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This Southwest Chicken Salad is one of those meals that feels restaurant-worthy but comes together with simple ingredients and minimal fuss. Crisp romaine, juicy seasoned chicken, hearty beans, sweet corn, and creamy avocado all get tossed in a bright cilantro lime dressing that pulls everything together. It's fresh, filling, and completely customizable.
Love hearty chicken salads? Don't miss my recipes for buffalo chicken salad, BBQ ranch chicken salad, or a creamy chicken salad with apples grapes and walnuts.
Kristen's Keys for Southwest Salad
This Southwest Chicken Salad sits high on my list of all-time favorite recipes on my site -- and that's saying something! I've made it more times than I can count and tested plenty of variations along the way. It's incredibly flexible, but there are a few key tips that make all the difference if you want it to truly shine.
- Start with fresh, crisp lettuce, like romaine or iceberg. This is not the time for dark, leafy greens, as their bitter flavor can compete with the other components of the salad.
- Pick a protein (or two) and at least 2 other toppings. Start with chicken and beans for substance, but add things like corn, tomatoes, sweet peppers, black olives, avocado, shredded cheese, and crushed tortilla chips for texture and flavor.
- Use fresh lime juice for the dressing. It will give the dressing a bright, clean flavor that really wakes everything up.
- Blend the dressing. That will ensure the cilantro and jalapeño are fully broken down and the dressing is perfectly emulsified.
How to Build the Best Southwest Chicken Salad
Unless you have leftover cooked chicken, you will want to start this recipe by preparing the chicken. While the chicken cooks, blend the dressing and prepare the lettuce and toppings and dinner is done!
Step One: Cook Chicken
Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium high heat. While the grill is heating, brush chicken breasts or thighs with a bit of olive oil, then generously sprinkle with taco seasoning on each side. Grill for about 6 minutes per side, or until the the chicken reaches an the internal temperature of 165°F.
Step Two: Prepare Dressing
Blend lime juice, olive oil, honey, cilantro, jalapeño, and seasonings until smooth.
Step Three: Assemble & Serve
In a large bowl or deep platter, add the chopped romaine. Drizzle with a couple tablespoons of the dressing and toss to combine. Go easy here! A little bit will begin to build flavor without making the salad soggy.
Add black beans, corn, tomatoes, peppers, avocado and shredded cheese. Dice the grilled chicken tinto bite size pieces and add that to the mix. Toss gently, or leave it layered for a more "cobb-style" presentation.
Serve with the remaining dressing and tortilla chips or strips and dig in.
Recipe Modifications
This is one of those recipes that works with what you have or what your family will actually eat.😉
- Make it Vegetarian: Skip the chicken and double the beans or add leftover sofritas made with tofu.
- Switch the Protein: Leftover taco meat, shredded chicken taco meat, marinated cilantro lime chicken, or even shredded pork (like crockpot carnitas) works well.
- Change the Dressing: Not a cilantro fan? Mix homemade buttermilk ranch dressing with a little salsa and taco seasoning for a creamy, kid-friendly option. And while not traditional, a zesty Italian dressing works here too.
- Adjust the Toppings: Use pinto beans instead of black beans, skip the cheese, add onions, etc. Leftover grilled corn salsa, Mexican street corn salad, or Texas caviar make a fabulous addition to this salad as well.
More Hearty & Delicious Salad Recipes
Southwest Salad
Video
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 2 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon Homemade Taco Seasoning, or store-bought taco seasoning
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
For the Salad
- 2 hearts romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans or pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup frozen corn, defrosted
- ½ pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 large Haas avocado, diced
- 1 cup sweet bell peppers, sliced
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese , optional
- tortilla strips or chips, optional
Cilantro Lime Dressing
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice, 3-4 limes
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil, or avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon honey, or agave
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 clove garlic , optional
- ½ cup cilantro leaves, stems removed
- ½ small jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed (optional)
- 1 tablespoon water, if needed
Instructions
For the Chicken
- Preheat a grill to medium-high heat or place a grill pan on the stove and preheat over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes to heat.
- If needed, trim any excess fat or gristle from the chicken and discard. Drizzle the chicken lightly olive oil, then sprinkle evenly with taco seasoning. Use your hands to rub the seasoning into both sides of the chicken so it is well coated.
- Place the seasoned chicken on the grill and cook for 6-7 minutes per side, or until the chicken reaches 165℉ (74℃).
- Once cooked, allow the chicken to rest on a cutting board for 5-10 minutes before slicing it into bite-sized cubes or strips.
Cilantro Lime Dressing
- To a small blender or food processor, add ¼ cup fresh lime juice, 1 teaspoon lime zest, ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon honey, ½ teaspoon kosher salt1 clove garlic , ½ cup cilantro leaves, and ½ small jalapenoBlend or pulse on high speed until everything is broken down and the dressing is smooth. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed to smooth. Taste and add salt if needed.
For the Southwest Salad
- Add the chopped romaine to a large salad bowl or platter. Drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of the prepared dressing over the lettuce and toss to combine.
- Add the diced chicken, beans, tomatoes, corn, peppers, and shredded cheese. Toss and serve immediately with tortilla chips and the remaining dressing on the side.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was published in 2016 and updated in 2026.
This was really good! I was looking for an easy dinner idea, so I bought some frozen "fajita chicken" instead of making my own. Also replaced the cilantro and jalapeno in the dressing with half of an avocado. Maybe a controversial choice, but it made it very creamy and thick (had to add a little water to get it to pour). My brother still thought it was too acidic and added a tbsp or so of ranch straight into his salad. I tried it too, and it really helps. He told me to just make avocado ranch next time, lol. Oh well, live and learn. Anyway, thanks for sharing!
I don't think you can ever go wrong with avocado! But it would need additional liquid to help loosen it up. For sweetness, you could always add in a touch of honey (or ranch works too!)
I'm confused on the dressing ingredients. I don't see avocado listed in ingredients. I noticed higher on the page it mentions avocado in the dressing. It also isn't mentioned in the instructions.. can you leave it out? If not, how much do you use?
Hi Christine! The dressing is for a Cilantro Lime Dressing, but the salad itself has diced avocado.
MMM! WAY BETTER THAN MCDONALD's SOUTHWEST SALAD! DELISHHH!
WAHOO!!! I love hearing you enjoyed so much Karen! Thanks for leaving a review.
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.
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. 🙂
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.
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.
Always on the quest for new chicken salad recipes- love this one!
This is a good one for sure!
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!
Thanks Shashi!! #3 is indeed crucial!