Southwest Salad

Ingredients

For the optional chicken:

• 1 pound chicken breast or tenders, boneless and skinless
• chili powder, to taste
• cumin, to taste
• paprika, to taste
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste

For the avocado dressing:

• 1 medium-sized avocado, peeled and seeded
• juice of 1 1/2 limes
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 large tomatillo, paper skin removed and roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons avocado or olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt

For the salad:

• 4-6 cups romaine lettuce, plus more as needed, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup corn, rinsed and drained
• 1/3 cup red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup jicama, optional, diced
• 1/2-1 cup Mexican blend cheese, shredded
• tortilla strips, optional, to taste, for topping

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Season the chicken with chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper.
3. Bake the chicken until it reaches 165 degrees F in its thickest part, about 17-20 minutes.
4. Remove the chicken from the oven and cover with foil for 10 minutes.
5. Slice or dice the chicken and set it aside.
6. In a food processor, add the avocado, lime juice, sour cream, garlic, cilantro, tomatillo, avocado oil, and 1 teaspoon salt and blend until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy with chunks remaining.
7. In a large salad serving bowl, combine the romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, black beans, corn, red onion, jicama, shredded cheese, and the cooked chicken.
8. Drizzle the avocado dressing into the salad and toss until everything is well-coated.
9. Top with the tortilla strips and serve!