Southwest Chicken Salad

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!

Easy and Delicious 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 and my Peach, Feta, and Blackberry Salad!

Key Ingredients

This Southwest Chicken Salad is comprised of romaine lettuce, black beans, diced tomatoes, sweet corn, quick pickled onions, diced avocado, and fresh cilantro before being topped with the sliced grilled chicken and homemade Honey Jalapeno Lime Dressing.

How To Make Grilled Chicken Salad

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

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

Southwest Chicken Salad

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Marinating: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 4

This Southwest Chicken Salad recipe is easy enough to throw together for a busy weeknight meal or to make ahad 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!

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

Instructions

Images:

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 Facts
Southwest Chicken Salad
Amount Per Serving
Calories 496 Calories from Fat 315
% Daily Value*
Fat 35g54%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Trans Fat 1g
Cholesterol 111mg37%
Sodium 409mg18%
Potassium 1182mg34%
Carbohydrates 27g9%
Fiber 9g38%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 24g48%
Vitamin A 14140IU283%
Vitamin C 25mg30%
Calcium 106mg11%
Iron 4mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Healthy, Southwest Chicken Salad, Summer Recipes

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