Cilantro-lime jalapeno chicken salad

Spice up chicken salad for a fiesta in your mouth

I'm a big fan of chicken salad — it's probably one of my favorite sandwich fixings. You never can tell about those deli meats — that's what I always say. But a beautifully shredded chicken salad with the right mix of mayo and crunch and spices? Yum. This particular chicken salad (which I've doctored up) gets some south-of-the-border flair with the addition of three kinds of peppers, lime juice, and cilantro. It's a little tangy & spicy and a whole lotta fresh & delicious. 

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FIESTA CHICKEN SALAD

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

1 package chicken breasts

1 jalapeno, diced

1/2 red pepper, diced

1 small can mild diced green chiles

1/4 red onion, diced

handful of cilantro, finely chopped

1 lime, juiced

1/3 cup mayo 

1 TBS dijon mustard

1 tsp cumin

salt and pepper to taste

WHAT YOU'LL DO

1. Salt and pepper the chicken breasts, then place them in a slow cooker with some chicken stock for moisture. Cook on low or high. Once cooked through, shred the chicken. 

2. In a large bowl, mix the lime juice, mayo, mustard, and cumin. Add the chicken, diced onion, diced peppers, and can of diced green chiles. Add cilantro. Mix together, adding salt and pepper to taste. 

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You could also try using plain greek yogurt in place of mayo, or a mix of the two. Of course this chicken salad would be awesome on some good crusty bread, but in an attempt to make healthy choices I served it on a bed of spinach instead. First, I dressed the spinach with a sprinkle of olive oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper, then placed a whopping dollop of chicken salad on top. In an ideal world, I'd garnish with chopped or sliced avocado. Mmmm fiesta in your mouth.