Load up on heart-healthy protein by adding skinless chicken breast to a zesty taco salad. Removing the skin removes a lot of the saturated fats, too. We’ve got an indulgent tasting Heart Healthy Chicken Taco Salad recipe, complete with DIY tortilla strips.

Ingredients:

For the dressing:
•    1 cup packed cilantro leaves and stems
•    1 green onion (roughly chopped)
•    2 tablespoons lime juice (from about 1 lime)
•    1 tablespoon canola oil
•    1 tablespoon water
•    1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
•    1/8 teaspoon
•    1/8 teaspoon salt
•    1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
•    pinch sugar

For the salad:
•    1 1/2 cups shredder or chopped cooked chicken breast (from rotisserie or about 1/2 pound raw chicken breasts)
•    6 cups chopped Romaine lettuce hearts
•    1 cup canned, no-salt-added corn kernels (drained, rinsed)
•    1 cup chopped tomatoes
•    1/2 cup sliced radishes
•    2 Tbsp finely chopped red onion
•    1 avocado (peeled, pitted, diced)

4 Serving size

308 Calories per serving

Quick Tips:

Cooking Tip: If not using rotisserie chicken, simply warm a medium nonstick pan with 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat. Add around ½ pound thinly cut boneless, skinless chicken. Sauté until chicken is fully-cooked, about 5 to 10 minutes depending on thickness. Remove from heat, transfer chicken to a plate, and chop into bite-sized pieces when cool.

Keep it Healthy: Crave a little crunch in your salad? Try a healthy alternative to store-bought chips by making your own crispy tortilla strips. Slice 3 to 4 corn tortillas into 1-inch strips. Warm 2 teaspoons oil in a medium nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add tortilla strips and, stirring constantly with a spatula, cook until golden and crunchy, about 4 to 5 minutes. Top on the salad.

Tip: This salad (or others) can be layered into mason jars or plastic containers for portable work lunches.

Directions:

For the dressing:
•    1 Into the bowl of a food processor or blender, add all the ingredients.
•    2 Process until dressing is smooth, about 30 to 45 seconds. Scrape dressing down from the sides with a spatula and process again, about 20 seconds.
•    3 Transfer dressing to a bowl and reserve.

For the salad:
•    1 If using rotisserie chicken, remove the skin from the chicken breast and discard skin. Shred the meat using 2 forks or chop it up into small pieces with a knife. If preparing chicken breasts, use directions below.
•    2 Prepare the vegetables: thinly chop the Romaine hearts; drain the liquid from the canned corn and rinse it; chop the tomatoes; slice the radishes; finely chop the red onion; and peel the avocado, remove the pit, and dice it.
•    3 Onto a large platter or divided equally onto plates, arrange the salad by first layering the lettuce. Top with chicken, corn, tomatoes, radishes, red onion, and avocado.
•    4 Serve with the Creamy Cilantro-Lime Dressing on the side or drizzle it on top of the salad.

Recipe copyright © 2016 American Heart Association. This recipe is brought to you by the American Heart Association's Simple Cooking with Heart ® Program. For more simple, quick and affordable recipes, visit heart.org/simplecooking.