Southwestern Chopped Salad with Chicken

Southwestern chopped salad with grilled chicken, black beans, peppers, tomatoes and corn is fresh, crunchy and full of flavor! Serve with a super simple creamy cilantro lime dressing for a healthy lunch or light dinner!

Today I've got my favorite type of salad with some of my favorite flavors and ingredients for you. I’m in heaven here, folks. Come join me.

This southwestern chopped salad is fresh and crunchy and bursting with flavors. Every bite features a little bit of everything, which is perfection in my book.

Especially when covered in this easy blender creamy cilantro lime dressing.

Oh my...

This is also an amazingly easy thing to put together. Cause you know I love an easy meal.

You dump all your chopped goodies in a bowl, shake up the dressing, pour, stir and serve.

No cooking. No hot kitchens, not on summer nights like we’ve been having. Just a beautiful, tasty dinner for you to devour.

And hopefully some leftovers for lunch the next day...

I’m never that lucky. I eat it all on the first go-round. I have portion control problems normally but especially around a chopped salad.

Can't. Stop. Won't. Stop.

(If you love these flavors, check out these fun turkey burger salad bowls - delicious!)

OK, let's get to fixing.

Now, I’ve got some notes, tips and substitutions coming up below on how to make this chopped southwestern chicken salad. Just tryin’ to be helpful.

If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.

Ingredient Notes:

• Lettuce: I used all romaine lettuce here so it's nice and crunchy but you could substitute spinach, iceberg or mixed greens if you prefer.
• Chicken: You can use leftover grilled chicken for this recipe (especially if it's my cheesy fiesta grilled chicken), leftover roasted chicken or pick up a store-bought rotisserie chicken. When I don't have any of those, I roast a couple of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the oven at 350 for about 30 minutes. I always have some of Emeril's southwestern seasoning on hand, so I use that.
• Corn: I roasted the corn in a dry saute pan over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes to get some good charring. (Just be sure to keep an eye on it!) This step is completely optional - the salad is great with fresh or frozen (thawed) corn thrown right in, too.
• Jalapeño: You can control the heat of this salad by either removing all the seeds and membranes from the jalapeño pepper (so it won't be spicy at all) or leaving some in for a little kick.
• Dressing: The homemade dressing is super simple to make in a blender in just minutes, but you could also substitute your favorite store-bought southwestern style dressing if you prefer.

Finally, don't forget the toppings!

Topping Ideas:

• Shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack or a Mexican blend)
• Crushed tortilla chips
• Salsa or pico de gallo
• Avocado (sliced or diced)
• Guacamole
• Pickled jalapeños

Choose your favorites!

Oh, and if you are making this in advance - for meal prep or just to get ahead - I just recommend that you keep the salad and dressing separate.

Toss them together before you're ready to serve, so everything stays fresh.

Mix this up soon and join me in the glory of a chopped salad!

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn

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5 from 1 vote

Southwestern Chopped Salad

Southwestern chopped salad with grilled chicken, black beans, peppers, tomatoes and corn is fresh, crunchy and full of flavor and is finished with a super simple creamy cilantro lime dressing!

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Yield: 4 servings

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Cook Mode

Ingredients

For the salad:

• 10 cups romaine lettuce, finely chopped
• ½ red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced small
• 1 cup corn, from 2 cobs or from frozen (see notes)
• ¾ cup black beans
• 2 cups cooked chicken breast, small diced (see notes)

For the dressing:

• ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt, I use non-fat
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, I use low-fat
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded for less heat
• ½ cup packed cilantro leaves
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper

Optional toppings:

• Crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheddar or Monterey or pepper Jack cheese, avocado, salsa, pickled jalapeños, etc.

Instructions

• Combine all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
• Make the dressing. Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.
• Pour dressing over salad and mix to coat everything well. Add desired toppings and serve it up!

Notes

Lettuce: I used all romaine lettuce here so it's nice and crunchy but you could substitute spinach, iceberg or mixed greens if you prefer.

Chicken: I roasted the chicken breasts with southwestern seasoning at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. You could also use grilled chicken or my fiesta chicken. Or you can use a rotisserie chicken from the store.

Corn: I roasted the corn in a saute pan (can use 1 teaspoon olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper or can do it dry - just watch closely). I use medium-high heat and give it about 5 minutes to get some good charring. This step is completely optional - the salad is great with fresh or frozen (thawed) corn thrown right in, too.

Dressing: This homemade dressing is super simple to make in a blender in just minutes, but you could also substitute your favorite store-bought southwestern style dressing if you prefer.

Make ahead: If you are making this ahead, keep the salad and the dressing separate until you are ready to eat.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 277kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 3g | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 6g

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