Chicken Breasts with Avocado, Tomato, and Cucumber Salsa
Baked tortilla chips make a crunchy companion for this simple summer supper. Try the salsa another night on grilled fish or shrimp. I serve this with yellow rice. We love it!
Baked tortilla chips make a crunchy companion for this simple summer supper. Try the salsa another night on grilled fish or shrimp. I serve this with yellow rice. We love it!
- cooking spray
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
- 1 cup grape tomatoes halved
- 3/4 teaspoon salt divided
- 4 (6-ounce) skinless boneless chicken breast halves
- 1 1/4 cups cucumber coarsely chopped seeded peeled (about 1 large)
- 1/2 cup prechopped red onion
- 1/2 cup chopped peeled avocado
- 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and finely chopped
- Carbohydrate 7.2050078752048 g
- Cholesterol 98.65655 mg
- Fat 8.62123050893027 g
- Fiber 3.19107757682563 g
- Protein 36.3348462321531 g
- Saturated Fat 0.660630200000194 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (308g)
- Sodium 190.893062500049 mg
- Sugar 4.01393029837918 g
- Trans Fat 4.38590927767933 g
- Calories 237 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder evenly over chicken; add chicken to pan. Cook for 6 minutes on each side or until done, and remove from heat.
- Combine remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl, tossing well. Serve with chicken.
Standard ingredient lists omit the physical mechanics required to transform raw proteins and produce into a cohesive dish, leaving home cooks to guess at heat management and knife work. This preparation balances lean poultry against an unheated, acid-forward produce mixture that relies on precise cutting techniques and thermal control.
- Heat a cast-iron or heavy grill pan over medium-high heat until hot before adding the poultry, ensuring the meat develops proper surface browning via the Maillard reaction rather than steaming in its own juices.
- Cook the six-ounce chicken breast halves for exactly six minutes per side; flipping too early will tear the developing protein crust away from the metal surface.
- Dice the peeled cucumber, seeded jalapeno, and prechopped red onion to uniform dimensions so no single texture overpowers a bite, keeping pieces roughly the size of the halved grape tomatoes.
- Fold the chopped avocado into the mixture last with a gentle motion, preserving its cell structure so the flesh does not disintegrate into a paste when combined with the lime juice and remaining salt.
- Utilize fresh lime juice containing roughly six percent citric acid to chemically brighten the tomatoes and cucumbers while slowing enzymatic browning on the exposed avocado surfaces.
Pairing this protein with yellow rice or baked corn tortillas introduces necessary starch to absorb excess moisture from the cucumber and tomato juices. Grilling the poultry creates a charred exterior profile that contrasts cleanly against the cold, crisp produce blend.
