You’ll love this Cilantro Lime Chicken Salad with Grilled Pineapple, it’s so easy to make!
My Cilantro lime chicken salad was a lot of fun to make and is INCREDIBLY tasty, the grilled pineapple gives it a naturally sweet boost, not to mention the delicious Cilantro Lime Dressing which I love so much and have also used in my Southwest Chicken Salad.
How to make Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade
This is very easy if you have a blender or food processor. Simply add the cilantro, lime juice, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, allspice and honey (omit the honey for W30) and whiz it all up, that’s it!
Pour it over the chicken and marinate it in the fridge for a minimum of one hour or up to overnight. I baked the chicken in a hot oven for 45 minutes, but it would be fabulous cooked on an outdoor grill.
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How to Grill the Pineapple
You can cook this on an outdoor grill, but I used a cast iron grill pan to grill the pineapple rings and it still gave me the lovely grill marks.
Heat the grill pan up to to a medium high heat and brush with a little oil so the pineapple won’t stick. Grill the pineapple rings for a couple of minutes on each side until you get those lovely caramelized grill marks, take care not to burn it if your pan is too hot.
Assembling the Cilantro Lime Chicken Salad
This doesn’t really need any instruction except to say that it’s a good idea to prepare the salad dressing ahead of time, you can add the ingredients to a blender and that’s it really! Then once the chicken and pineapple rings are cooked you’re good to go.
For the salad I’ve added salad vegetables that I enjoy such as avocado, red onion and cherry tomatoes, but you should feel free to change it up and add whatever salad veggies you prefer.
More Recipes you’ll Love!
Who doesn’t love Tuna Salad?! This Tuna and White Bean Salad recipe requires no cooking if you use canned fish, it’s really lovely!
Or, how about trying my Paleo Balsamic Chicken Salad with a lovely Creamy Dairy Free Strawberry Vinaigrette!
And lastly you don’t want to miss my healthy gluten free Peach Crisp, you could have it for breakfast or for dessert with ice cream.
Cilantro Lime Chicken Salad with Grilled Pineapple
Cilantro Lime Chicken Salad, made with grilled pineapple, red onions, avocado, cherry tomatoes and served on a bed of lettuce. Healthy, Paleo and Whole 30.
Ingredients
- 4 boneless chicken thighs, skin on
CHICKEN MARINADE
- 1/2 large bunch cilantro leaves only
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp honey - omit for w30
SALAD DRESSING
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp lime zest
- 1 tbsp lime juice,freshly squeezed
- 1 tsp honey
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, no stems
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper - optional
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
SALAD
- 4 cups mixed salad greens
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1/2 small red onion, finely sliced
- 20 oz can pineapple rings
Instructions
COOKING THE CILANTRO LIME CHICKEN
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Add all the chicken marinade ingredients (except the chili flakes and chicken) to a blender, and pulse until smooth.
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Place the chicken pieces in an oven proof dish. Add the chili flakes to the marinade, stir, and then pour it over the chicken.
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Turn the pieces around in the marinade so it gets on all sides, cover and put in the fridge for at least an hour, or up to overnight.
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Shortly before you are ready to bake the chicken, put your oven on at 375F
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Bake the chicken thighs for 45 minutes or until they are fully cooked through, then slice then to serve with the salad.
GRILLING THE PINEAPPLE
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I used a cast iron grill pan to grill the pineapple rings.
Heat it up to to a medium high heat and brush with a little oil. Grill the pineapple rings for a couple of minutes on each side until you get those lovely caramelized grill marks, take care not to burn it.
SALAD DRESSING
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Simply add all the salad dressing ingredients into a blender and pulse it well to combine. You'll get a smoother dressing if you remove as many of the larger cilantro stems as possible.
ASSEMBLE THE SALAD
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Add the salad leaves, tomatoes, and red onion to a large bowl and toss with the salad dressing.
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Serve the salad (there's enough for four people) with the chicken, grilled pineapple rings and avocado layered on top.
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