#MexicanFoodTherapy: Jicama and Mango Salad with Chicken and Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Summer time calls for refreshing ingredients and lighter fare. I try to make salads as often as I can anyway, but warmer days and the best fruits and veggies the season has to offer are great excuses to come up with new salad creations. If you are needing some salad inspiration check out Cooking Light's Summer Salads.

This week's #MexicanFoodTherapy recipe is a summer salad with some of my favorite bright flavors. If you don't use jicama you should start. It's totally underrated. It's kind of like a turnip but with a slightly sweet flavor. It is fantastic when paired with fresh fruits and goes great in salads. In Mexico they serve it with lime and chili. 

Ingredients:
Serves 4 as an entree or 6 as a side

1 tablespoon cooking oil
1lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 jicama, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 ripe mangoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 large lime, juiced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 romaine lettuce heart

Directions:

First get your chicken ready to cook. I like to sear my chicken on both sides and then poach it for this recipe, but you could cook it any way you like -- grilled, baked, roasted - the possibilities are endless. Trim your chicken breasts of all fat, pat both sides dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil in a skillet and cook your chicken.

While your chicken cooks you'll want to cut your veggies and fruit. Jicamas are a weird shape. They are bulbous, so cut it in half to have a flat surface to work with so as not to chop off any fingers. You'll need those to finish making this dish.

I cut mine into slices and then into squares, making sure to cut off the skin. 

After cutting up your jicama go ahead and cut up your mango into bite-size pieces. Lots of tricky shapes in this recipe.

By this point your chicken should be done, so take it out of the skillet and let it rest for a few minutes while you make your dressing.

Chop up your cilantro for your dressing like so...

To make your dressing combine the vinegar, lime juice, EVOO, (extra virgin olive oil) cilantro, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. At this point I would've added queso fresco, but I forgot to buy some and my husband's store run after work was a tad too late. You can always add it at the end.

Whisk to combine and get working on cutting your chicken. Bite-size pieces is great.

Throw the jicama, mango, and chicken into the bowl with the dressing and toss to combine.

 

While the flavors combine for a few minutes cut up your romaine lettuce. Again bite-size pieces is perfect.

Add in the lettuce and toss to combine again. Take a bite and savor the refreshing summery goodness. Serve with queso fresco and crusty bread. This could make a superb vegetarian dish as well if you want to forgo the chicken. 

¡Buen Provecho!