Southwest Chicken Salad

This easy Southwest Chicken Salad is a great way to use up leftover chicken in a recipe that comes together quickly. Serve it as a lunch or dinner entree or smaller portions as a side dish.

I love a good, hearty, and filling salad that you can eat for dinner. For even more, try this Taco Salad or this Steak Cobb Salad.

I love a good salad. And it’s a good thing I can convince my family that a salad, and only a salad, is a good idea for dinner. It doesn’t hurt when it’s loaded up with all kinds of goodies like chicken, corn, black beans and tomatoes.

And and easy, and delicious, homemade spicy cilantro dressing.

This Southwest Chicken Salad is super filling, as well, so it works well as an entree salad. As I was making it, I crossed my fingers that it would make enough to feed my whole family and not leave them hungry. We actually ended up having a little bit leftover because it was so filling. But it would also make a great side dish – perfect to go alongside shrimp tacos or chicken tostadas.

Either way, this is one chicken salad that you’ll love!

Ingredients

For the Dressing:

• Cilantro
• Greek Yogurt – You can use full fat or low fat.
• Lime Juice
• Garlic
• Jalapeno – leave the seeds and ribs in if you want more heat!
• Salt and Pepper
• Olive Oil – the flavor of the olive oil will come through, so if you want something more neutral, use a neutral flavored oil like vegetable oil or canola oil.

For the Salad:

• Chicken – I use cooked, shredded chicken to make this easy and fast. But you could always cook up or grill up some chicken for this salad.
• Taco Seasoning – I like to use my homemade taco seasoning.
• Lettuce
• Black Beans
• Tomatoes
• Corn
• Avocado
• Red Onion
• Jalapeno
• Cilantro

How to Make Southwest Chicken Salad

Make the dressing by combining the cilantro, yogurt, lime juice, garlic, jalapeno, and salt and pepper in a blender. Blend until smooth.

With the blender on low, start streaming in the oil until it is combined and the dressing has emulsified.

Take the taco seasoning and mix it into the chicken.

Assemble the salad with the lettuce on the bottom, then add all of the toppings.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad before serving.

Substitutions

You can substitute in your favorite store bought dressing (although I think this dressing makes this salad!) This salad would also be delicious with my Avocado Ranch Salad Dressing or Chipotle Ranch Dressing.

The toppings on this salad are super versatile. Leave off any that you don’t care for. Add anything extra, like peppers, cucumbers, or shredded cheese.

Tips and Tricks

The dressing will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator. It can definitely be made in advance – I like it the best once it has time to sit in the fridge for a bit.

I like to mince my garlic before adding it to the blender. You could throw it in whole, but you always run the risk of having chunks of garlic.

You can serve this salad all in a large bowl, like shown in the photographs, or you can set up a salad bar and let each person all their favorite ingredients.

More Southwest Inspired Recipes

Southwest Egg Rolls
Southwest Cheese Ball
Southwestern Breakfast Bowl