Southwest Chopped Chicken Salad

One of my goals after the new year was to not spend a lot of money buying lunch during work. This is mainly because I spent half a year's earnings for Christmas and also bought a trip to Costa Rica. Spending $5-15 dollars at lunch can really add up but it's easy to avoid if you plan ahead and pack your own meal. You need to pack a lunch that you actually will want to eat, not a soggy sandwich that you'll decide last minute you don't want and then head for takeout.

I have a number of good recipes up my sleeve that would be great to share with coworkers and clients. They range from sandwich fillers to easy, one pot leftover dinners and the majority of them are healthy and packed with nutrients. I recently tweaked a chicken salad recipe from an old cookbook that I've had for a while and I loved it. You can put it in a sandwich, a pita pocket or serve it over salad greens.

Behold, the glamorous desktop lunch. The salad is flavored with lots of lime juice and cumin, and packed with nutrients from red peppers, onions and beans. It's a lunch that you'll look forward to having and you won't be temped to go out and grab any fast food. I like mine served over greens with oil & vinegar and a dollop of sour cream.

You could also go the wrap/sandwich route, as seen below. I actually forgot this specific one on my kitchen counter for two days in a row, which kind of killed the whole "don't buy lunch" rule. It tasted just as good after work, though!

You can add whatever chopped veggies you prefer that you have on hand as the recipe is very flexible. I used a rotisserie chicken because they are super convenient, but you could cook and chop/shred your own chicken breasts, as well.




Southwest Chopped Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
4 cups chopped rotisserie chicken or cooked chicken breast
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 cup black beans
1 cup chopped roasted sweet red peppers
1 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
3 tbsp lime juice
3 tbsp oive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp + 1 tsp honey
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

• In a large bowl, combine ingredients from chicken to cilantro.
• In separate dish, whisk together remaining ingredients. 
• Pour dressing over chicken mixture and toss to coat.
• Refrigerate and serve. It's best to let it sit for a few hours to let the flavors set.