FIESTA LIME CHICKEN SALAD

Fiesta Lime Chicken Salad image

I wanted to make something different and special for a family get together and incorporate my love of cilantro and my creative genius....it was a smashing success!

Provided by Louise Scofield @Homecookinlover

Number Of Ingredients 14

Ingredients

1 box(es) dream fields penne pasta
1/2 cup(s) finely sliced green onion
1 large orange bell pepper/chopped
1 large red bell pepper/chopped
1 can(s) whole kernal corn drained well
1 can(s) black beans rinsed and drained
1 cup(s) chopped cilantro (or to taste)
1-2 - japalenos
5-6 - chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1 jar(s) minced garlic or fresh
2 cup(s) lime juice
1 1/2 cup(s) real mayo
1 1/2 cup(s) sour cream
- salt and pepper to taste

Steps:

Marinate the chicken overnight in a large bowl, cover with lime juice, 2-3 tbs of minced garlic, a little salt and pepper.
Take chicken out of marinade and discard marinade. Place chicken on a foiled lined and sprayed baking sheet and bake at 350 until chicken is done, about 45 minutes. Be sure and temp it out to make sure it is completely done to 165 degrees at least. Do not cover the chicken or it will not brown. Make grill it outdoors also.
While chicken is cooking boil pasta according to package directions, drain and run cold water over it to stop the cooking process. Also cut up vegetables and put them into a large salad bowl along with the corn and black beans.
While chicken cools a bit make the dressing by adding the mayo, sour cream, garlic to taste, salt and pepper, 1/2 cup lime juice, cilantro. Take a small amount of the dressing and put it into a blender or food processor or magic bullet and puree the japaleno in the dressing, then add it back to the rest of the dressing. You should not add too much japaleno at first if you have people who do not like spicey food or arent sure how spicey your particular peppers are, you can always add more later if you want to, You may also add less dressing at first to make sure you don't over dress it for your taste
cut up the chicken into bite size pieces and toss everything together into the large salad bowl. For best results let the salad sit for hours or overnight to blend the flavors stirring occasionally. You can adjust the salt and pepper as needed and also the cilantro and lime juice. a very useful tip you can use for this or other salads is that if the dressing is too thin and the salad seems too wet, sprinkle a little guar gum over the salad and mix it in well. Only use about 1/2 tsp. at a time as guar gum works really well. It has no flavor and is great for low carb thickening. You can buy it at most health food stores or co-ops.
Refrigerate and enjoy!