Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

cilantro lime grilled chicken breast with southwest yellow rice salad

(6 ratings)
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Barbara Mayo
Collierville, TN

This dish so, so easy to prepare and can be served hot or cold. Little heat to salad but very bold taste! I make my rice the night before so all I have to do while chicken is resting is mix salad.

Blue Ribbon Recipe

A flavorful and refreshing chicken dinner with a Southwest flair. Both the cilantro lime chicken and the rice salad are equally delicious. Served together with the fresh avocado slices, it's amazing. The grilled chicken breast has a little zing from the lime and seasoning. Just enough to add a little kick. What makes the amazing and fresh rice salad so good is the dressing. This does take a little time to prepare, but perfect for the weekend when it's warm outside.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(6 ratings)
yield 4 serving(s)
prep time 25 Min
cook time 45 Min
method Grill

Ingredients For cilantro lime grilled chicken breast with southwest yellow rice salad

  • 4 lg
    boneless skinless chicken breast
  • 4 md
    limes, divided
  • 1 c
    chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 Tbsp
    Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle spices
  • 1 pkg
    large yellow rice mix (I use Vrgo but any yellow rice mix will do)
  • 2 md
    ears fresh corn (grilled) you may sub canned Mexican corn
  • 1 can
    black beans, washed and drained (10.5 oz)
  • 1 clove
    garlic, minced
  • 2 md
    fresh tomatoes, coarsely chopped (can sub 1 drained can Rotel)
  • 1/2 c
    red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp
    Adobe sauce from chilpote peppers
  • 3 md
    fresh avocados, sliced
  • 1 pinch
    sea salt
  • 1/4 c
    extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp
    fresh ground black pepper
  • 4 Tbsp
    olive oil with paper towel for grill

How To Make cilantro lime grilled chicken breast with southwest yellow rice salad

  • Seasoned chicken in a baking dish with a marinade.
    1
    Begin marinade for the chicken by adding chopped cilantro to zest and juice of 2 limes to a bowl and mix well. In a casserole dish, place 4 chicken breasts and sprinkle 1 Tbsp Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle spices evenly on all 4. Pour cilantro lime marinade over the chicken. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  • Preparing the yellow rice.
    2
    Yellow rice salad begins with preparing rice as directed on the package.
  • Grilling fresh corn.
    3
    While the rice is cooking, grill the fresh corn. Start a fire in the grill (I use charcoal but you could use gas just make sure you have nice high heat to start). You could also do this inside on a grill pan if you have no outside grill! I like to get my fire really hot all coals burning then take a paper towel with olive oil and rub the grill to make sure chicken does not stick. When coals are ready medium to high heat place corn on fire grill about 6-8 minutes then remove from grill to cool.
  • Fluffing cooked yellow rice.
    4
    When rice is done, remove it to a large bowl fluff and allow to cool. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to mix salad.
  • Cutting corn from the cob.
    5
    Once corn is cooled, cut it from the cob.
  • Rice, corn, black beans, garlic, fresh tomatoes, and red onion in a bowl.
    6
    In a large bowl, mix together the cooked rice, corn, black beans, garlic, fresh tomatoes, and red onion toss well set aside while making the dressing.
  • Dressing ingredients in a bowl.
    7
    In a food processor add adobe sauce, 1 sliced avocado, juice of 1 lime, and sea salt. Pulse 3-4 times until smooth and creamy. Then slowly add extra virgin olive oil while the processor is running until incorporated.
  • Tossing rice with dressing.
    8
    Remove from processor bowl and add to salad. Toss well and return to the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
  • Grilling marinated chicken breasts.
    9
    Remove chicken from marinade and place on grill. Grill 4 minutes on each side then turn and grill again to get grill marks crisscrossed. Total 8 minutes on each side. Watch the fire. If it flames, spray with water to get rid of flames. When grilling is done remove to the side of grill with low heat. Then leave there to finish cooking for about 10-15 minutes.
  • Plated meal.
    10
    Plating start with 2-3 serving spoons of yellow rice salad. Top with chicken breast that has been sliced on the diagonal. Top with 4 slices of fresh avocado. Sprinkle with ground black pepper and a squeeze of fresh lime.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT