Cajun cuisine came about when the descendants of Acadians and French Catholic colonists fled to New Orleans after being banished by the British from Canada. It was based on French rural cooking and is real comfort food made with ingredients that could be found in the swamplands. Cajun food is full of complex flavours, usually spicy but not necessarily hot. The Cajun Trinity is a variation to the classic French mirepoix (usually made with onions, celery, and carrots). The Cajun version consists of onions, celery and capsicum/bell pepper, this combination is the base of most Cajun savoury dishes.

You can marinate and cook the chicken thigh fillets a few days in advance and cut up prior to assembling the salad. The dressing can also be made several days in advance and kept covered in the fridge. You can cut up all your veggies, keep in separate containers and simply assemble the salad just before serving. Assemble the salad up to one hour in advance then drizzle the dressing on top just before you are ready to serve.

Cajun Chicken Salad with Spicy Cajun Dressing

Our Cajun Chicken Salad will blow you away with its tastebud-awakening flavours and variety of textures. Try it as a healthy yet oh so tasty weekday dinner option to fall in love with.

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Cajun chicken salad in white bowl with dressing and cajun spice on the side.

We have marinated chicken breasts in our own Cajun spice mix and grilled them until they are crisp yet juicy. Then added a huge colourful array of bright vegetables and drizzled everything with our creamy, decadent Cajun dressing for a sensational dinner salad.

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Let’s Talk Ingredients and Substitutions

Chicken thigh fillets – is the protein in this salad which we marinated in Cajun spices and balsamic which makes the fillets tender. We then grilled them until golden and smoky. You can replace with chicken breasts, tenderloins or even salmon fillets.
Butter lettuce – forms the base for this salad, I like it here for its soft smooth texture. It can easily be replaced with any lettuce that takes your fancy, romaine/cos will also work well here.
Cherry tomatoes – for a pop of colour and sweetness. You can easily add any tomato variety you have on hand just cut them into small bite-sized pieces.
Celery – for crunch and also forms part of the Cajun trinity.
Red pepper – for juicy sweetness, and the second part of the Cajun trinity.
Corn – for sunny colour and soft buttery flavour. It can be replaced with diced carrot if you prefer.
Red onion – the final part of the Cajun trinity adding some crimson colour and spice. You can replace with any onion you have in your pantry. French shallots and green onions are also good here.
Avocado – for creaminess and healthy fats to boost the satiety of this salad.
Creamy Cajun dressing – so wonderfully decadent and zingy it truly brings this salad together. You can replace with bottled Cajun if you prefer or our smoked paprika dressing will also go great here.

INGREDIENTS FOR MAKING CAJUN CHICKEN SALAD

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1 – Marinate Chicken

Add the fillets spices, oil and balsamic in a bowl, mix well to combine and leave to one side to marinate while you are preparing your ingredients.

It is not necessary to place them in the fridge as adding cold chicken to a hot pan lowers the temperature in the pan and you will not be able to get a good sear on the fillets.

Just keep them in a cool place but not in the fridge, it won’t take long to prepare the rest of the ingredients.

ADDING CHICKEN THIGHS, SPICES OIL & BALSAMIC TO BOWL

Step 2 – Prepare Veg

Remove the root from your butter lettuce, gently wash the leaves under cold running water. Then either pat dry with a clean kitchen towel or for extra dry leaves, spin dry in a salad spinner.

Wash your cherry tomatoes, pat dry and slice in half.

WASHING BUTTER LETTUCE LEAVES UNDER COLD WATER

CHOPPED CHERRY TOMATOES ON WOODEN BOARDY WITH KNIFE

Wash your celery stalks carefully to remove any dirt that may be lodged. Cut off the white part of the celery, remove the leaves and discard.

Using a vegetable peeler, de-thread your celery (no need to do this if you don’t have the time). Then chop finely into small dice or thinly slice in a food processor.

Dicing celery on wooden board with knife

THINLY SLICED CELERY IN A FOOD PROCESSOR

Open you can of corn and rinse well in a colander under cold running water.

Wash your capsicum/pepper remove the core and seeds, pat dry then slice into small strips.

Remove the papery skin from your onion, rinse, then thinly slice lengthwise.

Step 3 – Cook Your Chicken Fillets

Heat a non-stick pan on medium to high heat.

Take your fillets and add to your hot pan. Sear on each side for approximately 3 minutes.

COOKING CHICKEN THIGHS IN PAN UNTIL CHARRED

Remove to a plate and allow to rest for a couple of minutes, then slice.

RESTING CHICKEN THIGH FILLETS ON WHITE PLATE

SLICED CHICKEN THIGH FILLETS ON WHITE PLATE

Step 4 – Make the Dressing

Wash your parsley, shake to remove excess water, dry and roughly chop.

Add everything to a small food processor, season and then blitz together until everything is well combined.

Taste and adjust seasonings according to your taste.

ADDING CAJUN DRESSING INGREDIENTS TO BLENDER

Step 5 – Assemble Your Salad

Add all the chopped veggies in a mixing bowl, season with sea salt and cracked black pepper.

Pour over half the dressing and toss well to combine everything.

POURING DRESSING OVER CAJUN VEG IN WHITE BOWL

MIXING VEG WITH DRESSING FOR CAJUN CHICKEN SALAD

Arrange butter lettuce on the bottom of your salad bowl or platter.

Place the veggie mix on top of your lettuce leaves, then add the sliced chicken.

ARRANGING BUTTER LETTUCE LEAVES ON PLATTER

VEGETABLE MIX ON BUTTER LETTUCE FOR CAJUN CHICKEN SALAD

Rinse peel and remove the pit from your avocado then slice into thin slices and fan on top of your chicken, add a pinch of Cajun spices for some colour.

Place the remaining dressing in a small jug, serve your salad with the dressing on the side.

ADDING SLICED AVOCADO TO CAJUN CHICKEN SALAD

Serving Suggestions 🍽

I just love this salad as a light lunch or dinner on its own as the protein and the healthy fats in the avocado keep me satisfied for hours. But this is also a great salad to serve as part of a buffet or barbecue with grilled meats.

Tips and Questions

What is Cajun?

Cajun cuisine came about when the descendants of Acadians and French Catholic colonists fled to New Orleans after being banished by the British from Canada.
It was based on French rural cooking and is real comfort food made with ingredients that could be found in the swamplands. Cajun food is full of complex flavours, usually spicy but not necessarily hot.
The Cajun Trinity is a variation to the classic French mirepoix (usually made with onions, celery, and carrots). The Cajun version consists of onions, celery and capsicum/bell pepper, this combination is the base of most Cajun savoury dishes.

Can I Make It Ahead?

You can marinate and cook the chicken thigh fillets a few days in advance and cut up prior to assembling the salad.
The dressing can also be made several days in advance and kept covered in the fridge.
You can cut up all your veggies, keep in separate containers and simply assemble the salad just before serving.
Assemble the salad up to one hour in advance then drizzle the dressing on top just before you are ready to serve.

How to Meal Prep for Weekday Lunches

Cook the chicken fillets and prepare the vegetables, make sure you have liberal doused the avocado with lemon juice to prevent it from browning.
I would also leave the lettuce leaves to add to your salad the day before otherwise, it will become limp.
Arrange everything else in individual covered containers and keep in the fridge.
Place the dressing in a separate container to add to your salad just before eating.