Southwest Chicken Salad

By McCarleyRHLAC

Ingredients

• 1 lg chicken breast, chopped (smoked, bone-in with skin on); remove skin and bone before chopping
• 1/2 c onion, chopped
• 1/3 c red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 c fresh cilantro, pulled from stem then chopped
• 1/8 c canned black olives, chopped
• 2 pickled jalapeno peppers, chopped
• 1 canned chipotle pepper in adobe sauce, chopped
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin powder
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 3/4 c mayonnaise (more if needed, to moisten the above ingredients)
• BREAD
• cheddar jalapeno bread or hard sandwich rolls for eight sandwiches
• garlic powder
• cooking spray
• GARNISH
• peach slices, pineapple slices, or avocado

Details

Servings 8
Adapted from justapinch.com

Preparation

Step 1

1 Combine all chicken salad ingredients in bowl and mix well. This is a very hot and spicy recipe, but you can reduce the chipotle and jalapeno pepper if you wish. (The pickled jalapeno gives the chicken salad a little of the tartness that we expect with dill pickles in a traditional chicken salad.)
2 Once mixed, sprinkle garlic powder on the bread or rolls, spray with cooking spray and then toast under the broiler.
3Spread chicken salad mixture on the toasted bread, and choose a garnish, if you wish. Try pineapple or peach slices (even better if it's grilled.) The sweetness of the fruit will complement and tame the heat from the peppers. Avocado is also a tasty garnish.