Recipes

Did you know that corn is a whole grain? It appears twice in this main course salad, once folded into a fiber-filled salad base along with romaine, tomatoes, black beans and avocado, and the other time as a crunchy-savory salad topper. This salad is a great way to use up the other half of a rotisserie chicken. Elevate the chicken with lime, garlic and spices. Stir in green onions, cilantro and celery and you have a salad will beat the heat and dazzle your taste buds.

Learning Objectives

Learn how to assemble a no-cook meal using leftover rotisserie chicken.

Level Ups (optional)

Add diced jicama, sliced radish, and/or finely diced mango.

Substitutions (optional)

Substitute a can of drained and rinsed black beans for the chicken and delete the black beans in the romaine mixture.

Notes

Drizzle our Avocado Cilantro Crema on top of this salad. Click here for the recipe.

Equipment Needed

2 large bowls

Silicone spatula or wooden spoon

Microplane/grater

Chef’s knife

Cutting board

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups shredded, leftover rotisserie chicken or 2 cooked chicken breasts
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Zest of 1 lime
• Juice of 1 lime (about 2 Tbsp)
• ½ tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and grated or minced (or 1 tsp prechopped garlic)
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 large stalk celery, cut into thirds lengthwise and thinly sliced
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 large head romaine lettuce, cut into quarters lengthwise then sliced into ¾ inch pieces
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
• 1 cup black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 ½ cup corn kernels (can be frozen then defrosted or taken off of two precooked ears)
• 1 large avocado, small diced
• ½ cup VEBA avocado cilantro crema (see Notes for recipe)
• 1 cup corn tortilla chips, slightly crushed
• Jalapeno slices (optional)
• ¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds (optional)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, chili powder, cumin, coriander, garlic, green onion, cilantro, celery, salt and pepper and set aside.
2. In another large bowl, combine the romaine, tomatoes, black beans, corn and avocado.
3. On individual plates, place evenly divided amounts of the romaine mixture. Top with evenly divided amounts of the chicken mixture. Drizzle each plate with the avocado cilantro crema and some of the crushed tortilla chips. If desired, garnish with jalapeno slices and pumpkin seeds.