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    Home • Main Dishes • Healthy Mexican Chicken Salad

    Healthy Mexican Chicken Salad

    Published: Mar 30, 2022 · Last Modified: Dec 16, 2022 by Beyond Mere Sustenance with Leave a Comment· This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads ·

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    This Healthy Mexican Chicken Salad combines rotisserie chicken, fresh veggies - jicama, fresh chiles, scallions, bell pepper - with an easy avocado lime crema. Serve it as a salad with fresh greens and tiny tomatoes, in a wrap or a sandwich. Think "outside the box" a bit, and serve it on a crisp corn tortilla tostada style!

    A wood bowl of Mexican chicken salad with tomatoes on the vine and leaf lettuce.
    Jump to:
    • 👩🏻‍🍳 Tamara Talks - Mexican Chicken Salad Without Mayo
    • 📋 Ingredients You'll Need
    • 🔪 Instructions
    • Variations
    • 💭 Top Tip
    • ❓ FAQ
    • 🥪 How to Use Mexican Chicken Salad
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 🥗 Healthy Mexican Warm Weather Recipes

    👩🏻‍🍳 Tamara Talks - Mexican Chicken Salad Without Mayo

    I don't hate mayonnaise, but I use it sparingly because of the fat and calories. Sometimes, the mayonnaise is a necessary "evil," like in this ají verde, but not always. My first instinct as a healthy blogger (and eater) is always to try to reduce fats and calories without sacrificing flavor.

    Greek yogurt often makes an appearance in my recipes (like this Mexican street corn) as a stand in for mayo. It is important to consider whether or not the recipe really needs some fat. I use olive oil mayonnaise, and quite often the fat is an important part of the dish. However, this is not always the case.

    When I started working on this recipe for Mexican chicken salad, I remembered a chicken salad with plain Greek yogurt and grapes that I make occasionally with my grown kids and their families. It does not suffer from the lack of fat. I knew I wanted a creamy avocado base, and I had an epiphany. Why not use my avocado lime crema as the base?

    I knew I wanted to use time-saving rotisserie chicken and Mexican vegetables, starting with jicama. Neither my husband or I care for celery (except cooked in mirepoix), and we both love the crunch of jicama. Every good chicken salad recipe needs textural contrast, and especially the crunch! I round out the veggies with bell pepper, scallions, and fresh chile peppers.

    📋 Ingredients You'll Need

    Here is a quick look at the ingredients in the recipe – it’s handy to use at the grocery store or as a summary of what you need. Skip to the recipe for quantities.

    A wood cutting board with Mexican chicken salad ingredients, avocado crema, and a rotisserie chicken.
    • chicken - Rotisserie chicken is perfect for this healthy chicken salad recipe. It's a great time saver! If you're into meal prep, it's a perfect way to use the chicken breast you've grilled up for the week's lunches. Perhaps you have some leftover grilled or roasted chicken? That'll work too. I prefer lean chicken breast for this chicken salad, but you can use thigh meat if you prefer.
    • avocado lime crema - The binder on this mayonnaise-free chicken salad is my avocado lime crema with Greek yogurt. I have reduced the ingredient quantities, and the recipe is included in the recipe card below.
    • jicama - About half of a small jicama. A small dice is preferable. On photo day, I got in a hurry, and the dice is bigger than I prefer.
    • fresh chile pepper - On photo day, I used Fresno chile. I love its sweet heat. It's like a spicy bell pepper. Red or green jalapeños, serranos, Hatch green chile are all fine. If you don't want any heat, add a little more bell pepper.
    • bell pepper - I always choose a red or orange bell pepper because I love the color they provide. The choice is yours.
    • scallions - I like the milder flavor of scallions, but shallot, red, or sweet onion are fine as well.
    • greens - If you're making a sandwich, a wrap, or a salad, you may want to include greens like the purple leaf lettuce in the photo above.

    🔪 Instructions

    A small food processor with the blended avocado-yogurt crema.
    • Make the avocado crema by combining all crema ingredients in a small food processor, and pulsing until smooth.
    A glass bowl with chicken salad ingredients prior to mixing.
    • Prep all remaining ingredients.
    • Thoroughly combine all chicken salad ingredients in a bowl. Serve immediately, or refrigerate it.
    A Mexican chicken salad wrap on a black plate with a beverage in the background.

    Variations

    I love flexible recipes. So often, flexibility with a recipe saves an unnecessary trip to the market. Here are a few ideas:

    • Swap out the fresh chile for a little bit of hot sauce or pickled jalapeño juice. Taste and adjust for heat level!
    • Jicama is pretty widely available in the US, but if you can't find it (or don't like it!), substitute another crunchy vegetable like radishes or celery.
    • Try tuna instead of chicken if you love tuna (like I do).

    💭 Top Tip

    Disclaimer: I may receive compensation (at no cost to you) if you purchase through links on this post. It helps offset the costs of running this blog.

    Use a food chopper to make quick work of the jicama and bell pepper. Jicama is pretty hard, but if you cut slices about ¼-3/8" thick, it goes through just fine.

    ❓ FAQ

    How long will the chicken salad keep leftover?

    Keep refrigerated, and it will be good the next day. After that, the veggies lose their freshness.

    🥪 How to Use Mexican Chicken Salad

    A wood salad bowl with Mexican chicken salad atop leaf lettuce with grape tomatoes.
    A low carb option: Fresh leaf lettuce with chicken salad and grape tomatoes.
    • with greens in a sandwich or wrap
    • on greens with halved tiny tomatoes
    • on a crisp tortilla tostada-style
    A black plate with the chicken salad in a wrap with grapes.
    Healthy Mexican chicken salad rolled up in gluten free wraps.

    Spring is in full-swing in McAllen, and I'm working on light, healthy dishes that don't heat up my kitchen. If you have ideas you'd like me to cover, or questions for a specific kitchen skill or ingredient, let me know via email at tamara@beyondmeresustenance.com

    If you enjoy this Mexican chicken salad, and love tuna, be sure to check out my healthy Mexican tuna salad.

    Signature in red and green with chiles and limes. Healthyish Latin cuisine.

    📖 Recipe

    A wood bowl of Mexican chicken salad without mayo and wooden utensils.

    Healthy Mexican Chicken Salad

    Tamara Andersen
    Chicken salad with a twist... Avocado and yogurt base with rotisserie chicken, jicama, chiles, and bell pepper. Try it on greens with tomatoes, in a wrap or sandwich, or on a corn tortilla tostada style!
    Gluten Free
    Peanut Free
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Save RecipeSave Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 mins
    Total Time 20 mins
    Course Lunch
    Cuisine Mexican
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 202 kcal

    Ingredients

    Avocado Lime Crema

    • 1 avocado - skin and pit removed
    • 1 small shallot - cut in a few pieces
    • 1 juicy lime
    • ⅓ cup cilantro leaves
    • 3 tablespoons plain nonfat Greek yogurt
    • 2 tablespoons lowfat buttermilk +/- - adjust as needed
    • sea salt and fresh ground pepper - to taste

    Mexican Chicken Salad

    • 16 ounces cooked chicken - see Ingredients in post; cut in chunks
    • ⅓ cup jicama - small dice
    • 1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper - small dice
    • 4 scallions - chopped
    • 1 chile pepper (Fresno, red jalapeño, serrano, etc.) - minced
    • sea salt and fresh ground pepper - to taste

    Instructions

    • Combine all avocado crema ingredients in a small food processor, and pulsing until smooth.
    • Thoroughly combine all ingredients in a bowl. Serve immediately as desired, or refrigerate.

    Notes

    The macros are based on one-fourth of the chicken salad.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 202kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 6g

    NOTE: Macronutrients are an approximation only using unbranded ingredients and MyFitnessPal.com. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.

    Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and/or star rating! Email us with any questions: tamara@beyondmeresustenance.com

    🥗 Healthy Mexican Warm Weather Recipes

    • Redfish Tacos
    • Mexican Charcuterie Board
    • Pan-Seared Mexican Fish
    • Southwestern Black Bean Quinoa Salad

    More Healthy and Healthyish Main Dish Recipes

    • Peruvian Beef Stew (Seco de Carne)
    • Spanish Stuffed Mini Peppers
    • Creamy Green Chile Chicken Soup
    • Rotisserie Chicken Tacos with Slaw

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