This Puerto Rican Salad is one of my favorite salads to have. What makes this salad special is the mix of ingredients that we typically eat in the Caribbean.
This Puerto Rican Salad is one of the few I eat without a dressing because it does not need it! It is made with a very flavorful pan seared chicken breast.
It also has Puerto Rican sweet plantains. These are yellow plantains that are fried, soft in the middle, with crispy edges. The mix between the saltiness of the chicken and the sweetness of the plantain is so good.
This is one of those recipes that, when you eat it, it feels like a light meal but is very filling.
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Why This Recipe Works
- It is the perfect recipe for a busy weeknight dinner because you can prepare ahead and then just toss everything in a bowl.
- It is the perfect recipe to make for a lot of people to share.
- It is very versatile, you can add or remove what you do and don’t like.
- A great recipe for meal-prep to make your lunch or dinner.
Recipe Ingredients
- Romaine lettuce- For this salad, I used romaine lettuce, but I usually like to use a mix of iceberg and romaine lettuce. But you can use your preferred leafy greens.
- Chicken- I used my pan-seared chicken recipe, but there are endless protein options you can use. Below I have a list of options for you.
- Yellow plantains- The yellow plantains, or amarillos as they’re called in Puerto Rico, are the special touch in the salad. They are the sweet touch that balances the savory flavor of the salad. You just have to trust me, this one ingredient is the one you want to make sure to have.
- Vegetables- I use tomato, carrots, and a red onion. This is, of course, just a preference for the vegetables that go well with the rest of the ingredients. So you can choose what to add. Like if you don’t like the red onion because it’s too strong, you can use white onion.
- Beans- These are pink beans and are one of those staple ingredients of Puerto Rican cuisine. When you put beans in a salad, I always think it makes it better. You can choose your favorite kind, but the pink or even black beans are always my go-to favorites.
- Cheese- I used shredded cheddar. I like this cheese because the flavor is not too strong, and it doesn’t take away from the chicken or the plantains.
Customization Options
- Greens- You can’t go wrong with your greens. You can use spinach, arugula or your favorite.
- Sweet plantains- If you can’t find any sweet plantains, the nearest vegetable in flavor you can use is sweet potato or a sweet squash.
- Vegetables- If I have any, I love adding corn. If you want an easy option, add a can of mixed vegetables. Make sure to drain the vegetables before adding them.
- Toppings- My favorite are the classic croutons, or if I happen to have any, I use fried plantain chips.
- Dressings- While I used no dressing, there are many good options depending on your preference.
- Meats- You can stay with the Puerto Rican flavor and make a shredded chicken Puerto Rican style, or roasted chicken as another chicken option. For seafood, make tempura style fried shrimp. Or go with some delicious baked pork chops.
How to Make A Puerto Rican Salad
- Photo 1: Rinse and dry your greens. Cut the romaine lettuce ends and cut to about 1 to 2-inch-thick pieces. Keep in mind that with all vegetables, you can cut them however you like. Cubed the plantains into small pieces.
- Photo 2: Wash and peel the carrots. Grate them on the coarse side of the grater. Set it aside. Peel the onion and cut it into ¼ inch thick slices, then cut in half. Cut the tomato also to ¼ inch thick slices.
- Photo 3: Cut the chicken breast into 2 pieces. Flatten each piece with a meat mallet or any heavy utensil until each piece has an even thickness. Add the oil to the meat and season. Use a large pan over medium-high heat and wait for the pan to get hot before adding the chicken. Cook for 5 minutes per side.
- Photo 4: Cut the chicken into strips or however you like and add it to the bowl with everything else. You can assemble the salad however you like, or as I did, just put everything in bunches.
Stephenie’s Recipe Tips
- Buy a bag of greens that come pre-washed and chopped to save even more time.
- Make this recipe super easy by swapping the chicken for your favorite supermarket rotisserie chicken.
More Protein For The Salad
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Puerto Rican Salad
This Puerto Rican Salad is delicious and very filling. It has sweet and salty flavors, that go perfect together.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 chicken breast (300g)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Salad
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- 6 pieces amarillos (sweet fried plantains)
- 1 small tomato
- ¼ small red onion
- 2 small carrots
- ½ cup canned pink beans
- ½ cup cheddar shredded cheese
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken. Remove any fat from the breast. Cut the chicken breast into 2 pieces. Gently flatten each piece with any heavy kitchen tool or a meat mallet until each piece is flattened until it has an even thickness.
- Season the chicken with the chicken bouillon, salt, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper, and oil. Mix until all the meat is evenly seasoned. Use a large pan over medium-high heat. Wait for the pan to get hot and then add the chicken. Cook for 5 minutes per side. Set the chicken aside for later.
- Prep the vegetables. Wash and dry all of the romaine lettuce leaves. Cut the ends and discard. Cut the leaves into 1 to 2 inches thick strips and place them in a big bowl. Cut the sweet plantains into small cubes.
- Peel the carrots and grate them using the coarse side of the grater, the one with big holes. Set it aside. Peel the onion and cut it into ¼ inch thick slices. Cut the tomato also to ¼ inch thick slices.
- Assemble. Cut the chicken into strips and add it to the bowl with the lettuce. Add the plantains, tomato, onion, carrot, pink beans, and cheese. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Chicken- Here, I made a pan-fried chicken breast as the protein, but you can make it however you like. There are many protein options in the blog that you can replace the chicken with.
- Vegetables- You can add or remove any of the vegetable toppings in the salad. My favorite additions are croutons and bacon pieces.
- You can cut the vegetables however you like; the cutting in the recipe is just a suggestion.
Nutrition
Calories: 448kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 101mg | Sodium: 1688mg | Potassium: 1604mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 38440IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 342mg | Iron: 4mg
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