Southwest Chicken Chopped Salad
Fact: life is too short to eat sad desk salads. This very real fact is why I am almost always looking for salad inspiration. From Pinterest, Facebook and even restaurant menus, I look for inspiration anywhere I can find to ensure I am not crying tears of regret into a sad, little desk salad!
While I love me some social media recipe stalking, I would say finding inspiration from restaurant menus is one of the most underrated and helpful resources I have found. One of my favorite salads in the world is the smoked chicken chop chop at Cactus in Seattle. With some of the tastiest "Pacific Northwest-inspired" Mexican cuisine I have ever encountered, I can safely say that Cactus is one of my favorite restaurants of all time. While I swoon over their butternut squash black bean enchiladas with goat cheese and smoked chicken flautas with chipotle cream sauce and arugula, it’s the smoked chicken chop chop that keeps me coming back for more, and is what inspired this very recipe in a big way.
Once I studied the menu and started to think through the ingredients of this crave-worthy salad, I realized it would be rather simple to recreate at home to help bring some life back into my weekday lunch routine. Starting with a bed of crisp romaine or your other favorite salad green, the salad is topped with shredded or rotisserie chicken to keep things easy, garbanzo beans, radishes for peppery crunch, smoky bacon, sweet red bell peppers, pumpkin seeds and, not one but, two cheeses, salty cotija and creamy panela. To top it off, this abundant and vibrant blend gets dressed with a smoky chipotle balsamic vinaigrette.
With each bite, your tastebuds will thank you and say "bubyeeeee" to sad desk salads!
Southwest Chicken Chopped Salad
Makes about 4 salads
Ingredients
2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
5 strips cooked bacon
2 cups shredded or rotiserrie chicken
2 red bell peppers, diced
4-5 radishes, thinly sliced
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
About 1/2 cup Panela cheese, crumbled
About 1/2 cup Cotija cheese, crumbled
Lime wedges
Chipotle Balsamic Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons adobo sauce (from can of chipotles in adobo)
1 chipotle pepper, minced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt, to taste
Directions
Fill four tupperware containers or one large bowl (if serving at once) with chopped romaine. Top with shredded chicken, garbanzo beans, bacon, bell peppers, radishes, pumpkin seeds and cheeses. Add vinaigrette ingredients together in a mason jar or other lidded jar, close lid and shake until well combined. Top salad with dressing and toss. Squeeze fresh lime juice over salad and enjoy!
