Cajun Chicken Salad
Tender, juicy, cajun chicken salad with a tangy garlic dressing. Spicy, bold flavors that will fill you up and please the pallet.
Servings: 4
Equipment
- large skillet or frying pan
- whisk
- bowls for mixing
Ingredients
Cajun Chicken
- .75 -1 lb chicken breasts
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp cayenne powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ Tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup raw quinoa
- 2 heads of romaine about 8 cups
Avocado Salad
- ¼ cup red onion, sliced
- 2 firm avocados *see notes
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
- ½ Tbsp olive oil
- ¼ cup lime juice *about 1 lime
- 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
Garlic Dressing
- ⅓ cup sour cream *see notes
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- 3 Tbsp water *more as needed to thin the dressing.
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken. In a small bowl mix all the seasonings together. Pat chicken dry with a paper towel. If the chicken breasts are large, cut them in half to ensure an even cook. Heat oil in a large pan or skillet on medium heat.
- Rub chicken both front and back with the seasoning mix. Add the breasts to the heated skillet, cook each side for about 8-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked all the way through and 165º internally. Start quinoa, this should take 15-20 minutes.
- While chicken is cooking, prepare the avocado salad. Slice avocados thinly (discard the skin and pit) or you can dice them up if needed. Slice tomatoes, red onion and add in lime, seasoning and oil. Gently mix together and set aside
- Chop up washed and dried romaine and add to a big bowl. Mix up creamy garlic dressing.
- Add all garlic dressing ingredients to a small bowl (seasoning, sour cream, cilantro, minced garlic and water, mix well with a whisk). Add more water as needed to thin dressing to desired amount.
- Once chicken is finished cooking, let it rest for a bit and then slice it up. Add quinoa to the large salad bowl with romaine, add in avocado salad, chicken and half the dressing. Gently mix together, serve and add more dressing as needed. Enjoy!
Notes
*Avocados should be just starting to ripen, if they are too soft/ripe they won't hold their shape.
*Plain greek yogurt will also work
Nutrition
Serving: 1.5cup | Calories: 417kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 441mg | Potassium: 1068mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 699IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 2mg