Chicken Pozole Salad

Ingredients

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about a pound total
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 15-ounce can hominy, drained
• 1 tablespoon minced red onion or shallot
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lime zest
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/2 cup good quality light olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 avocado
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced, including green parts
• 3 radishes, halved and sliced
• 1/4 head green or red cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1 small head of romaine lettuce, sliced crosswise into inch-wide pieces
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons crumbled cotija cheese

Directions

1. Stir the chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper together in a medium bowl. Add the boneless skinless chicken breasts, then turn them around in the mixture until they’re nicely coated all over.
2. Warm the olive oil in a thick-bottomed sauté pan over medium high heat. Put the chicken breasts in the pan and cook them for 2 minutes on each side. Turn the heat down to low, cover the pan, and let the chicken cook until it’s just cooked through, about 4 to 5 more minutes. Take the chicken out of the pan and let it cool until you can handle it.
3. Add the drained hominy to the same pan you used for the chicken. Toss it through the seasoning left in the pan, then add a little more salt, chili powder, and ground cumin. Cook over medium high heat for 1 to 2 minutes, then take the pan off the heat.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the red onion, oregano, lime zest, lime juice, olive oil, salt, and sugar for the vinaigrette. Set it aside.
5. Cut the cooled chicken against the grain into 1/4-inch thick slices. Peel the avocado and slice it.
6. Toss the romaine lettuce, cabbage, green onion, cilantro, radish, and hominy with half of the vinaigrette, then arrange the mixture on serving plates. Top each plate of greens with several slices of chicken and avocado. Finish with the cotija cheese and drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over the salads.