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Southwest Salad Recipe with Chicken
November 30, 2018
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This Southwest Chicken Salad is a crunchy, fresh, salty, sweet, and creamy salad perfect for dinner, parties, or by itself!
Southwest Salad Recipe
The other day I thought I’d experiment with some leftover black beans and roasted chicken I had in my fridge. Best decision ever. The results are a tasty Southwest Salad with a little something for everyone! Plus, there was no cooking involved! BONUS.
Main Ingredients Needed
You should expect 20 minutes of work time, I’d say. Besides that, you should be good to go. This is a really straight forward Southwest Salad recipe and superly awesomely amazing tasting. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Corn, Avocado, Tomatoes, Green Peppers, and Romaine Lettuce – all of this fresh produce makes up the filling of this salad and helps make it southwestern.
- Chicken and Black Beans – IF you’re vegetarian or just don’t have chicken on hand, don’t worry about it and just add in the black beans.
- Scallions and Cilantro – these make the salad so much more flavorful!
- Tortillas Chips – pick your favorite brand and add them in. They give the most wonderful crunch to this chopped salad.
- Southwest Salad Dressing – This is made from ranch mix, taco seasoning, sour cream, and mayo. It’s beyond delicious, I promise.
If you’re looking for other salads, don’t look far, here are a couple of favorites: macaroni salad, cucumber salad, classic coleslaw, chicken salad with grapes or broccoli salad.
How to Make Southwest Chicken Salad
- Prepare or chop the chicken, green pepper, black beans, corn, tomatoes, scallions, lettuce, and cilantro.
- In a large bowl, stir all ingredients together, excluding the tortilla chips and avocado.
- Make Southwest Salad Dressing (outlined below).
- When ready to serve, toss the salad with dressing then gently stir in avocado and tortilla chips.
Southwest Salad Dressing
- For the dressing, take equal parts of mayo and sour cream and stir together with some taco seasonings, ranch dip mix, and pepper and salt to taste.
- Stir it up and voila! Creamy Southwest Salad Dressing.
Note: Pour just enough dressing over the salad to moisten everything and toss.
Make-Ahead
To make this recipe ahead of time, simply chop and combine everything except the avocados, tortilla chips, and dressing. Refrigerate the dressing and salad separately, then when ready to serve, top with the dressing and stir in some crushed tortilla chips with that ripe avocados.
If you let the salad, tortilla chips, and dressing mingle too long together in the fridge things tend to get soggy, that’s why it’s best to wait until you’re ready to devour this salad.
Leftovers
Any leftover Southwest Chicken Salad can be refrigerated, in an airtight container, for up to 2 days. After that things tend to get soggy and gross.
More Salads To Try!
- BLT Chopped Salad with Basil Green Goddess Dressing
- Super Greens Southwest Kale Salad
- California Club Blue Cheese Chop Salad
- Southwest Salad with Garlic Lime Dressing & Doritos
- Epic Chicken Salad
Once you stir it all together you can see how yummy and colorful this Southwest Salad looks! Mmmm…
I hope you like this one, guys! Have a great day!
Southwest Salad Recipe with Chicken
This Southwest Salad Recipe is a crunchy, fresh, salty, sweet, and creamy salad perfect for dinner, parties or by itself!
Ingredients
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken diced
- 1 green pepper diced
- 1 cup black beans
- 1 cup sweet yellow corn canned or frozen and defrosted
- 2 roma tomatoes diced
- 4 scallions washed and sliced, white and green parts
- 1 large romaine heart washed and chopped
- 1/2 bunch cilantro washed and chopped
- 2 just under ripe avocados diced
- 2 cups tortilla chips crushed
for the dressing-
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 tablespoon ranch seasoning
- 1/2 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 1/2 tablespoon lime juice optional
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir all salad ingredients together, excluding the tortilla chips and avocado.
- In a small bowl, stir all dressing ingredients together until smooth.
- When ready to serve, toss salad with dressing then gently stir in avocado and tortilla chips.
Nutrition
Calories: 912kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 60g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 819mg | Potassium: 1279mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3465IU | Vitamin C: 44.6mg | Calcium: 188mg | Iron: 4mg
Love these flavours! Can’t wait to try!
