Chicken Mandarin Spinach Salad with Lime Feta Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
1 lb. skinless boneless chicken breasts or tenders with tendons removed, grilled or baked12 cups or 1- 24 oz. bag fresh baby spinach leaves, washed and well drained (3 cups per salad)
2 cups shredded carrots
2 cups shredded jicama
½ of a small red onion, thinly sliced
2 cups Mandarin orange segments, drained of juice
4 tablespoons feta cheese, finely crumbled
1 cup Lime Feta Ranch Dressing
Lime Feta Ranch Dressing
½ cup low fat olive oil mayonnaise
½ cup fat free sour cream
1 clove garlic, pressed
3 tbsp. fresh lime juice
3 tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
2 oz. (½ cup) feta cheese, crumbled
¼ tsp. or less fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsp. skim milk depending on desired consistency
dash sea or regular salt
¼ tsp. fresh ground black pepper – optional
Directions
I. Lightly season chicken with garlic powder and lemon pepper and bake or grill at 350 F for 20 to 30 minutes until juices run clear. The amount of time needed to bake or grill tenders is about half that of a breast. Allow chicken to cool then shred or cut into small pieces; cover and chill.2. Wash and dry spinach leaves and divide between four plates. Divide chicken, carrot, jicama and red onion 4 ways and toss together gently with spinach leaves.
3. To make dressing whisk together in a small bowl mayonnaise with sour cream, garlic, lime juice, rice vinegar, feta cheese, and black pepper. If necessary, thin dressing to desired consistency with 1 to 2 tbsp. low fat or skim milk, Cover and chill several hours to allow flavors to blend before serving.
4. To assemble salads, divide spinach mixture onto four plates. Top each salad with an equal amount of chicken, Mandarin oranges, 1 tablespoon crumbled feta cheese and serve with 1/3 cup Lime Feta Ranch Dressing.
Cook’s Note: Dressing will last up to one week refrigerated.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information: 1 Salad with 1/3 cup dressing 410 calories; 10g Fat; 23g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 37g Protein; 84mg Cholesterol; 680mg Sodium.Feta Lime Ranch Nutrition Information: Yield 2 cups or 1/3 cup serving at 105 calories; 6g Fat; 9g Carbohydrate; 0 Dietary Fiber; 4g Protein; 9mg Cholesterol; 398 milligrams sodium.
Nutritional Talking Points:
- I cut the feta cheese in the salad from 2/3 cup tablespoons to a 1/2 cup or 2 tablespoons
per serving.
- I increased the strawberry puree used in the vinaigrette from 1 cup to 1½ cups and decreased the olive oil from ½ cup to 3 tablespoons reducing the fat per serving from 5 grams to 2 grams.
- I decreased the sugar called for in the traditional vinaigrette recipe from 1/3 cup to ¼ cup.