Tropical Chicken Salad (Paleo, AIP)

What’s Inside: Tropical flavors with shredded, poached chicken swimming in a lime-cilantro vinaigrette! The textures and flavors really come to life and will have you craving salads. It’s Paleo and AIP!

I’m channeling #SummerVibes with this Tropical Chicken Salad just in time for CINCO DE MAYO featuring some of MY FAVES: mango, lime, cilantro, avocado, PLANTAIN CHIPS (because croutons are so OUT), and shredded coconut! SAY WHAT? on a salad… this will have you craving crunch, creaminess, and all the tartness from my lime-cilantro vinaigrette. Pair this with some Nettle Tea Mojitos and you’re SET for the holiday.

Let’s talk poached chicken, shall we? I’m a little obsessed because it takes 8 minutes to make. I repeat, 8 minutes, how perfect for a quick weekday shredded chicken?! And you can add anything you’d like to the water to jazz it up! I just did plain salt water this time around but I’m thinking of all the creative liquids and aromatics I can use in here. Not to mention all the sauces on top when it’s cooked.

The dressing is a total fave, I could eat it on everything. It’s simply just lime juice, olive oil, and cilantro – if you wanted to make it creamy, just add some avocado. OH, and these TOPPINGS! Using green plantain “chips” for the crunch in here turned out perfectly, I don’t know how I haven’t done this before! And I caught a glimpse of my shredded coconut in the midst of completely messing up my kitchen the day I made this… and salt bae’ed some of that stuff right on top, it adds a really nice touch since we’re going all tropic and such.

Tropical Chicken Salad (Paleo, AIP)

5 from 5 votes

Tropical flavors with shredded, poached chicken swimming in a lime-cilantro vinaigrette! The textures and flavors really come to life and will have you craving salads.

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Author: Alison Marras

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 20 mins

Yield: 2 people

1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 2 skinless chicken breasts
• 1 small head red leaf lettuce (or similar), washed and torn
• 1 cup ripe mango, diced
• 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 ripe avocado
• 1 lime, juiced
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 bunch of fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup green plantain chips (homemade or bought)
• 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Instructions:

• Clean chicken breasts and place at the bottom of a pot. Season with kosher salt and cover with water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for approx. 8 minutes (the internal temp. should at least be 165f degrees). 
• When the chicken is done, add it to a plate and with two forks, pull at the chicken breasts to shred. Set aside.
• Make the salad dressing by combining: lime juice, oil, and finely chopped cilantro to a food processor or just shaking it in a mason jar.
• Assemble the salad by adding torn lettuce to bowls and dress with the salad dressing.  
• Top with diced mango, sliced red onion, avocado slices, plantain chips, shredded coconut, and chicken. Serve!

Diet: Latino

Course: Salad