Crispy zesty tasty Southwest Chicken Salad loaded with bell peppers, black beans, red onion, cheddar cheese and so much more. Quick and easy to enjoy and the perfect meal prep dish loaded with juicy chicken. All the southwestern flavors you love.
Add some tortilla chips or tortilla strips for the added crunch and this salad recipe will quickly become your new favorite go-to recipe. For me it was a game changer when I realized I could use left over chicken or even rotisserie chicken.
But, have no fear, this recipe is also easily made using boneless skinless chicken breasts seasoned with a little onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, black pepper, and sea salt. You can Air Fry, quickly cook up on the Stovetop, or even throw the chicken into the Instant Pot or Slow Cooker. Making Cubed chicken, shredded chicken, or however you prefer your chicken in salads. It's truly just that simple.
Southwest Chicken Salad Ingredients
With a long list of fresh ingredients make sure to choose your favorites adding a variety of texture also will up your game. Here are some of my favorites
- Red Bell Pepper, Green Pepper, Yellow Bell Pepper or Mini Sweet Bell Peppers
- Romaine Lettuce, Iceberg Lettuce, or Mixed Greens
- Sweet Corn
- Grape Tomatoes, Roma Tomatoes (diced)
- Green Onions
- Black Beans, Pinto Beans, White Beans
- Avocado
- Lime or Fresh Lime Juice
- Salsa
- Sour Cream
- Shredded Cheese
- Dressing: Creamy Southwest Dressing, Plain Greek Yogurt, Creamy Avocado Dressing, Cilantro Lime Dressing
- Tortilla Chips or Tortilla Strips
- Seasoned Chicken
How to make Southwestern Chicken Salad
Chicken
For this recipe you can use leftover chicken or Rotisserie chicken. About 4 ounces of cooked chicken per serving works well. However, if you want to prepare your own chicken then follow along as I make it along with you!
Boneless skinless chicken breasts and remove the excess fat. Season with salt and black pepper on both sides. Then you can season with a homemade taco seasoning or a prepackaged taco seasoning blend that uses garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, ground cumin etc.
For the quickest cooking method, use the Air Fryer. You can follow my recipe for Air Fryer Chicken for additional tips. It's a quick easy way to quickly cook up tasty juicy chicken ready in no time.
You can also throw the seasoned chicken breast in a heated Cast Iron skillet or your favorite skillet with some olive oil over medium/high heat. Flip chicken breast over until cooked to reach an internal temperature of 165F degrees.
And for kicks and giggles you can also make Shredded Chicken in the Electric Pressure Cooker / Instant Pot. Super simple hands off method just set it and forget it. You can then prep the rest of the ingredients.
Salad and Toppings
This recipe is all about adding your favorite toppings to a bed of crisp green lettuce. I love a variety of lettuce. Try using Iceberg Lettuce with Green Leaf Lettuce or even Romaine Lettuce.
Rinse and drain sweet corn and your choice of beans. Then wash, chop and dice the fresh ingredients including bell peppers or sweet peppers, green onions, cilantro, tomatoes, avocado etc.
Dressings
For every salad the dressing makes all the difference! Make your own homemade salad by combining Ranch Dressing with Italian Dressing. Give it a zesty twist by adding a dash of Chili Powder too. It's delicious.
I also love to use a Cilantro Lime Dressing, or Southwest Ranch Salad Dressing, or Chipotle Ranch Dressing. However, to keep it super simple a combination of salsa and sour cream or greek yogurt is also perfect! There are so many creamy dressing options you can use. Let me know in the comments some of your favorite!
Assemble the Dish
In a large bowl layer greens with seasoned chicken and top with beans, corn, cheese, juicy tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, sour cream, salsa and of course tortilla chips. Top with as much or as little dressing and enjoy! It's a full meal that will excite your taste buds. With bold flavors this easy southwest chicken salad is the perfect dinner recipe for the entire family.
How to Store Southwest Salad
Store mixed salad in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator. However, I do prefer to only mix up as much salad as we want to enjoy. Then store the individual ingredients in smaller containers or Ziploc bags in refrigerator.
Southwestern Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 3 cups Cooked Chicken - Shredded, Cubed, or pieces
- 1 can black beans - rinsed and drained
- 1 can Corn - rinsed and drained
- 1 head Iceberg lettuce, Green Leaf, Romaine - washed
- 1-2 Tomato - Chopped
Garnish
- ½ cup Sour Cream
- ½ cup Salsa
- 1 cup Cheese
- ½ cup Bell Pepper - Red, Green, Yellow, or Sweet Peppers
- 1 bag Tortilla Chips
- ½ cup Guacamole - (optional)
- ¼ cup Cilantro - (optional)
Dressing
- ½ cup Ranch Dressing
- ½ cup Italian Dressing
Instructions
Southwestern Chicken Salad
- Wash and pat dry lettuce. I prefer a combination of types of lettuce in my salad. Chop or hand tare lettuce and place in a bowl. Toss in chopped tomato, black beans, and corn.
- Place shredded chicken in a bowl to add to your salad personally. *You can leave chicken cold or warm it up.
Garnish
- Place corn, beans, cheese, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, cilantro, and chopped bell peppers in small bowls and garnish your salad personally as desired.
- Add tortilla chips as desired
Dressing
- Mix ½ cup of Ranch Dressing with ½ cup of Italian Dressing. Mix to combine. Serve with Salad.
Notes
To cook Raw Chicken
Shredded Chicken in the Instant PotAir Fryer Chicken
Nutrition Disclaimer
All nutrition values are approximate and calculated by a plugin and are provided as a courtesy. Adding or subtracting ingredients will change the nutritional value.
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