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Mexican Style Grilled Chicken Salad
This amazing grilled chicken salad would be great on any Cinco de Mayo menu. Featuring tasty avocado, creamy feta cheese, aromatic cilantro, crunchy pine nuts and of course delicious grilled chicken, this makes a great lunch, dinner, and supper or buffet table addition. You can serve the salad cold, perhaps on flour or corn tortillas, or you can warm it up, leave out the chicken, and serve it as a wonderful side dish. Swap the celery for jicama if you can get it, and feel free to use your favorite homemade salad dressing rather than bottled Italian dressing if you want.
Many people love south of the border flavors, even though some would find it hard to describe the difference between Tex-Mex food and authentic Mexican food recipes. On one hand it does not really matter so much - if a meal is great, it does not have to be purely accredited to one cuisine. But then it is also good to know what you are eating.
If you want true Mexican flavors, always use fresh ingredients, good quality meat and fish, and make your herbs and spices work for you, giving a fragrant touch to the meal rather than making it too fiery to appreciate fully. The following salad recipe features lots of great ingredients, as well as salad dressing and cilantro to finish it off in style.
Chicken and Avocado Salad with Pine Nuts
Ingredients -
4 cups chopped grilled chicken
2 ripe avocados
⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup celery, cut into matchsticks
1 cup diced tomato
2 tablespoons pine nuts
15 oz black beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup Italian salad dressing
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 cup spinach leaves or salad leaves
Preparation:
Divide the spinach or salad leaves between 4 serving plates.
Pit the avocados, then slice one and dice the other.
Stir the beans, celery, pine nuts, feta cheese, diced avocado, half the cilantro, and 2 tablespoons of the dressing together.
Divide this mixture between the serving plates.
Top with the sliced avocado and chicken.
Drizzle over the remaining dressing and sprinkle the rest of the cilantro over the salads.
(Serves 4)
Wine Suggestion:
Which Wine to Serve with Grilled Chicken Salad
A light-bodied Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc would be the perfect wine to serve with this Mexican grilled chicken salad recipe. The high acidity and fresh lemon aroma of Sauvignon Blanc complements a wide range of dishes, including this wonderful chicken salad. Another option would be a tasty Chenin Blanc. Featuring honeysuckle and lemon aromas and a smooth, rich flavor, this wine is usually great with all kinds of chicken dishes, as well as Mexican cuisine.
Photo Description:
The range of different colors, textures, and ingredients that you can see in this photo show what an appealing chicken salad it is. Featuring delicious grilled chicken, avocado, tomato and more, this hearty, satisfying salad is perfect for any meal or occasion. The cilantro adds an aromatic touch and you could serve this in small portions as an appetizer or larger ones as an entree. If you are looking for a great recipe for Mexican chicken salad, why not make this one? It is a very easy salad to prepare and the flavor is beautiful.
Different Types of Grilled Chicken Salad
There are lots of ways to make a great grilled chicken salad. The simplest way is perhaps to grill your chicken until it is cooked through and then arrange it on a bed of mixed salad leaves. Add some halved cherry tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and whatever else you like and add a drizzle of your favorite salad dressing. The chicken can be served whole or sliced and fanned out.
Another way to use grilled chicken to make a salad is to chop it and toss it with mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Then it can be used as a sandwich filling or a baked potato filling. The smoky flavor from the grill will be apparent and tasty. You can add some crumbled fried bacon for a gourmet result.
What to Add to a Grilled Chicken Salad Recipe
Chicken is incredibly versatile and goes with all kinds of other ingredients. Marinate the chicken in lemon or lime juice for twenty minutes before you grill it for a citrus flavor. You can serve it with avocado slices, lettuce, jalapenos, and corn, for a Mexican touch, or serve it on a bed of bean sprouts, grated carrot and pineapple chunks for a tangy salad.
A grilled chicken salad recipe can be served hot, warm or cold, although many people say that the best way is to top a chilled salad with a hot, fresh-off-the-grill chicken breast, because then you get a great contrast. You can use leftover cold grilled chicken to make nice chicken salad recipes too though, so just do whatever works for you.
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