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8

Chipotle Chicken Leafy Salad

Prep 10 min
Total 45 min
Servings 2

This flavorful salad with leafy greens, salty seeds, fresh blueberries and chipotle-seasoned chicken is an awesome light meal, easily beefed up for heartier dinner portions. ...MORE+ LESS-

TBSP Susan

June 2, 2015

Ingredients

Olive oil for prep

chicken breast (11.75 oz.) tenderloins (fresh, or thawed if frozen)

1/2

teaspoon chipotle seasoning (more or less to taste)

Fresh-ground pepper and sea salt to taste

cups Spring mix lettuce

cup baby spinach

1/2

cup fresh blueberries, washed

tablespoons shelled and salted sunflower seeds

Vinaigrette champagne salad dressing (or your favorite)

Steps

Hide Images

1

Heat oven to 350° F. Spread 1 Tbsp olive oil in bottom of baking dish. Add chicken tenderloins. Lightly cover tops of chicken in olive oil and sprinkle with chipotle seasoning, pepper and salt. Bake at 350°F, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes for juices to absorb.
2

While chicken is resting, prepare plates with spinach and lettuce, dividing the greens between the plates. Sprinkle blueberries and sunflower seeds over greens.
3

Slice each tenderloin into thin strips. Place one warm, sliced tenderloin over each salad. Drizzle with salad dressing, or serve dressing on the side. Serve immediately.

Expert Tips

This salad is great with chilled chicken too, making it an easy make-ahead meal. Bake and chill chicken. Slice and assemble salad as above.
Great with a cup of soup, biscuit or bread stick. To make into a fuller meal, use 2 (8 oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of the smaller tenderloins, and adjust amounts for other ingredients accordingly.

Nutrition Information

No nutrition information available for this recipe

More About This Recipe

With bursting blueberries, crisp greens, salty seeds and spicy chicken -- this salad is one tasty hello to spring!

All winter, seems like everybody wears shades of black and gray. Ever notice that? And all winter, foods seem just a bit more packaged, a tad more bland and a little, well, predictable.

But it's like we're on the highway and can see the faster speed limit sign just ahead -- time to shift into 5th and jet into spring!

This Chipotle Chicken Leafy Salad is a great way to wake up your taste buds and get 'em all excited for the fresh flavors coming their way. It's got a mouthful of everything your body's been craving since last summer.

First, start with two chicken breast tenderloins and put 'em in a small baking dish slathered with olive oil. Add olive oil to the top of each tenderloin, then sprinkle with chipotle seasoning, fresh cracked pepper, and course sea salt.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is fully done. You should smell the kitch 'bout now! Tempting. Sooo tempting.

Let the chicken sit for 5 minutes so the juices absorb. Meanwhile, add a bed of fresh, crunchy leafy greens to two plates. I used organic spinach and spring mix lettuces to add color. Sprinkle with as many blueberries as your want.

Slice the chicken and add one sliced tenderloin to each plate, right on top of the greens and blueberries. Now sprinkle the salad with salted sunflower seeds, and drizzle with your favorite vinaigrette.

The money shot...

I like tangy champagne vinaigrette that I found refrigerated right near the salad fixin's at the store, but you can use your favorite salad dressing or make your own.

Flavor packed! Doesn't this make your mouth water?

Serve it right away -- cuz your tastebuds have seen that new speed limit sign and they're rarin' to go!

Make-Ahead Option

The chicken can be served chilled, too, so you can make this entire dish ahead of time and pull it out of the fridge at serving time.

Serving Suggestions

This salad is perfect as a light meal. To make it more filling, serve with a cup of soup, biscuit or bread stick.

If you want larger portions, use two 8-ounce chicken breasts and increase the amount of the other ingredients accordingly.

Fresh Lettuce Recipes for Spring

Lettuce Bundles Recipe
Spicy Asian Shrimp Lettuce Cups Recipe
Taco Lettuce Cups Recipe
Chicken and Mango Salad in Lettuce Bowl Recipe
Chicken and PB Lettuce Wraps Recipe

Read our How to Keep Lettuce Fresh article for hints on keeping your greens crisp and delish!