Southwest Chicken Caesar Salad

Think salad season is over? Forget that! We love a big hearty salad all year long, like today’s Southwest Chicken Caesar Salad with roasted potatoes and warm corn salsa. 

As we swiftly approach fall, it’s easy to start dreaming of spicy chili and cheesy casseroles… It’s also easy to start packing on the pounds by consuming too much chili and casserole!

In our family, we try to keep dinner salads on the weekly menu all year long to ensure we get a healthy dose of veggies in season and out. I never hear a complaint from Lt. Dan or the kids, when salad is set on the table as the main course.

The key to getting your family excited about salad is to mix things up. Top your greens with unexpected ingredients, as well as favorite flavors.

My southwest-style Chicken Caesar Salad is full of surprises, like crispy roasted potatoes, sliced avocado, and a warm salsa made with fresh corn, poblano peppers, and dried cherries.

The roasted potatoes make this chicken caesar seem like a manly-meal, filling up the whole family. While the corn salsa gives it a savory-sweetness that is high on textural appeal.

I drizzled the chicken caesar salad with my favorite Newman’s Own Creamy Caesar Dressing, for rich and zesty flavor. The key is to use just enough dressing to coat the greens, without over saturating your caesar salad. No one likes a soggy caesar.

The combination of the creamy caesar dressing, with the piles of southwest flavor, and cherries, makes one marvelous meal in salad form!

Newman’s Own not only makes fabulous salad dressings, they have a really cool contest running this fall that will help you fill up on veggies while helping those in need…

It’s no secret that a daily dose of greens is good for you, but now that same serving can also help do a world of good for others. Newman’s Own— the brand that donates all profits to charity—announced the first-ever Newman’s Own Salad Dressing “Greens for Good” Recipe Contest, empowering salad lovers to share their favorite salad recipe with dressing pairing and nominate a nonprofit organization to receive another kind of green: a $35,000 donation.

Beginning today, August 26th, you can visit Newman’s Own on Facebook to enter your original salad creation and Newman’s Own Salad Dressing pairing.

“Making good food and pursuing the common good have been at the core of Newman’s Own mission since Paul Newman mixed up his very first batch of great-tasting Newman’s Own salad dressing,” said David Best, Executive Vice President of Newman’s Own. “Paul would be proud to know that we’re now inviting our consumers to give back to organizations that hold specific meaning for them, their families and their communities.”

On November 12, 2014, Newman’s Own will announce the $35,000 grand prize winner and charity, as well as four runners-up, who will each direct $1,000 donations to their selected nonprofit organizations.

There are so many wonderful charities to get involved in.

I’d like to encourage you to think about what touches your heart:  seriously-ill children, veterans and their families, nutrition programs, or youth leadership training… and find a way to reach out beyond your comfort zone.

One charity we support is called Charity Water. It’s an organization that goes into the harshest areas of the world and provides fresh clean water to those in need. Water is something many of us take for granted, yet 1 out of 9 people in the world have limited access to clean water.

Providing a clean water source helps eliminate most major causes of disease, increases food supply, and increase job opportunities for those walking several hours a day to find water.

We believe Charity Water is changing the world for the better. We believe Newman’s Own is changing the world for the better.

What can you do to change the world for the better?

If you love salad like we do, enter your favorite salad recipe for a chance to make a huge impact on the lives of others!

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Leave a Review »

Southwest Chicken Caesar Salad

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Southwest Chicken Caesar Salad with roasted potatoes and warm corn salsa.

Servings: 6

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

• 1 1/2 pounds new small potatoes halved
• 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders
• 5-6 ounces fresh chopped romaine or green leaf lettuce
• 2 avocados sliced
• 3 corn cobs corn cut off
• 1 poblano pepper seeded and chopped
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 1 shallots peeled and diced
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
• Newman's Own Creamy Caesar Dressing
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Cut the potatoes in half, length wise, and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, toss, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping once.
• Preheat the grill (or a grill pan) to medium heat. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the chicken tenders. Salt and pepper and toss to coat. Grill the chicken for 4-5 minutes per side, then set aside.
• Place the butter in a large skillet. Once melted, add the chopped shallots, garlic, and poblano peppers. Saute for 2-3 minutes, then add the corn. Saute another 4-5 minutes, then toss in the cherries and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.
• To serve, pile the lettuce in a large serving bowl (or on individual dinner plates.) Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Then top the greens with roasted potatoes, sliced avocado, and grilled chicken. Spoon the corn salsa over the top, and drizzle with Newman's Own Creamy Caesar Dressing.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 523kcal, Carbohydrates: 51g, Protein: 31g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 80mg, Sodium: 232mg, Potassium: 1450mg, Fiber: 11g, Sugar: 16g, Vitamin A: 3125IU, Vitamin C: 50.8mg, Calcium: 58mg, Iron: 2.6mg

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American, Mexican, Southern

Author: Sommer Collier

Making this recipe? Follow us on Instagram and tag @ASpicyPerspective so we can share what you’re cooking!

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Newman’s Own. All opinions are my own.

Share This Recipe With Friends!