Home » Keto Recipes » Ketogenic Salad Recipes » Keto Cilantro Lime Chicken Salad Recipe

Keto Cilantro Lime Chicken Salad Recipe

Move over, boring salads! This Keto cilantro lime chicken salad recipe ensures your taste buds will be tickled and your diet will stay on track.

How Salads Can Sometimes Not Be Keto

In theory, salads are a pretty good option for Keto. You’ve got healthy greens forming the base of the meal. Solid nutrition, negligible carbs.

If you eat meat, you can add some to boost the protein and nutrition of the dish. Most meats would be Keto, although sometimes carbs can creep in here with breaded or coated meat.

Another potential problem is the toppings. Croutons, onion straws, taco chips, noodles, and the like can really add flavor to your salad — for a price.

Those things are of course off-limits if you want to stay in ketosis. And there are some salad accessories that can take you down as well.

The crackers, breadsticks, or pita bread that are often paired with salad are problematic for Keto. And that’s not all.

While convenient, off-the-shelf salad dressings can be full of unwanted ingredients like sugar, dyes, and artificial preservatives. No thanks.

And finally, many salads are full of cheese and creamy dressings. Tasty, yes, but all of that dairy is not kind to those with sensitivities or lactose intolerance.

How to Make a Keto Salad That Actually Tastes Good

It is very possible to make Keto salads that are full of flavor, but not full of carbs. This salad uses oil and spices masterfully to get you out of your salad rut.

First, if you’re going to be cooking indoors, I suggest browning the chicken before placing it in the oven. This will give you better flavor. If it’s nice out, grilling would be another fine choice.

To give the chicken a little kick, add some cayenne pepper before cooking.

Next, you’ll make a zippy, light dressing with an olive oil base. Cilantro, lime juice, and white vinegar add some character here.

Another really unique pop of flavor comes from the pickled jalapeno peppers. If you’re not a fan of spicy foods, you can obviously omit this ingredient.

The salad also gets some added color, flavor, and texture from the addition of cherry tomatoes, red onion, and diced avocado.

Keto Diet Food List

Salads like this one can be customized any number of ways — as long as you make sure you’re not using ingredients with a lot of carbs.

Make tons of new salad creations using this comprehensive list of Keto diet foods. It should answer a lot of questions you might have about whether particular foods are safe for your ketogenic diet.

I hope it helps you achieve your goals!

Keto Cilantro Lime Chicken Salad Recipe

---

• Author: Louise Hendon
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Lunch, Entree
• Cuisine: American

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

This delicious cilantro lime dressing will lift any salad to the next level.

---

Ingredients

For the chicken:

• 1 Tablespoon (6 g) of cayenne pepper
• 4 chicken breasts (800 g), skinless and deboned
• salt
• 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) of olive oil, for grilling

For the dressing:

• 6 Tablespoons (90 ml) of olive oil
• generous handful cilantro leaves (0.5oz / 15g)
• juice of 2 limes
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of white balsamic vinegar
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:

• 4 cups of lettuce of your choice
• 20 cherry tomatoes (340 g), halved
• 4 pickled jalapenos (56 g), sliced
• 1 red onion (110 g), peeled and finely sliced
• 1 large avocado (200 g), diced

---

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C).
2. Sprinkle the cayenne pepper onto both sides of the chicken breasts and season with salt. Heat the olive oil in a pan and brown the chicken on both sides until golden. Transfer to a roasting tray and bake for 10-12 minutes to cook the breasts through.
3. Meanwhile, make the dressing by placing the olive oil, cilantro, lime juice, and white balsamic vinegar into a mini food processor or blender and blitz well. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
4. Finish the salad by combining the remaining ingredients. Slice the chicken breasts and serve on top with the dressing.
   

      NOTE: Any leftover dressing can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Notes

All nutritional data are estimated and based on per serving amounts.

Net Carbs: 7 g

Nutrition

• Calories: 751
• Sugar: 5 g
• Fat: 55 g
• Carbohydrates: 13 g
• Fiber: 6 g
• Protein: 49 g