This was really really good. I just used what I had on hand but I dont think it matters because its the dressing that really does it. I didnt have cilantro, beans, or corn (which I thought I had when I started and will definitely add next time) but I followed everything else in your recipe! SO happy I found your blog.
I stumbled upon your blog while searching for Southwest Chicken Chopped Salad recipes…I am certainly glad that I did! We made this last night and it was DELICIOUS! Only difference is that we grilled chicken breast with a spice rub, then chopped the chicken. Also, of course, had to add shredded cheese to the final product. My husband LOVED IT, and we will definitely have this in our regular rotation. Chopped salads are our FAVORITE and we make them every night during the week; I agree with you that the worst part is all that chopping! Ugh. But totally worth it. 🙂
[…] Southwest chicken chop salad. (via The Kitchn) (Do you have any idea how hungry I get doing these posts?!) […]
Yum! Always looking for new salad recipes!
[…] Have you ever paid Lauren, of Lauren’s Latest a visit? She has some reallyreally fantastic recipes, and she does NOT help my new recipe […]
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious!
I made this salad for our Memorial Day BBQ yesterday! It was wonderful and a big hit with everyone! It made a lot- I didn’t measure my chicken or lettuce, just kind of eyeballed it. So, I’m having leftovers for lunch and dinner 🙂 I used the Hint of Lime tortilla chips for fun and that was a great addition. Just the mayo, sour cream and ranch (without the taco seasoning) is a delicious dip or dressing!
[…] found this salad at Laurenslatest.com and couldn’t resist the strange combinations. I’ve never added black beans to a salad […]
Hi Laura,
I found this recipe on Tasty Kitchen and served it when we went camping with family several weeks ago. It was a big hit!! Absolutely delicious. I wanted you to know that I am sharing this recipe on my blog today.
Just made this for lunch. DELICIOUS!!!! One suggestion is to go a little lighter on the cilantro. Other than that, what a perfect salad!!
Okayyyyyyy. This was awesome. Seriously, so delicious! Even le husband ate it all up. And, bonus, it was a perfect “pantry/fridge clean out” recipe! We’re moving in a few weeks and were looking for something tasty to use up stuff we had, and this hit the spot. Subbed in plain greek yogurt for sour cream (again, fridge clean out!) and it was great.
Thank you thank you thank you for a delicious, husband friendly salad! I’m sure we’ll be making it again a few times before we move, and I don’t hate it. 🙂
Found your recipe on Pintrest…I love CPK’s barbeque chicken salad, too, and you nailed it with this recipe. Will be great for light suppers in the hot summertime!
[…] out on their doorstep on occasion. Waiting. . . for someone to serve me food like this. Thanks to Lauren, for sharing her own version, so all of us who can’t camp out on pizza kitchen doorsteps can […]
This salad is wonderful. I made it last night for our dinner exchange. Yum! Thanks for another super great recipe, Lauren!
Lauren I finally made this last night and my whole family LOVED it! I liked that it was healthy too! We ate it all up.Thanks for the great recipe and I’d be interested in a Chinese version of a chop salad also. Keep up the awesome recipes!
I just found your blog and LOVE all things CPK and mexican! Can’t wait to try this, thanks for sharing!
After finding this on Pinterest, I knew I had to try it. Well, we had it for lunch today and it was fabulous!! The only thing I added was a small handful of 2% cheddar cheese and I omitted the avocado (ick). We will enjoy this many times. Thanks, Lauren.
Oh, and I will gladly share with you my rice/black bean/corn salad with lime vinaigrette which is always a huge hit at barbeques–just email me.
I would love that recipe 🙂 [email protected]
This is seriously DANGEROUS because I could eat the entire bowl myself. I omitted green pepper because my husband does not care for it, plus I used Tostitos with Lime tortilla chips (also addictive on their own) which gave it a little extra zing. Thanks for the great recipe. Just started following your blog.
If you have young kids and like picture books, you should check out my blog.
Nice to “meet” you!
This sounds amazing!!!! Cannot wait to try it. 🙂 Thank you for sharing…..I’ll let you know once I make it, how it turns out. Mmmmm.
