Blackened Chicken Salad

I have a love/hate relationship with city life. This counts for every city I’ve been to except Philadelphia (Philly, you hold my heart forever. I love everything about from the pretzels to the tourist sites to the smelly train station. You are forever mine so don’t go getting insecure about yourself, mmmkay?). See, I love the city. I love the hustle and bustle, the coffee shops on every corner. The shopping, the noise, the vibrancy. But then, I visit a city I love on a Saturday. Take NYC, for example. I’ve been there a handful of times and each time, I thought “Huh, I could live here and be infinitely happy”. Then I go on a Saturday where it is so crowded you can’t move. Where people have no concept of personal space or manners. And then I remember that I probably shouldn’t actually live in the city.

See, I live in the ‘burbs. And while I long for busy, always on the go city life, I do like that I can open my back door and let the dogs out without having to snap a leash on them each time. And there are trails here and deer and nature. Pretty flowers and the ability, should my thumb ever become green, to grow an expansive garden. I can check out, slow down, relax. There are times when it is quiet, when there is no light pollution to block out the giant super moon. It’s got some perks, suburbia.

I also have a love/hate relationship with salad. It’s different from my city living thoughts. Because I want to love salad, I do. But I end up feeling resentful towards it, since it never seems to satisfy or fill me up. It’s just sort of there, mocking me. A huge, expansive salad next to me meager allotted portion of pork, teasing.

This salad here might make me a believer. It gives me hope that I may one day enjoy and feel fulfilled by other salads. Because after I made this salad for dinner, I felt satisfied. Full. Blissfully happy. The chicken is spicy and flavorful and just a little bit crunchy. And the dressing. Man, this dressing. 110 calories for 3 tablespoons which more than adequately coats my entire massive salad. This salad here is a winner, folks.

This recipe is from Can You Stay For Dinner? She’s got a massive amount of salad recipes to choose from, everyone flavorful and fantastic.

Blackened Chicken Salad
Recipe type: salad, dinner
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 4
 

Ingredients
  • For spice blend:
  • 2 tsps Smoked paprika
  • ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • For salad:
  • 1 lb. chicken breast, cut into slices
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 8 cups lettuce of your choice (iceberg or romaine are great in this preparation)
  • 4 ounces cheddar cheese
  • 1-2 large carrots, peeled and shredded
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • For dressing:
  • ½ cup light mayo
  • ½ cup non-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 tsp. dill
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
  • ¾ cup low fat buttermilk

Instructions
  1. Begin by preparing your chicken. Coat each piece in the spice blend, ensuring that they are all well covered. Heat one tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add half the chicken.
  2. Cook on one side for five minutes. Flip to the other side and cook for another five minutes. Remove to a plate. Turn the heat down a notch and add the remaining olive oil followed by the chicken. Cook for five minutes per side.
  3. While the chicken cooks, prepare your dressing. Combine mayo, yogurt and herbs in a dish and combine well. Stir in cider vinegar to combine.
  4. Slowly stir in the buttermilk, stopping when the dressing has reached your desired consistency. You will use more or less ¾ cup, depending on how thick you want the dressing.
  5. Once complete, assemble the salad. Split the lettuce, carrots and bell pepper among four bowls or plates. Add 1 ounce of cheddar cheese (approximately ¼ cup) to each plate. Add 3 ounces of chicken to each place. Top with 3 tablespoons of dressing.

 

4 thoughts on “Blackened Chicken Salad

  1. LOVE the name of your blog! Are you a theater geek too? There’s a lot of us on the blogosphere, I’m finding 😉

    And you love my favorite blog. Andie’s recipes ROCK.

    • I was never in theater (mainly due to my complete lack of talent) but I would like to consider myself a theater geek!!! I love, love, love musicals with every fiber of my being! :)

      Her recipes ARE fantastic, aren’t they!? Love!

  2. Kim…you and I are so much alike. I have a love/hate with cities, too. Though I used to live in Philly, too and I LOVED it…..loved being able to walk everywhere! But with salads for me……it’s definitely love/love! I just love to try all kinds of salads and I love when they are substantial enough like this one, to have it as a meal. I can just taste those juicy pieces of blackened chicken dipped in cool home made ranch! Awesome! : )

    • You and I have so much in common!!! Isn’t Philly great? And yeah, this one is definitely a meal salad, though I take it for lunch too. I can’t resist! :)

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