Whether you’re looking for a healthy and filling meal or a fun and festive summer party dish, this Santa Fe Chicken Salad recipe is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. So grab your ingredients and get ready to create a salad that is both delicious and nutritious.
Jump to:
- What Is Santa Fe Salad?
- Why You Will Love This Southwest Salad?
- Salad Ingredients and Substitutes
- What Else Can I Add To Santa Fe Salad?
- Adjustments For Dietary Requirements
- Method
- Video
- Tips & Tricks For Best Results
- Recipe FAQs
- How To Store Santa Fe Chicken Salad?
- Goes Well With
- Other Delicious Salads
- Santa Fe Salad
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What Is Santa Fe Salad?
Santa Fe Salad is a vibrant and flavourful dish that typically consists of a mix of fresh lettuce leaves, grilled chicken, corn, black beans, avocado, and salsa, like pico de gallo. It is a Tex-Mex-inspired salad that features bold and spicy flavours, including a bunch of spices coating chicken breasts: cumin, paprika and chilli powder etc. Santa Fe Salad Dressing is just as tasty, featuring lime juice, spices and honey. In the modern days, it is often served with creamy ranch dressing too.
The salad often includes ingredients that are commonly found in Mexican cuisine, such as coriander (cilantro), chilli peppers (jalapenos), and tortilla strips, adding an extra layer of texture and flavour. Santa Fe Salad is known for its colourful and appetizing presentation, making it a perfect choice for a satisfying, but equally healthy meal.
The origins of Santa Fe Salad can be traced back to the southwestern region of the United States, specifically to Santa Fe, New Mexico. The dish has evolved over time and has become a popular choice in Tex-Mex restaurants throughout the country. It is especially popular in the summertime when you can cook the chicken on a BBQ Grill outside.
The salad has also gained popularity in recent years due to its health benefits, as it is packed with protein, fibre, and healthy fats. Overall, Santa Fe Salad is a delicious and nutritious option that has become a staple in many households and restaurants alike.
Why You Will Love This Southwest Salad?
If you’re looking for a hearty salad that captures the flavours of Mexican food, this Santa Fe-style salad recipe is the best option. With juicy white meat chicken that’s seasoned with a blend of spices and herbs, this salad is packed with protein and flavor.
The combination of baby spinach, sliced spring onions, cherry tomatoes, black beans, sweetcorn, diced avocado, and crispy corn tortilla chips creates a colourful and satisfying meal that’s perfect for any occasion.
Plus, the Santa Fe salad dressing, made with extra virgin olive oil, lime juice, honey, cumin, and chili powder, adds a tangy and slightly spicy kick that ties all the flavours together. Whether you’re looking for a quick and easy lunch or a delicious dinner, this Santa Fe style salad is sure to become a new favourite in your recipe repertoire.
Salad Ingredients and Substitutes
For The Salad:
- chicken breast: we used boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 250g). If you wish, you can use pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, but you will be missing out on all the flavours of the spices that are used to coat the chicken.
- spices: chilli powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, paprika, dried herbs (like oregano or thyme). All these spices can be replaced with a generous heaped teaspoon of taco seasoning.
- olive oil: or other oil suitable for cooking, like vegetable oil or avocado oil.
- baby spinach: can be replaced with rocket (arugula) or iceberg or romaine lettuce.
- spring onions: also known as scallions or green onions. You may also use thinly sliced red onion for extra colour vibrancy.
- cherry tomatoes: can be substituted with baby plum tomatoes or roughly chopped salad tomatoes.
- black beans: rinsed and drained. Replace them with red kidney beans if you wish.
- sweetcorn: tinned or cooked from frozen.
- avocado: choose ripe and creamy avocado.
- corn tortilla chips: you may choose to use toasted crunchy tortilla strips.
- fresh cilantro (coriander):
For The Santa Fe Salad Dressing:
- extra virgin olive oil
- lime juice
- honey
- ground cumin
- chilli powder
- salt and pepper to taste
What Else Can I Add To Santa Fe Salad?
- Red pepper, chopped into small chunks.
- Corn kernels: try it with char-grilled corn straight off the cob.
- Jalapeño pepper: for a spicy kick.
- Cotija cheese or feta make a great topping for Santa Fe Salad, especially if you want to make a vegetarian version and skip the chicken.
Adjustments For Dietary Requirements
Vegetarian: you can add some vegetarian protein sources such as quinoa or chickpeas instead of chicken. You can also switch out the chicken for some grilled tofu or tempeh to give it a meaty texture.
Vegan: To make this recipe vegan, simply swap out the honey in the dressing for maple syrup or agave nectar. You can also use vegan chicken substitutes made from soy, seitan, or jackfruit instead of chicken. Alternatively, have a look at our Tex Mex Bowl With Sweet Potatoes.
Dairy-Free: This recipe is already dairy-free as it does not contain any dairy products. However, if you are using store-bought tortilla chips, be sure to check the label as some brands may contain dairy.
Gluten-Free: To make this recipe gluten-free, make sure to use gluten-free tortilla chips.
Method
Mix all the spices, dried herbs and salt and pepper in a small bowl.
Rub your chicken breast with the prepared seasoning, until it is fully covered.
Brush a large frying pan or a griddle pan with oil and place it over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken breast and cook for approximately 5-6 minutes on each side (it will depend on the thickness of the breasts but the internal temperature should be 74°C when cooked).
In the meantime, make a tangy lime dressing by mixing all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
In a large, bowl mix the spinach, spring onion, fresh tomatoes, black beans, sweetcorn, avocado, coriander and tortilla chips in a large bowl gently with half of the dressing.
Slice the cooked chicken breast into pieces and serve on top of the salad. Drizzle the rest of the dressing over the salad and serve.
Video
Tips & Tricks For Best Results
Santa Fe Chicken Salad is extremely easy to make but here are our top five tips and tricks for making it BRILLIANT:
- Use fresh, high-quality ingredients: The key to a delicious salad is using fresh and flavorful ingredients. Look for ripe avocados, plump cherry tomatoes, and crisp greens to create a vibrant and satisfying salad.
- Don’t skimp on the seasoning: Santa Fe Salad is known for its bold and spicy flavours, so don’t be afraid to use plenty of seasoning on the chicken and in the dressing. Add extra cumin, chilli powder, and experiment with the quantity of lime juice in your Santa Fe dressing to give your salad a kick.
- Customize to your liking: Santa Fe Salad is a versatile dish that can be customized to suit your preferences. Add grilled prawns, ground beef, or crispy tofu instead of chicken, or switch up the vegetables to use whatever is in season.
- Make a creamy dressing instead: Creamy homemade dressing is easy to make and adds an extra layer of decadence to your salad. We have a suggestion for a creamy cilantro-lime dressing in the FAQ section.
- Add extra toppings: The addition of crunchy toppings like tortilla chips or pumpkin seeds can add texture and flavour to your salad. Chilli pepper slices, fresh coriander, crispy onions and lime zest are some great options, all in line with the southwest flavors.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! Add half a ripe avocado, 2 tablespoon of Greek yoghurt, 1-2 tablespoon lime juice, a pinch of garlic powder and a handful of coriander leaves to a food processor and blitz it into a dressing. Loosen with some water if needed and season with salt and pepper.
There is about 590 kcal in one portion of the Santa Fe Salad With Chicken.
How To Store Santa Fe Chicken Salad?
Santa Fe Salad is best served freshly made when the chicken is still warm and the salad leaves are crisp. However, if you’d like to make the salad in advance, chop the vegetables and place them in a large bowl (or an airtight container), but don’t mix them. Store them covered in the fridge. Make the dressing ahead of time too. When you are ready to serve, grill the chicken and assemble it.
Goes Well With
Santa Fe Salad makes a wonderful summer lunch. With all the protein and fibre in this delicious Southwest salad, you won’t need any side dishes, as it is filling and satisfying as it is. However, you can serve it as a part of a good spread at your next BBQ party. Some other dishes that would go well here are:
- Baked Polenta Chips With Smoky BBQ Dip
- Grilled Potatoes | Perfect BBQ Side Dish
- Korean Garlic Cream Cheese Bread
- Creamy Corn Salad with Courgette
- Summer Pesto Pasta Salad
Other Delicious Salads
- Tex Mex Salad Bowl With Sweet Potatoes (Vegan)
- Grilled Chicken and Peach Salad
- Watermelon and Feta Salad
Santa Fe Salad
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts skinless, boneless (about 160g each)
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried herbs like oregano or thyme
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 90 g baby spinach
- 2 spring onions sliced
- 150 g cherry tomatoes halved
- 120 g black beans rinsed and drained
- 100 g tinned sweetcorn drained
- 1 avocado diced
- 30 g corn tortilla chips/ crisps crushed
- 5 g fresh coriander
For Santa Fe Salad Dressing:
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chilli powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mix all the spices, dried herbs and salt and pepper in a small bowl.
- Rub your chicken breasts with the prepared seasoning, until they are fully covered.
- Brush a large frying pan or a griddle pan with oil and place it over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken breasts and cook for approximately 5-6 minutes on each side (it will depend on the thickness of the breasts but the internal temperature should be 74°C when cooked).
- In the meantime, mix all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. OPTIONAL: If you wish, you may stir in some spicy juices from the chicken pan into your dressing too.
- In a large, bowl mix the spinach, spring onion, fresh tomatoes, black beans, sweet corn, avocado, coriander and tortilla chips in a large bowl gently with half of the dressing.
- Slice the cooked chicken breast into pieces and serve on top of the salad. Drizzle the rest of the dressing over the salad and serve.
Video
Nutrition
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