A hearty Santa Fe Salad topped with pan fried chicken tenders is not only easy to make and put together, it's perfect for that quick midweek family meal everyone will love.
Slice the chicken breast into 3 strips and coat with taco seasoning.On medium to low heat, add oil to a frying pan and fry until nice and charred. Once cooked, slice into 5-6 pieces.
Cut tomatoes into quarters.
Dice avocado.
Slice olives.
Drain the corn and black beans, rinse and pat dry.
Salad Dressing
In a small jar or mixing bowl, add all the ingredients for the salad dressing and mix until well combined.
Assembly
In a large mixing bowl, add baby spinach, black beans, corn, tomatoes, olives, shredded cheddar cheese, salt and pepper to taste and salad dressing. Mix until well combined.
Scoop the well mixed salad onto a salad platter.
Place the avocado and the chicken on top of the salad.
Crumble corn chips on top.
Add jalapeno slices to finish.
Serve.
Video
Notes
For a vegan option, you can replace chicken with firm tofu and use vegan cheese. Firm tofu pan fries well and certainly works with the taco seasoning.
Instead of taco seasoning, you can use any other kind of seasoning you like, such as chipotle, creole or red rub, to name a few.
If you have the BBQ going, put the chicken on the grill for a really nice smoky flavour. You can leave the chicken breast whole if you wish.
Add a dollop of sour cream on top of the salad for a creamy finish and channelling those nachos flavours.
Instead of a classic Santa Fe salad dressing, you can use your favourite ranch dressing.