Southwest chicken mason jar salads
Sheet pan chili lime chicken, charred corn, black beans and a creamy salsa dressing layered in jars, four crisp work lunches made in one go.
- 45 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $3.36 a serving
- 510 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1¼ lb boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1½ cups frozen corn, thawed and patted dry
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ½ cup salsa
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
- ½ cup shredded cheddar
- 6 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
From your pantry
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt, divided
Each serving has about 510 calories, 45 g protein, 41 g carbs and 20 g fat, and costs about $3.36 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No boneless chicken thighs? Chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins work.
- No frozen corn? Canned corn works.
- No red bell peppers? Yellow bell peppers work.
- No plain Greek yogurt? Plain yogurt or sour cream works.
- No salsa? Pico de gallo works.
- No limes? Lemons work.
- No black beans? Pinto beans or kidney beans work.
- No shredded cheddar? Cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
- No romaine lettuce? Green leaf lettuce or iceberg lettuce or butter lettuce works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 425°F. On a , the chicken, corn and bell pepper with the oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and ¾ teaspoon salt.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Spread it out in one layer and 18 to 20 minutes, until the chicken reads 165°F and the corn has spots.
Roast. Roasting means cooking in a hot oven, around 400°F to 450°F, usually spread out on a sheet pan. The dry heat browns the outside and brings out sweetness, especially in vegetables.
How you’ll know: The edges are browned and a little crisp, and a fork slides easily into the thickest piece.
Brown. Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.
How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.
Timer: 19 min
Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
Let everything cool completely on the pan, about 20 minutes.
Timer: 20 min
Dolly’s tip: Warm chicken wilts the lettuce in the jar. Cool is the rule for anything you pack.the yogurt, salsa, lime juice and the rest of the salt together for the dressing.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Spoon the dressing into the bottom of 4 quart jars or tall containers, then add the beans and tomatoes.
Dolly’s tip: Wet things at the bottom, lettuce at the top. That order keeps it crisp for 4 days.Add the chicken, corn and peppers, then the cheese, and pack the lettuce in on top. Seal and refrigerate.
At lunch, shake the jar or tip it into a bowl so the dressing coats everything.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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