Description
This Healthy Street Corn-Inspired Chicken Salad combines roasted vegetables, tender chicken breast, and a zesty, creamy dressing reminiscent of classic Mexican street corn flavors. It’s a flavorful, nutritious dish perfect for a light lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
Roasted Vegetables
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
- 16 oz frozen corn (about 2 1/2 cups)
- Olive oil spray
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Other Salad Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped
- 1/2 cup light mayo
- 1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 lime, zested and juiced
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 bunch scallions, chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1.5 oz Cotija cheese, crumbled
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F to prepare for roasting the vegetables.
- Prepare Vegetables: Chop the red bell pepper and red onion into bite-sized pieces, and seed and chop the jalapeno pepper.
- Combine Vegetables: Add the chopped red bell pepper, red onion, jalapeno, and frozen corn onto a sheet pan. Spray with olive oil spray and season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.
- Roast Vegetables: Roast the vegetables in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until they are tender and slightly caramelized, stirring halfway through for even cooking.
- Cool Vegetables: Remove the roasted vegetables from the oven and allow them to cool to room temperature.
- Prepare Dressing: In a mixing bowl, whisk together light mayo, plain nonfat Greek yogurt, lime zest and juice, cumin, paprika, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and chili powder until smooth and well combined.
- Combine Salad Ingredients: Chop the cooked chicken breast and add to the dressing bowl. Then add the cooled roasted vegetables, chopped scallions, and cilantro.
- Toss Salad: Toss all ingredients together thoroughly to evenly coat the chicken and vegetables with the flavorful dressing.
- Finish and Serve: Sprinkle the salad with crumbled Cotija cheese on top before serving.
Notes
- For extra heat, keep the jalapeno seeds when chopping.
- This salad can be served chilled or at room temperature.
- Use leftover rotisserie chicken to save time.
- Substitute Cotija cheese with feta if unavailable.
- To reduce fat, use only Greek yogurt instead of mayo, or choose a low-fat mayo variant.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: Mexican-inspired
