I found the recipe for Chipolte Chicken Salad on the BetterU website under recipes. I was excited to find this site, and there are a ton of recipes that I am anxious to try out. If they are half as good as this salad, they will be winners!

I made this on Tuesday night and we had enough for left overs today. Ryan and I both really really liked it (again, this recipe was way too spicy for Kendall, so she had a grilled chicken breast, some of the corn/bean salad, and lettuce.)

This chicken salad looks and tastes good enough to be served at a restaurant, but it has been adapted for guilt-free enjoyment.

Serves 4; 1 cup chicken salad and 1 cup salad greens per serving
Start to Finish: 26 minutes

Cooking spray
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 4 ounces each), all
visible fat discarded, halved lengthwise
1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn
1 cup canned no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup shredded fat-free Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro
1/4 cup fat-free plain yogurt
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1 tablespoon canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
4 cups torn leafy salad greens
1/2 cup crushed baked tortilla chips

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Lightly spray two baking sheets with cooking spray. Put the chicken on one baking sheet. Spread the corn in a single layer on the other.

Bake both for 16 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center and the corn is roasted and slightly crunchy, turning the chicken over and stirring the corn halfway through.

Let the chicken cool slightly, about 2 minutes, or until easy to handle. Cut into bite-size pieces. In a large bowl, gently toss the chicken, corn, beans, onion, and Cheddar.

In a blender, pulse the cilantro, yogurt, mayonnaise, chipotle and sauce, and lime juice until well blended. Pour over the chicken mixture and toss gently to combine.

Put the salad greens on plates. Spoon the chicken salad over the greens. Garnish with the tortilla chips.

Cook's Tip: Chipotle peppers are dried, smoked jalapeño peppers. Some are canned in spicy adobo sauce. For this recipe, use one canned pepper and some of the sauce. You can freeze the remaining peppers. Spread them in a single layer on a tray lined with wax paper. Spoon some sauce over each pepper. Freeze until just firm. Transfer the frozen peppers and sauce to an airtight freezer container or bag. Because the peppers are frozen individually, it will be easy to remove just the number you need for a recipe. Let them thaw in the refrigerator for a few hours, or until icy, then chop or use whole, as directed in the recipe.

NUTRITION ANALYSIS (per serving)
Calories 338
Total Fat 7.5 g
Saturated Fat 1.5 g
Trans Fat 0.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 3.5 g
Monounsaturated Fat 2.0 g
Cholesterol 72 mg
Sodium 389 mg
Carbohydrates 32 g
Fiber 6 g
Sugars 6 g
Protein 36 g

My notes:

*I actually used a little too much of the chipolte peppers and it was HOT....like really really hot! Still good, but next time I will cut down on the peppers, or Ryan if suggested just using Chipolte Tabasco sauce.

*My salads are usually dressing with a tiny bit of lettuce, so I was worried I would think it was too dry. Not at all! The sauce is great, and I can see myself using it on various salads, or even just on a grilled chicken breast!

In other news, I did my first resistance training workout. YIKES! So glad I did it, but man, I am weak. I'm sure my arms are going to be upset with me tomorrow. But I am really glad I pushed through it!

So far week 2 is going great! Each night I try to reflect on the choices that I have made for the day. And every night I am proud of what I have accomplished. If I can do this, anyone can!

Okay, time to get in a little bit of t.v. watching (this workout stuff is killing my coach potato status!)

Adios,

Jennie

Chipotle Chicken Salad