Despite the abundance and accessibility of fresh ingredients in the summertime, I tend to use a lot of jarred sauces and canned goods.
Why? Because it’s summer and I don’t want to be inside for too long!
Today’s recipe uses a jarred salsa verde sauce, instead of laboriously creating your own – saving you time in the kitchen! The quicker and easier, the better, right?
I love salsa verde. I love salsa, in general. One of my go-to meals when I was in college was beans, corn, bell peppers, cucumbers, spinach, and a jarred spicy chunky salsa. Pretty boring, but I loved it – because of the salsa!
If I’m dipping chips, I opt for a red salsa, but if I’m creating a bowl meal, it’s salsa verde all the way. This salsa verde is great, if you’re looking for a gluten-free, non-GMO certified version.
This chopped chicken salad is perfect for work lunches. It saves well in the refrigerator and is packed with veggies, protein, and flavor. The beautiful cucumber noodles offer that salad-like base without the salad. The noodles are more fun to eat and a great way to infuse some hydration into an otherwise flavor-packed bowl.
Cucumber noodles as a base are a versatile way to amp up your salad game. Top cucumber noodles with your favorite combinations and voila: cucumber noodle bowls! Especially in the summertime, when we want something crunchy and refreshing but don’t feel like eating a salad, hot ingredients on top of cold, raw cucumber noodles are the solution.
Alright, all this talk of summer and being out of the kitchen is making me antsy! Time to go outside!
Now you can watch a cooking video of this recipe:
Nutritional Information & Recipe
Weight Watchers SmartPoints*: 6 points
*These points were calculated using the official Weight Watchers SmartPoints calculator. We are in no way affiliated with Weight Watchers, we are providing this information based on popular demand.
Summer Chopped Chicken Salad with Spiralized Cucumbers and Salsa Verde
Ingredients
- 8-10 oz boneless skinless chicken breast or 1.5 cups cubed cooked chicken
- salt
- 1 large ear of corn kernels shaved off
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 English seedless cucumber
- 1/2 heaping cup diced tomatoes I used cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 red onion diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 large handful of cilantro lightly chopped
- 1 avocado peeled, pitted, insides chopped
- 1/2 cup mild jarred salsa verde
Instructions
- If you’re NOT using pre-cooked chicken (if you are, skip this step): fill a large saucepan two-thirds full of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Salt it so that it tastes good, add the chicken breast, and remove the pot from the heat. Cover and let the chicken sit until cooked but very tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the water and cut into it to check its doneness; if it's still a little pink, return it to the water for another minute or two. Remove the chicken to a plate and let it rest for 2 minutes and then slice into cubes.
- While chicken cooks, cook the corn. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Once oil is shimmering, add in the corn and season with chili powder and salt. Cook until bright yellow and charred, 5-7 minutes.
- Meanwhile, spiralize the cucumber with Blade A, applying light pressure so that the ribbons are thin. Pat the cucumber noodles dry with paper towels and trim the noodles with kitchen shears so that they are easier to manage.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, cilantro, avocado, cooked corn and cubed cooked chicken. Pour in the salsa verde and toss well to combine.
- Pour the mixture into the bowls and serve.
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