Refreshing Sweet Potato Chicken Salad
Serves 4
For Dressing:
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
¼ cup lime juice
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon chipotle powder (alternatively, use ½ teaspoon sauce from a can of chilis in adobo sauce)
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon salt
For Salad:
4 cups sweet potatoes (about 2 medium sweet potatoes), diced
1 tablespoon, plus 2 teaspoons, olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoon pepper
1 shallot, minced
1 jalapeno, diced
1 cup corn
1½ cups zucchini (about 1 medium-large zucchini)
1⅓ pounds (600 grams) poached chicken, diced (find a great poached chicken recipe here)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup kidney beans
1 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
For Dressing:
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Whisk everything together until well blended.
For Salad:
Preheat the oven to 425° F (220° C). Prepare a baking sheet and line it with aluminum foil.
In a large mixing bowl, add the sweet potatoes, olive oil, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Mix everything until the sweet potatoes are fully coated with oil and the seasoning.
Spread the seasoned sweet potatoes on the baking sheet so that they lay flat in a single layer.
Roast for 25 minutes, flipping them halfway through to get an even roast. They don’t need to fully cooked and super soft. A slight bite is ok.
While the sweet potatoes are roasting, heat a medium pan over medium-high heat. As the pan is heating up, add the remaining olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the shallot, jalapeno, corn, and zucchini. Briefly sauté for 2 minutes, stirring regularly, allowing the veggies to soften.
Remove the veggies from the heat and pour them in a large serving dish or bowl.
To the bowl, add the poached chicken, bell pepper, green onions, kidney beans, and cilantro. When the sweet potatoes are roasted and done, add them to the serving dish.
When you add the dressing depends on when you plan on eating the salad and how much bite you want your veggies to have. If you add the dressing early, there is more time for the dressing to blend with the veggies and further soften the veggies. If you add the dressing right before eating, the veggies will have more of a bite.
Enjoy!