This Southwest Chicken Salad recipe is easy enough to throw together for a busy weeknight meal or to make ahead of a busy week for lunches and meal-prep. Served with grilled chicken, black beans, sweet corn, and pickled red onions, this is sure to be your favorite summer salad!
Love hearty salads? Then you need to try my Mexican Kale Salad and my Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad!
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Southwest Chicken Salad
I love preparing healthy and delicious salads in the summertime because they’re filling without weighing you down with a ton of carbs. And this Southwest Chicken Salad is one of my favorites! It’s packed with fresh veggies, juicy grilled chicken, and my homemade Honey Jalapeno Lime Dressing. This can be a wonderful weekday meal or can be doubled or tripled to feed a crowd!
Even better, you can customize this salad to your liking. Swap the veggies for what’s available in your garden, or mix in some fresh fruit. And use any protein you like! Steak, salmon, or taco meat would be delicious.
Love garden-fresh salads? Then you should try my Watermelon Feta Salad!
what you’ll need:
salad ingredients
- Romaine lettuce
- Black beans
- Tomatoes
- Corn
- Pickled red onions
- Avocado
- Cilantro
- Honey Jalapeno Lime Dressing
chicken ingredients
- Chicken thighs
- Lime juice
- Olive oil
- Spices: Onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper.
For extra crunch add some croutons!
how to make a southwest chicken salad
- Marinate the chicken thighs: First, marinate the chicken thighs for an hour in the marinade comprised of lime juice, olive oil, onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt, and black pepper for at least an hour.
- Then, grill for 4-5 minutes per side, and allow to rest for a few minutes before slicing.
Build your salad atop a bed of chopped romaine lettuce, then add the diced tomatoes, black beans, corn kernels, pickled onions, diced avocado, and fresh cilantro.
Then, slice your grilled chicken, and place the strips on top. Lastly, drizzle with the creamy Honey Jalapeno Lime Dressing. That’s it! Divide among four bowls, serve, and enjoy.
variations
- Swap the romaine lettuce for your favorite salad greens like kale, spinach, leafy green lettuce, or a prepackaged mix.
- If you’re not a fan of pickled onions, you can swap them for finely sliced white onion, sweet onion, or green onions.
- Change up the protein! Substitute Steak, salmon, or taco meat, or shrimp for the chicken, if preferred. Even diced boiled eggs work well here.
- And have fun with the veggies! I like this combination, but you could also use chickpeas, bell pepper, cucumber, carrots, or mushrooms.
storage and meal prep instructions
Store this salad in the fridge for up to a day without dressing. You can use this salad for meal-prep to make some lunches for a busy week ahead of time. Just store the vegetables, meat, legumes, and dressing separately in your fridge, then assemble when you’re ready to eat!
More Salad Recipes To Try
- Cucumber Avocado Salad
- Watermelon Feta Salad
- Chicken Cobb Salad
- Blacked Shrimp Salad
- Peach, Feta, and Blackberry Salad
- Italian Chopped Salad
Southwest Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Grilled Mexican Chicken
- 1 pound chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Salad
- 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
- 2 large tomatoes, diced
- 1 15.5 ounce can of black beans
- 1 1/2 cups corn
- pickled red onions
- 1 avocado, pitted and sliced
- 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
- Honey Jalapeno Lime Dressing
Instructions
Grilled Mexican Chicken
- Add the chicken and the rest of the marinade ingredients to a large ziplock bag. Marinade the chicken for at least an hour.
- When you are ready to cook the chicken preheat the grill to 400 degrees. Spray grill with nonstick cooking spray. Place chicken on grill and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side or until the chicken reaches and internal temperature of 165 degrees. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and allow it to rest for a couple of minutes. Slice the chicken into strips and set aside until you are ready to assemble the salad.
Salad / Assembly
- Divide all of the salad ingredients between 4 bowls. Top with grilled chicken and drizzle with Honey Lime Dressing. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
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Eva
I made this recipe for a crowd so I doubled the ingredients. It was delicious and everyone loved it. I’m making it again this weekend!!
Kelley Simmons
Yah I am so happy to hear that! Thank you so much for trying my recipe!
Helen
Delicious! So many flavors. I used the chicken breast I had on hand, but the pickled onions were a great addition. Also, I did a shortcut dressing by adding a tiny bit of honey to Trader Joe’s Cilantro dressing.