I have never met a chicken salad that I didn’t like. Unfortunately many of them contain quite a bit of mayonnaise. This flavorful chicken salad recipe is dressed with tomato juice and spices and is a delicious low-fat alternative to traditional chicken salad recipes.
This Southwestern Chicken Salad Recipe is made with cooked chicken that has been cubed and is a delicious way to use up leftover chicken. It uses lots of vegetables straight from the garden: tomato, onion, bell pepper, and cilantro.
The dressing is rich in flavor, but mild. It is made by combining tomato juice, garlic, cumin, and marjoram.
Since this Southwest Chicken Salad does not use any hot peppers, it is mild enough that even young children can enjoy it. However if you like extra heat, feel free to dice a jalapeno pepper and add it to the salad.
This chicken salad is delicious served on a bed of greens, on a roll, in a taco shell, or even in a quesadilla.
- 1 lb. cooked chicken, diced
- 1 cup tomato, cut into thin strips
- ½ cup onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
- ⅓ cup vegetable or tomato juice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon marjoram
- In a medium bowl, combine, chicken, tomato, onion, tomato, bell pepper, and cilantro.
- In a small bowl, combine tomato juice, garlic, cumin, and marjoram. Mix well.
- Pour juice mixture over chicken and vegetables. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to let flavors blend.
- Serve on bed of lettuce, in a tortilla, as a sandwich, or as a side dish in a buffet.
How do you lower the fat or calories when making your favorite recipes?
More Chicken Salad Recipes:
Chipotle Ranch Chicken Salad Wraps
Jane Anne says
August 10, 2010 at 12:26 amI am with you- I love chicken salad. I also despise mayo. Despite that, I still love chicken salad. I have a feeling this one will be a favorite for me. My husband loves anything with cilantro. I'll let you know if I try it out.
The Book Lady Online says
August 10, 2010 at 12:54 amWow!! That looks delicious 🙂
Brenda says
August 10, 2010 at 3:43 amThis looks great and some black beans would probably taste good in it as well.
mub says
August 10, 2010 at 3:57 amI've started using yogurt mayo for some things, but I've noticed it's quite a lot sweeter than regular mayo so it doesn't really work for everything.
Melissa says
August 10, 2010 at 4:25 pmI like mayo on everything, but this looks like a tasty and healthy alternative. I think my family would like it, too, which is always a plus.
Sheila says
August 10, 2010 at 4:46 pmOh my!! That looks so good. I will definitely be making this. I think the reason I don't make much chicken salad is the mayo. This is a good diabetic alternative–Kevin will love it. Thanks for sharing. Thanks for your prayers lately–I hope to have less sad posts coming up!! Have a blessed week!
alicia says
August 10, 2010 at 5:50 pmThis sounds wonderful. Can't wait to try it. Your pic is great too. Thanks for sharing and linking up to tasty tuesdays.
Grace says
August 10, 2010 at 9:13 pmThis looks like a real winner! Super cool and fresh.
Racquel says
August 10, 2010 at 10:57 pmYum, this looks like a dish I would have to share with my Mom. She's always looking for low-fat alternatives. 🙂
Jill says
August 11, 2010 at 12:54 amHmmmm this looks really good! i'll have to try this one soon!
Blessings,Jill
girlichef says
August 11, 2010 at 4:39 pmI love the idea of this salad being dressed in tomato juice…what a great option. It sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing it with Two for Tuesdays this week! =)
Butterpoweredbike says
August 11, 2010 at 8:25 pmI'm a fan of mayo, but it can leave chicken salad a bit goopy. I love this idea because you could actually taste chicken. Thank you for linking up with Two for Tuesday.
Lisa@BlessedwithGrace says
August 11, 2010 at 10:15 pmThis looks like a great "healthier" version of a chicken salad. Sounds great! Thanks for the recipe and linking to TMTT.
Angie's Recipes says
August 12, 2010 at 5:19 amThe chicken salad looks wonderfully delicious!
the clark clan says
August 13, 2010 at 12:52 amHi Alea! Thanks so much for sharing the foodie love on the two for tuesday recipe blog hop! I too am a chicken salad freak, and so, i will definitely try this recipe because sometimes heavy dressings arent always the best dressings! 🙂 Alex@amoderatelife
Christy says
August 13, 2010 at 5:32 amI bet this is wonderful, I am not a huge mayo fan in chicken salad so I bet I would love this. Thanks for linking to Two for Tuesdays!
Arnold says
August 13, 2010 at 12:20 pmA fairly quick and easy recipe, my kind of recipe. The summer is not too far away here in my neck of the woods, I will be giving this a try. Thanks.