My friend got blackened seasoning as a Christmas present… yes, I know, blackened seasoning for a Christmas present… weird as heck. I mean, obvs not her only Christmas present! That would be really weird. But, who am I to talk? My husband and I don’t even bother exchanging Christmas presents. We have a long tradition of sharing Christmas Eve, just the two of us, with a couple’s massage and a homemade prime rib dinner. Obviously that changed in 2020… no massage, prime rib dinner also shared with my teenager.
Alas, it’s February and I’m talking about Christmas! Oof. So, back to the point… my friend + Christmas present = blackened seasoning. And she told me that she had never had blackened seasoning before! So I started rattling off all the things that blackened seasoning is delicious with, and one I rattled off was blackened chicken with a Caesar salad, which of course got me craving blackened chicken with a Caesar salad!
However, have you seen how many calories are in a traditional Caesar salad??? It’s crazy town crazy! So I started to rethink this whole craving. And my next natural step was a southwestern salad. And let me tell you, there are a ton of southwestern salads online. So you’re already probably asking yourself why the heck you should bother continuing to read! But do! Keep reading! This salad is da bomb!
Okay, so most southwestern salads have corn and black beans in it. As y’all know, I’m going lower calorie right now, so I didn’t want the extra calories of black beans. As for the corn, I just didn’t feel like using frozen corn… come summer, this salad will be delicious with freshly grilled corn!
But, what else is different??? Aight, have you made a salad with fresh herbs thrown in? You have? Awesome sauce, you know exactly where this is headed… or, you haven’t??? Keep reading! Tossing in fresh herbs to a salad is life-changing! They take a salad to a whole new level of fresh and delicious. The key is to pair the salad with the types of herbs that compliment the flavor you’re going for. So, for a southwestern salad, fresh basil isn’t really the flavor you’d be after!
Nah, a southwestern salad is normally tossed with ranch dressing, so dill was a natural first choice for fresh herbs. The next natural choice was cilantro. Cilantro adds such a nice, light flavor to southwestern, Mexican, or spicy dishes in general. Both of these tossed in the salad are so delicious.
As I said, most southwestern salads are tossed with ranch dressing. But ditto on the Caesar salad dressing… a ton of calories! I have tried “light” ranch and “nonfat” ranch and even “avocado” ranch… for me personally, I think they are all absolutely disgusting. I don’t know what they alter to make these dressings lower in calories/fat, but it massively takes away from the flavor. However, I want lower calories! And I wanted to use ranch dressing for this salad! So, I started noodling on what I could do to get the lower calories but keep the flavor. And what I came up with blew my mind in flavor!
So, I got the nonfat ranch dressing… I know, gross 😝. But, I got a crazy hair up my ass and realized the only way to make this a southwestern salad is to add salsa! Where have I been??? Okay, if you have never tried this, get ready to have your mind blown! Ranch dressing, chunky salad, lime juice, more cilantro and dill, and chili powder all mixed together creates the most amazing, delicious salad dressing I’ve ever had! And you know that disgusting non-fat dressing??? TRANSFORMED! You would have no idea this is non-fat dressing!
Okay, so you’re probably saying, “yeah, but you added all those calories with the salsa!” But, no! Half a cup of salsa is only 40 calories! This dressing is so delicious while being super reasonable in calories! Win-win!! To top it all off, if desired, is avocados, tortilla strips, and Mexican cheese. I know avocados are high in calories, but they are a really great healthy fat to add to your diet in moderation!
And then, the pièce de résistance ~ the blackened chicken! I like to sear chicken breast in a cast iron pan before finishing it off in the oven. I never get thin cuts of chicken breast, which means after I slice it, I usually have to throw it back on the stove top for 30 seconds to a minute per side to finish cooking the middle. BUT, this is a guaranteed method of ensuring moist chicken breast! Have you noticed how easy it is for chicken breast to get dried out and tough? Not with this method! The key is when throwing it back into the cast iron after slicing is to not then overcook it! It does not take long to cook out the rawness in the center once it’s sliced! And the bonus is that by throwing it back in the pan, the slices get coated in the seasoning!
And that’s it folks! The most amazing southwestern salad you can possibly make! Super fresh, amazing dressing, and low in calories!! Absolutely delicious, my stomach is gurgling!
Enjoy!
Roasted Blackened Chicken with a Spicy Southwestern Salad & Salsa Ranch Dressing
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Salad, Southwestern
- Cuisine: Dinner
- Diet: Low Calorie
Ingredients
Blackened Chicken
1 lb chicken breast
2 TBs paprika
2 tsps onion powder
1 tsp cayenne, or more to taste
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried oregano
2 TBs olive oil
Southwestern Salad
~4 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
1 bell pepper, sliced and cut into bite sized pieces
½ red onion, cut into bite sized pieces
½ cucumber, quartered and sliced
~10 oz cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 jalapeño, chopped
1 cup cilantro, chopped
3 TBs fresh dill, roughly torn
Salsa Ranch Dressing
1 cup nonfat ranch dressing
½ cup chunky salsa
2 limes, zested & juiced
1 TB chili powder
½ cup cilantro, chopped
3 TBs dill, chopped
To Serve, if desired
1 – 2 avocados, sliced
½ cup tortilla strips ~ I prefer the Sante Fe flavored tortilla strips
Mexican cheese blend
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450°F
In a small bowl, mix together the blackened seasonings. Thoroughly coat the chicken breast on all sides. In a large cast iron pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When hot, carefully swirl the pan to evenly coat the olive oil. Place the chicken in the pan and cook 4 minutes on one side. Flip and cook an additional 1 minute. Place in the oven and cook for about 10 minutes, or until an internal temperature reads 165°F.
Remove the chicken from the pan and slice on a cutting board. NOTE: thicker cuts of chicken may still be slightly raw in the middle. That’s okay! Slice the chicken and return any undercooked pieces to the cast iron pan. On a medium flame, cook the chicken for about an additional 1 minute per side ~ no longer or it will be dry and tough!
While the chicken is in the oven, assemble the salad by tossing together the romaine, bell pepper, red onion, cucumbers, tomatoes, jalapeño, cilantro, and dill.
In a mason jar or medium bowl, whisk together the ranch dressing, salsa, lime juice and zest, chili powder, cilantro, and dill. Set aside.
Plate the salad and top with the sliced blackened chicken. Toss each salad with the desired amount of salad dressing. If desired, top with avocado slices, tortilla strips, and Mexican cheese.
Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Keywords: blackened chicken, southwestern salad, salsa ranch dressing, blackened chicken salad, spicy salad, chicken salad, spicy chicken salad, zesty ranch dressing
