Cinco de Mayo Chicken Salad

Here's a great lunch to make on Cinco de Mayo or at any time. It's a savory, not-too-spicy salad of chicken, avocado, red bell pepper and carrot seasoned with cumin and cilantro.

To make this a special lunch, we fried up fresh corn tortilla chips, a fairly quick process. The fresh, crispy chip is a perfect compliment to this delicious salad.

2 to 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1/3 cup sour cream
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon Tabasco or jalapeño sauce (more or less to taste)
1/2 cup sliced carrot
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
2 small, ripe Haas avocados, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon or lime juice, cumin, salt, white pepper and tabasco. This mixture is the salad dressing, so taste it and adjust the seasonings, if desired.

In a separate bowl, combine the chicken, carrots, red bell pepper, onion, avocado and cilantro.

Pour the dressing over the chicken and vegetables and mix well. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving. Makes about 4 servings.

Prep time: 20 minutes; Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes