Recently I picked up Trader Joe’s Grilled Chili Lime Chicken in the refrigerated case as a just-in-casers for a night I was only cooking for myself. I used it in a burrito bowl, but it’s now one of the stars of a salad I’ve been eating at least 1-2x a week for lunch. Mostly Trader Joe’s ingredients. Let’s go.
Before we get into the salad, let’s talk about this chicken though. So it’s $7.99 for a 12 oz. package which seems like a good deal based on chicken prices in my state. The chili is chili powder, it’s not hot/spicy at all. And I like that it’s got grilled flavor. Since it’s already sliced for you, have a good look at the package and make sure you’re getting nice pieces. You do get some little shards of chicken, but I haven’t had trouble with connective bits or anything.
Anyway, the salad started as a basic Kale Caesar with chicken and some walnuts and it grew from there.
The current version is: Lacinato kale, chickpeas, grilled chili lime chicken, cherry tomatoes and cucumber (if I have it) with Trader Joe’s Vegan Caesar dressing. I don’t buy a lot of bottled dressings, but I think this one is bound to become a staple. I keep meaning to mix some tahini into it (there’s an Ottolenghi recipe that does something similar).
For an entree-sized lunch salad, I did half a bunch of kale, 4 cherry tomatoes, some diced cucumber, a couple of handfuls of chickpeas and about 1/2 c. chicken diced. Adjust it to fit how you want to eat: more chickpeas, less chicken, go for it. Still want to add the walnuts for the omega-3s, go for it.
Check out some We Tried’s from Trader Joe’s: