Chipotle Grilled Chicken salad has a Honey Jalapeno Vinaigrette that makes this salad sweet and spicy. It’s full of color, texture, and delicious flavors that make this salad anything other than ordinary.
Years ago salads served as entrees were rare if nonexistent. If only they had known about this Chipotle Grilled Chicken Salad, we would all have been eating differently.
On the rare occasions that we went out for dinner when I was a child, meals were served with a side salad. These salads were usually chunks or a wedge of iceberg lettuce drowned in dressing. Eating salads as an entree were unheard of.
Boy, has times changed. I had no problem eating this beautiful salad for dinner. There are so many colorful veggies that kept me noshing until I couldn’t shove in another bite. I made a honey jalapeno vinaigrette that had a sweet kick and it paired perfectly with the tender grilled chipotle chicken.
The first time I made this salad I wanted to love it but the chicken was just bleh. As much as I wanted to have a recipe to share, I knew it wasn’t ready. The chicken wasn’t anything special.
When I make a recipe, I try and repurpose extra ingredients in other recipes. So when I made my Crockpot Chipotle Chicken Tacos, I created an adobe paste that used 2 to 3 chipotle peppers in it. The little can of chipotle peppers that I use has about 12 peppers in it so I make more and just freeze it in small containers.
When I needed to add flavor to this chicken, I pulled one of my containers of chipotle paste out of the freezer and slathered it all over the chicken and just left it in the refrigerator until we were ready to grill it. The first bite of this salad said I’d found exactly what this salad needed.
Don’t have time to make it now? Pin it for later!
- 2 chicken breasts Skinless boneless
- 8 cups lettuce Greens of your choice (I like green leaf)
- 1 cup corn Fire roasted - I find mine in my grocers' freezer section
- 2 cups Red cabbage shredded
- 1 red pepper diced
- .75 avocado remaining 1/4 is used in the dressing
- 1 tomato diced - you can also use salsa or pico
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 3 Chipotle Chilies in Adobo
- 3 tbsp olive oil vegetable or canola is fine too
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp diced onion
- 1 cup Fresh cilantro I use the stems for the paste and the leaves for salad
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- Zest of 1 lime optional
- 1 lime juice and zest
- 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves and stems
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 jalapeno seeded
- 1/4 avocado
- 2 Tortillas raw
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Combine chipotle paste ingredients and process in a blender or food processor until thick. Rub chicken thoroughly with paste. Marinate for 30 minutes or up to several hours. Refrigerate until grilling.
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Combine Vinaigrette ingredients and process in a blender or food processor. Refrigerate until serving.
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Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Spray both sides of each tortilla with non-stick cooking spray or brush with oil. Sprinkle with chipotle chili powder and salt. Cut into strips (a pizza cutter works great). Place tortilla strips on an oiled baking sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes or until lightly browned.
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Grill Chicken and allow to cool slightly. Slice thinly.
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Assemble salad ingredients. Top with grilled chicken and garnish with additional cilantro. Serve with vinaigrette and tortilla straws.
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Store covered in the refrigerator for up to one week.
This dressing recipe yields more than what you need for 4 salads so make plenty. It's delicious and would even make a great sauce for seafood!
Nothing is missing in this salad except for the guilt. I actually crave this salad and when I have a batch of the avocado dressing made I’ll eat this salad every day until it’s gone.
Here are a few more salads that I can eat every single day!
Fresh Greek Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Grilled Shrimp Salad with Wheat Berries
Favorite Green Salad with Sweet Poppyseed Dressing
Do you have a favorite salad? I’m always looking for new ones so would love it if you would share!
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