This Mexican chicken salad appetizer is tossed with a lime vinaigrette and served with tortilla chips or spooned on tostadas. Add extra toppings like shredded cheddar cheese or salsa verde. It’s a fiesta on a platter!
Makes 6 appetizer servings
Ingredients:
For the Lime Vinaigrette
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons of lime juice (about 2 limes)
- 1 large garlic clove, crushed and finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or more to taste)
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
For the Salad
- 2 cooked chicken breasts (Note: This should net out to about 3 cups shredded chicken.)
- 1/2 cup red onions, thinly sliced into strips
- 3 cups shredded romaine lettuce
- 1 large tomato, sliced into strips
- 1/2 cucumber, diced
- 1 large, grated carrot
- 3 thinly sliced radishes
- 1/4 cup rinsed, chopped cilantro
- 1 large avocado, chopped
- Toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, crumbled queso fresca, salsa verde
- Fresh lime wedges for garnish
- Tortilla chips or tostadas
Directions:
- In small bowl whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, garlic, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Shred the chicken breasts using 2 forks or with your hands. Place on a large platter.
- Slice the onions, shred the romaine, slice the tomato, chop the cucumber, grate the carrot, slice the radishes, chop the cilantro and place all the vegetables on a large platter, along with the shredded chicken. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Right before serving, toss the shredded chicken and vegetables with Lime Vinaigrette to thoroughly coat. Top with the chopped avocado. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, salsa verde, and lime wedges. Spoon Salpicon on tortilla chips or tostados. Ole!
Tips:
- For a less pungent flavor, marinate the onion in lime juice with salt and pepper.
- To cook chicken breasts, start with bone-in skin-on chicken breasts for juicy and flavorful chicken. Preheat oven to 425°F. Pat the chicken dry, rub with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Let the chicken cool before removing the skin and bones and shredding.
- To save time, use rotisserie chicken breast meat.