Grilled Blackened Chicken Avocado Salad

It’s grilling season. To marry that fact with my love for salads lately allowed me to dream up this grilled blackened chicken & avocado salad.  The chicken is spicy & the avocado is creamy & cooling. It’s a great combination. Give it a try. It’s also super easy to make!
PS: happy birthday to my dancing partner in crime, Christine!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 - 1 lb chicken breast

Spice Mixture:

• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tabelspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon chili powder

Salad:

• 1 avocado, cubed
• 1 lime, juice & zest
• 1 small onion, chopped
• salt & pepper
• 3 cup baby field greens
• 2 tablespoons vinaigrette (optional)
• 1 handful of grape tomatoes, halved

Make it!

1. Cut chicken breasts in half to make thin chicken breasts if they aren’t already (they’ll cook faster). Be sure all of the chicken is cut roughly the same time so that they cook at the same rate.
2. Mix salt, garlic, parsley,paprika, cumin, cayenne, black pepper, oregano, chili powder together in a large shallow bowl.
3. Dip each piece of chicken in the spice mixture so that the surface of each side is coated in the mixture.
4. Cook the chicken 3-5 minutes on each side over a low-medium heated grill until cooked through.
5. Set aside.
6. Mix avocado, lime juice & zest, onion, salt & pepper together in a medium sized bowl. Mash the avocado while you mix. Season with salt & pepper. Set aside.
7. In a large bowl toss greens with vinaigrette (if using it) & tomatoes.
8. Cut chicken against the grain into thin strips.
9. Plate each dish with a layer of dressed greens.
10. Next add a layer of chicken slices.
11. Top with avocado mixture & enjoy at room temperature.