background over a red napkin. A fork sits to the right of the back bowl and fresh cilantro to the left of the front bowl. I actually made this salad the day before we needed it. The longer it sits, the more the heat develops. We kept it in a cooler and loved it and believe everyone else did too.

Don’t have time to make this salad right now? Pin it for later!

A brown bowl of a sweet and spicy Cherry Chipotle salad loaded with roasted corn, dried cherries, black beans, and garnished with cilantro. A second bowl sits in the background over a red napkin. A fork sits to the right of the back bowl and fresh cilantro to the left of the front bowl.

Cherry Chipotle Salad

Author: Hostess At Heart
Cherry Chipotle Salad is an explosion of flavor. It starts with the sweetness of the cherries and finishes with a chipotle kick. It's a great make-ahead dish.
4.60 from 5 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Salad
Cuisine American, Mexican
Keyword: Cherry Chipotle Salad, Chipotle salad
Servings: 8

Ingredients
  

Salad ingredients

  • 1 cup bulgur wheat I used coarse #3
  • 14.5 oz black beans canned, rinsed and drained
  • 2 cups corn I used frozen roasted corn
  • 1/2 cup celery thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup scallions white and green parts sliced
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
  • 3/4 cup dried whole cherries 4.2 oz pkg
  • 1/4 cup chipotle paste*
  • 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Chipotle paste Ingredients

  • 2 Chipotle Chilies in Adobo 3 for extra spice
  • 3 tbsp olive oil vegetable or canola is fine too
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp diced onion
  • Fresh cilantro I use the stems for the and the leaves for salad
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp Mexican oregano
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • Zest of 1 lime optional

Instructions
 

  • Bring 2 cups of water and 1 cup of bulgur to a boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain if necessary. Set aside and allow to cool.
  • Combine chipotle paste ingredients and process in a blender or food processor until thick.
  • Mix cooked bulgur, oil, lime juice, and chipotle paste together. Stir until combined.
  • Add all remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
  • Store covered in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Notes

You can use rice or another whole grain instead of bulgur wheat.
It's easier to mix this salad together in two stages as instructed.
Add additional chipotle paste if you like it spicier.

Nutrition

Calories: 285kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 9gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 575mgPotassium: 427mgFiber: 10gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 1195IUVitamin C: 6.3mgCalcium: 49mgIron: 2.6mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.

Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

There are a lot of dishes that I’ve eaten where I feel the chipotle just takes over. This salad is the complete balance of flavors and texture. The little can of chipotle actually holds more than you need for this one recipe. Instead of letting them go to waste I make a double batch and freeze half of it. I love having it on hand. It’s like my little pot of culinary gold that I can pop out at a moments notice. It’s great mixed in dips or slathered over chicken too.

Here are a couple other chipotle dishes that we love!

Chipotle Grilled Chicken Salad

Chipotle Grilled Chicken salad

Crockpot Chipotle Chicken Tacos

Cockpot Chipotle Chicken Tacos

Mexican Meatballs in Chipotle Sauce

Mexican Meatballs in Chipotle Sauce

Let’s keep in touch!  You can find me on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube! Better yet, enter your email address in the box below and never miss a recipe!

Two photo collage for Pinterest of different angles of a brown bowl of a sweet and spicy Cherry Chipotle salad loaded with roasted corn, dried cherries, black beans, and garnished with cilantro. A second bowl sits in the background over a red napkin. A fork sits to the right of the back bowl and fresh cilantro to the left of the front bowl.

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4.60 from 5 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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43 Comments

  1. Hi Julie
    This salad looks absolutely stunning! I almost drooled when reading the ingredients! A must try! Lucky guests ๐Ÿ™‚

      1. hi Julie
        I did the salad. I didn’t have the same ingredients so I changed it slightly but it was just as delicious as I thought it would be when I read your recipe, https://bit.ly/29IPU1l! Thank you for sharing!
        I hope your week is good ๐Ÿ™‚

        1. Thank you so much for letting me know Petra! I noticed you use bulgur too. I love it! Enjoy your weekend!

  2. The chipotle paste sounds very interesting to make. I love the flavor of chipotles when it’s combined with the right ingredients. Sounds delicious Julie… I’m the one who buys the 10 pound box of dried cherries and freezes them, waiting for the perfect recipe.

    I tried to comment a few times earlier and have trouble navigating through your site – not sure why. Probably my computer!

    1. Thank you Judi! I really like cherries too and make more paste than I needed and froze it in small containers. That really helps when I need it. I’ve never seen a 10lb box of dried cherries! I would probably buy them too. I love putting them in granola too. If you have any trouble getting through my site in the future please let me know.

  3. What a different and delicious sounding saladโ€ฆlove your sweet and spicy combination of flavors.

  4. This looks wonderful, Julie! I really love chipotle, but hadn’t ever thought to put those flavors in a salad. That is such a great idea. The chipotle paste must be so flavorful with all of those tasty ingredients in it. Can’t wait to try this!

    1. Thank you Shari! I made enough paste to use the whole can and then just froze it in small containers so nothing would go to waste. We really enjoyed this one.

  5. This looks like a perfect summer salad! I love bulgur wheat, but don’t use it as much as I should. This looks like a great reason to use it!

  6. What a fiery, flavorful & fabulous salad! Love it! I love your new logo too! Have a great weekend!

  7. Sounds like a great dish to take to a potluck Julie! Out of the ordinary with a ‘kick’ sounds like a winning combo!

  8. It’s a really great sounding salad and love how it gets better when it sits overnight. I love cherries, fresh or dried or chocolate covered. Just give me that bowl and a spoon and I will be happy.

    1. Thank you Suzanne. I love them too. I’ve been munching on Rainier cherries all week too.