Bright red. Forest green. Dark brown. Soft yellow (with a bit of char). More green.

The first time we made this salad, it looked so bright and summery that I insisted we take it to the park and have a picnic. We tossed everything into a big bowl, drizzled dressing over the top, and then drove to a park near our home. Sitting in the shade of some trees, we ate our salad and enjoyed the beautiful summer night.

Even more than the weather, though, it was this salad that practically screamed summer. Everything about it is bright and fresh! Additionally, the cool and tangy cilantro lime dressing drizzled over all those delicious toppings was simply the PERFECT dish to be eating on a hot summer night.

To top it all off, Wade really enjoyed the salad, which is always a huge win in my books. Wade’s not usually one to truly enjoy a spinach salad… it tends to be too many greens and not enough meat for his liking. Additionally, he’s told me that eating too much salad leaves him feeling “really weak” because he needs more protein (that line does make me laugh a little every time I think about it).

In the end, our compromise has ended up being that all salads (if eaten for a main dish) must involve chicken. It is a pretty fair compromise even if somedays I’d rather get my protein from a plant-based source.

My goal with this recipe was to go for a sort of fresh corn salsa with spinach and chicken… and I do feel like I succeeded in that! I mean, freshness literally emanates from this deliciously colorful bowl.

The recipe also reminds me of a black bean and avocado dip combined with a spinach salad. It’s so easy and SO delicious.

If you’re looking for spinach salad ideas and spinach salad recipes, you are in the right place! Fresh food and fresh ideas can be found right here! We hope you enjoy this delicious ingredient combo topped with our incredible (and protein-packed) cilantro lime dressing.

WHAT YOU’LL LOVE ABOUT THIS RECIPE

♡ Full of PROTEIN! Not only does the chicken have plenty of protein, but so do the black beans and the dressing, which is made mostly from greek yogurt.

♡ It’s sooo FRESH: Who doesn’t love some bright, fresh ingredients?? We absolutely love the combination of tomatoes, avocado, corn, spinach, cilantro, and lime in this recipe!

♡ It’s super QUICK & EASY! Once you have the chicken and corn cooked and the dressing made, it’s just a game of throw-the-salad-in-the-bowl (if that’s a game hehe). Prepare to amaze your family or friends with this 30 minute meal!

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

This recipe is a fairly easy one and I’m completely confident in everyone’s ability to recreate it. That being said, I do have two tips to be aware of in order to ensure your salad is the most delicious it can be!!

1) Add enough water to the corn: When you’re getting a char on the corn, you do still want to add some water to it so it can steam a little and ensure that the corn gets cooked all the way. I’ve found the best way to do this is to heat the oil in a skillet and then add the corn. Let the corn cook for a few minutes on each side to get a nice char.

Once the corn is starting to get some browned kernels on each side, add a few tablespoons of water to the pan and let the corn cook for a few minutes more. The result of this method… your corn is cooked AND browned! It’s soooo yummy!

2) Don’t overcook the chicken! Be careful to watch your chicken as it cooks, ensuring that it reaches 165 degrees F, but doesn’t go significantly past this. Not overcooking your chicken will result in juicer and yummier chicken for your salad :)

STORAGE

If you are making this recipe ahead of time, I really recommend storing the different components in different containers in the refrigerator. This will prevent the salad from going soggy while it’s waiting to be served. Once you’re ready to serve it, toss everything in a bowl, drizzle the dressing on top, and you’re ready to go!

If you’re looking for some good food storage containers, Wade and I love our Snapware Glass Food Storage Containers!

SPINACH & CILANTRO SUMMER SALAD INGREDIENTS

- Fresh Corn: Let me add that there’s a huge emphasis on the “fresh” part of corn for this ingredient. DO NOT add reheated frozen corn or some corn from the can. Sure it’s easier, but it will not taste anywhere near as good.

- Avocado (YUM!)

- Chicken Breast: Delicious flavor and an amazing source of protein! We love chicken at our house ♡ For this recipe, we season the chicken with garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, and salt, then cook the chicken breast in a little bit of olive oil in a skillet. Delicious :)

- Cherry or Grape Tomatoes: Cute little bite sized tomatoes, perfect for salads!

- Black Beans: Simply open up a can of black beans, rinse off the beans in cold water, and you’re ready to go! Here’s a link to the Whole Foods Unsalted Black Beans!

- Spinach: You gotta love this tasty, nutrient packed bright green leaf. a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/spinach">Healthline calls it “one of the most nutritious foods on earth.”

- Cilantro, Garlic, and Lime Juice: The flavors of the dressing! So fresh and green and yummy… SO much to love :) We definitely recommend going fresh on all three of these ingredients! It’s just hard to compare bottled lime juice to freshly squeezed lime juice.

- Salt: Brings out the natural flavors of the dressing, while also adding a little bit of saltiness that we love!

- Greek Yogurt: This is seriously the superfood of all yogurts! You get the probiotics of yogurt, but without all those added sugars! Additionally, Greek yogurt is a good source of calcium that is helpful to bone health. To top it all off, let’s talk about 17 grams of protein per serving!!!

- Water: Water helps to thin the dressing a little so the flavor isn’t too overwhelming!

HOW TO…

Begin by seasoning the chicken breast on both sides with chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, and salt. I also chose to slice my chicken breast into three in order to speed up the cooking time. Add the chicken breast to a hot skillet with 2 teaspoons of olive oil. I like to cook the chicken on medium heat.

Flip the chicken occasionally, allowing it to cook evenly on both sides. Continue to cook it in the skillet until it has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F in the thickest portion of the chicken breast.

Remove the chicken from the heat and transfer to a cutting board. Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes before slicing it into bite-sized pieces.

Rinse out the skillet that you used to cook the chicken and return it to the stove top. Add another 2 teaspoons of olive oil and again turn the stove to medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the three cobs of corn.

Rotate the corn every few minutes, allowing it to develop a nice little char on each side. Once the corn has developed a good char, add a few tablespoons of water to the pan in order to steam the corn a little bit and let it cook evenly. Remove the corn from the heat.

Once the corn has cooled down, you can begin slicing the corn off the cob. Hold the corn so it is perpendicular to the cutting board and the bottom of the corn is resting on the cutting board. Take a knife and slice down towards the cutting board, allowing the corn to fall onto the cutting board. Be careful not to slice too close to the cob (it won’t taste as good).

The last step before assembly is to make the dressing. Add ½ cup of cilantro leaves, 2 teaspoons of minced garlic, ½ teaspoon of salt, ⅛ cup of freshly squeezed lime juice, ¼ cup of water, and ½ cup of plain greek yogurt to a blender. Blend until the dressing has reached your desired consistency. I chose to only blend mine for about 10-15 seconds so the cilantro leaves wouldn’t be completely pureed.

Assembly time! Grab a large bowl and add the spinach leaves to the bottom of it. Add the rinsed black beans, chopped chicken, charred corn, sliced cherry tomatoes, and chopped avocado.

Drizzle the salad dressing over the top and garnish with some extra cilantro and / or lime. ENJOY!

Ingredients:

Directions: