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    Home » Real Food » Salads » Southwest Chicken Salad

    Southwest Chicken Salad

    By Kristen Chidsey | 13 Comments | Published August 28, 2019 | Updated September 16, 2020 *This post may include amazon links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    This recipe for Southwest Chicken Salad is so much fresher, healthier, and tastier than any restaurant version. Made with crisp romaine, corn, avocado, tomatoes, peppers, cheese, tortillas, grilled chicken and topped with a creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing, this Southwest Salad is packed with incredible flavor!

    This recipe for Southwest Chicken Salad is so much fresher, healthier, and tastier than any restaurant version. Made with crisp romaine, corn, avocado, tomatoes, peppers, cheese, tortillas, grilled chicken and topped with a creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing, this Southwest Salad is packed with incredible flavor!

    If you love healthy Chicken Salads, you need to check out Buffalo Chicken Salad, BBQ Chicken Salad, and Waldorf Chicken Salad.

    Ingredients for Southwest Chicken Salad Spread out onto white serving platter next to chips

    Southwest Chicken Salad

    This Southwest Chicken salad is my version of a restaurant Southwest Salad--just made lighter and tastier!

    It is filled with fresh produce, diced avocados, crisp romaine hearts, sweet bell peppers, corn, black beans, fresh tomatoes, and southwest flavored chicken. This healthy salad is finished with a light and fresh creamy Cilantro Lime dressing that marries all these flavors together perfectly.

    Of course my family would argue that tortilla chips are a MUST on this salad--and I tend to agree that the crunch of tortilla chips adds texture for a very satisfying salad.

    Ingredients for Southwest Salad

    The great thing about this salad is that it is completely flexible and can be custom made based on what your family likes. Use this recipe as a guide and change up the ingredients based on your family's preference.

    • Chicken--use boneless, skinless chicken breasts seasoned with taco seasoning for an easy, lean protein.
    • Greens--I like the crisp, freshness of romaine hearts for this salad, but you can use iceberg or mixed greens for the base of this salad.
    • Toppings--Let your taste buds guide you, but black beans, corn, tomatoes, peppers, avocados, and cheese all make great toppings on this Tex Mex Salad. Omit ingredients you don't care for, or add in things like onions, feta, etc based on what you like.
    • Dressing--The homemade Cilantro Lime Dressing is incredible! It is creamy, a bit spicy, and perfectly tangy. But if you don't care for it, make homemade ranch dressing and add 1-2 teaspoons of homemade taco seasoning or a tablespoon or two of salsa for a Homemade Southwest Ranch Dressing.
    • Tortilla Chips/Strips--Tortilla chips are optional, but add great texture to this easy Chicken Salad.

    How to Make Southwest Salad

    Step One: Prepare Chicken

    • Season chicken breasts with taco seasoning.
    • Cook chicken until it reaches 165 degrees.
      • Grill for 6-7 minutes per side over medium-high heat.
      • Bake chicken at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes.
      • Broil chicken for 4-5 minutes per side, watching closely not to burn.
    • Let chicken rest for 10 minutes and then slice chicken into ½ inch slices.

    Chicken Breast seasoned with taco seasoning for Tex Mex Chicken

    Step Two: Prepare Cilantro Lime Dressing

    • Zest washed and dried limes with a microplane.
    • Juice the limes using a juicer or beater attachment from a kitchen mixer--see how I do this here!
    • Using a blender or food processor, or fork, blend together the lime juice, oil, cilantro, jalapeno, garlic, honey, and avocado until smooth. If using a fork, you will need to very finely mince jalapeno and cilantro before mixing into dressing.

    Tip: Omit the jalapeno for less heat!

    Bowl of avocado cilantro lime dressing

    Step Three: Assemble Southwest Salad

    • Lay out shredded lettuce onto a platter.
    • Top the lettuce with corn, beans, peppers, tomatoes, avocado, and sliced chicken.
    • Toss together with the salad dressing and serve with tortilla strips if desired.

    Southwestern Chicken Salad arranged on white platter

    Notes on Southwest Salad

    • Make this Southwest Salad meatless, by adding more beans and omitting the chicken.
    • Use any beans you like--black beans, pinto beans, or red beans all pair well in this southwest style salad.
    • You can use leftover Rotisserie Chicken or 3 Ingredient Taco Meat for an even easier version of this Southwest salad as well.
    • For a vegan friendly southwest salad, omit the chicken and cheese and in place of Greek yogurt in the dressing, use half an avocado, which will give the Cilantro Lime Dressing creaminess.

    More Healthy Salad Recipes

    • Taco Salad
    • Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
    • Tabbouleh Salad
    • Spinach Avocado Salad
    • Mandarin Orange Salad
    • Mexican Quinoa Salad
    White Platter with Southwest Chicken Salad

    Southwest Chicken Salad

    Made with crisp romaine, corn, avocado, tomatoes, peppers, cheese, tortillas, grilled chicken and topped with a creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing, this Southwest Salad is packed with incredible flavor!

    4.84 from 6 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 25 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 325kcal
    Author: Kristen Chidsey

    Ingredients

    For the Southwest Chicken

    • 2 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 ounces each)
    • 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
    • 2 teaspoons olive oil

    For the Southwest Salad

    • 2 hearts romaine lettuce chopped
    • 1 cup black beans rinsed and drained
    • 1 cup frozen corn defrosted
    • 1 large tomato diced, or ½ pint of cherry tomatoes
    • 1 avocado diced
    • 1 cup mini peppers sliced
    • ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese grated
    • tortilla strips or chips optional

    Cilantro Lime Dressing

    • 1 teaspoon lime zest
    • ¼ cup fresh lime juice 3-4 limes
    • ⅓ cup olive oil or avocado oil
    • 1 tablespoon honey
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1 clove garlic
    • ½ cup chopped cilantro
    • ½ jalapeno seeds and ribs removed
    • 1 tablespoon water if needed
    Prevents your screen from going dark while preparing the recipe.

    Instructions

    For the Chicken

    • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F or a grill/grill pan to medium-high heat.
    • Trim the chicken of any fat. Brush the chicken with olive oil and season the chicken breasts evenly with taco seasoning on all sides.
    • Grill the chicken for 6-7 minutes per side, or until the chicken reaches 165 degrees. Alternatively bake the chicken for 15-18 minutes, or until the chicken reaches 165 degrees.
    • Remove chicken from grill and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes, before slicing into ½ inch cubes.

    For the Southwest Salad

    • In a large salad bowl or platter, lay out the chopped romaine. Top with the beans, tomatoes, corn, peppers, cheese, and avocado. Top with chicken, tortilla chips if using, and the cilantro lime dressing.

    Cilantro Lime Dressing

    • Zest 1 lime and juice 3-4 limes to give you 1 teaspoon lime zest, along with ¼ cup fresh lime juice.
    • To a blender add lime juice, olive oil, lime zest, salt, honey, garlic, cilantro, and jalapeno. Blend on high speed until everything is broken down and the dressing is smooth. Add water if, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed to smooth. Taste and add salt if needed.

    Notes

    Vegetarian Option: Make this Southwest Salad meatless, by adding more beans and omitting the chicken. 
    Chicken: If your chicken breast is large, use only one breast and cut it in half widthwise. Season and cook as the recipe directs. 
    Beans: Use any beans you like. Black beans, pinto beans, or red beans all pair well in this southwest-style salad.
    Salsa Ranch Dressing Option: If you don't like the cilantro lime dressing, make homemade ranch dressing and add 1-2 teaspoons of homemade taco seasoning for a Homemade Southwest Ranch Dressing.
     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 325kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 710mg | Potassium: 934mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 7160IU | Vitamin C: 21.3mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 2.5mg
    Liked this Recipe? Tag me Today!Snap a picture and tag #amindfullmom on Instagram - I would love to see!
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    About Kristen Chidsey

    Hi, I am Kristen, creator of A Mind "Full" Mom. I believe that making a wholesome family meal does not need to be hard or expensive! I love nothing more than to share with you delicious solutions for your hungry family.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Karen from Michigan:)

      May 07, 2020 at 3:10 pm

      5 stars
      MMM! WAY BETTER THAN MCDONALD's SOUTHWEST SALAD! DELISHHH!

      Reply
      • Kristen Chidsey

        May 07, 2020 at 4:05 pm

        WAHOO!!! I love hearing you enjoyed so much Karen! Thanks for leaving a review.

        Reply
    2. julia

      February 18, 2019 at 1:11 pm

      4 stars
      The instructions for the chicken are great, I have made chicken again this way several times after initially making this recipe.

      My family found the dressing extremely strong and it sorta ruined eating the salad as we found out after we had already dressed the salad.

      I would much prefer Chipotle ranch or something creamier and less acidic.

      Reply
      • Kristen Chidsey

        February 18, 2019 at 2:17 pm

        Hi Julia! I am glad you enjoyed the chicken, but sorry the dressing was too acidic for you. You have to really love cilantro to enjoy this salad dressing. You may just want to mix together 2 tablespoons salsa with 1/2 cup ranch to use in the future. 🙂

        Reply
    3. Raquel

      June 20, 2018 at 11:27 pm

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious! My family loved it. I love that it has the Mexican food flavors, but yet very different. My limes were bad, so I improvised and made a salsa ranch dressing instead. I am wheat-free, so I made corn quesadillas instead of flour.

      Reply
      • Kristen Chidsey

        June 21, 2018 at 8:12 am

        YAY!! I love to hear your family enjoyed this Raquel. And great swaps--we often use corn tortillas ourselves. And I love the sound of your salsa ranch dressing.

        Reply
    4. Kristen Chidsey

      October 06, 2016 at 9:10 pm

      Thank you so much Debra!! I just linked back up. Love #FoodieFriday

      Reply
    5. Kristen Chidsey

      September 30, 2016 at 9:35 am

      I bet yours will be fabulous Liz.

      Reply
    6. Kristen Chidsey

      September 30, 2016 at 9:30 am

      Then you will LOVE this dressing for sure Cynthia!

      Reply
    7. Maria

      September 29, 2016 at 8:52 pm

      Always on the quest for new chicken salad recipes- love this one!

      Reply
      • Kristen Chidsey

        September 30, 2016 at 9:31 am

        This is a good one for sure!

        Reply
    8. Shashi at RunninSrilankan

      September 29, 2016 at 7:18 am

      Kristen, you don't have to tell me twice - this salad surely is spectacular! I LOVE your twist on the classic cobb salad and I LOVE your use of tortillas instead of croutons as I abhor croutons!

      Reply
      • Kristen Chidsey

        September 29, 2016 at 2:15 pm

        Thanks Shashi!! #3 is indeed crucial!

        Reply

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