I decided to make this even though I didn’t have sour cream, avocado, cilantro, or green pepper. I added cucumber and boiled shredded chicken breast instead of roasted. Made my own taco seasoning from a little chili, cumin and oregano powders mixed with ready made ranch dressing and a little mayo and chopped jalapeno. What makes it so tasty, colorful with texture and HEALTHY is the black beans and corn drained straight from the can and the dressing. This salad is brilliant! You simply can’t mess it up. The perfect hot weather meal! Can’t wait to try it again.Thank you 🙂
Made this tonight….except *someone* forgot to buy the chicken. Oops! Very yummy without it, too! 😉 Thank you!
This looks wonderful and will be made soon. Just thought I would add that I made something similar (although I might have missed 1 or 2 of your goodies) and simply squeezed a generous amount of lime juice over it and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. That was also quite nice if you’re watching calories.
One of our favorite meals! We could eat this every day!!
I just kept scrolling down, yelling “YES…. YES…. YES!” You lured me in with that first photo, and it just kept getting better and better. This is the next salad on my “to do” list now. Thanks, Lauren!
I could eat the heck out of this.
Oh yeah, I could totally get down with this. Chopped salads are my favorite! 🙂
I love new salad recipes, and this one looks amazing!
Your daughter sounds like an adventure to be around!
As for your salad – wow. It’s chockfull of fun goodies. Will have to try it soon! 🙂
I am going to make this very soon … but I might have to add a couple extra handfuls of cilantro to my portion and leave it out for the hubby 🙂
The two year old across the street is constantly running around naked, yelling “Naked Party!” Clearly she’s in on the naked trend too. I think I’ll go the chop salad route. This looks delicious!
This sounds fantastic, especially when an outrageously hot summer decides to make an appearance this year. No cooking – always a win.
OMG I want to eat this NOW.
LOVE, love, love your blogging and tutorials!
Hooo boy, naked is all the rage here too, with my 3 year old and her copycat 1 year old brother! This salad looks like a fantastic distraction…head to the kitchen and leave ’em to it?
I love chopped salads because I’m ridiculously lazy and don’t have to cut anything up – bonus! Great combo of flavours here.
You TOTALLY read my mind and I love it. Not sure why but I was definitely craving a southwesty chopped salad the last couple days and planning on making it for dinner some time this week. I wasn’t really sure what to put in it though except I knew I wanted avocado, so Thank You for reading my mind and posting this Delicious looking recipe!! 🙂
My favorite is the chop salad at Cheesecake Factory. And this looks just like it! Can’t wait to make this 🙂
This is definitely a keeper. I have printed it out for dinner during the week. I need these quick simple meals for my family after a hard day at work.
Wow that salad looks incredibly delicious and incredibly easy to make! Can’t wait to try it out.
PS Your daughter sounds hilarious and adorable. Isn’t is fantastic when they have that much energy? Hahaha I’m sure she keeps you busy.
Yum! This looks perfect! I love that you can make it up ahead and have it ready to go during the dinner rush – and it’s cold – so no individually re-heating dinner for everyone. Perfect.
Ah, only to have the inhibitions of a three year old . . . .
This one looks absolutely amazing. Unfortunately the hubs never likes salad, so I guess I’ll need to make it for just me. Yum!
Holy God Almighty.
amazing-that dressing looks perfect for this! I love chopped salads 🙂
This looks and sounds delicious, can’t wait to try it!
Lauren, I’m convinced we were separated at birth! I am crazy for CPK’s salads, especially the Thai Crunch which I just happened to post yesterday! I also love the BBQ Chicken Salad and have had it more times than I’d like to admit! Great job on the dressing – looks great!
Oh my goshhhhhhhhh…I LOVE THIS SALAD like I love youuuuuuu..this looks sooo good and it reminds me a lot of the Cheesecake Factory’s salad dressing they use for their bbq ranch chicken salad and this other mexican flavored one jason loves..i’m definitely puttin this on my menu!
LOOKS GREAT!!!!! 🙂
Chopped salads have the best texture and I love the combo of taco seasoning and ranch for the dressing!
This is awesome, chopped salads are definitely all the rage. And as much as I like making homemade taco seasoning, I really love TJ’s. This is perfect!