This flavorful Southwest Chicken Salad is a blend of seasoned grilled chicken, black beans, sweet corn, and creamy avocado on a bed of crisp lettuce. Drizzled with a tangy honey lime dressing this main dish salad is filled with flavors that will transport your taste buds to a sunny southwestern place.
When the weather is hot, or even not, a Southwest Chicken Salad for dinner is refreshing, flavorful and nourishing too.
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Chicken Salad with Lime Dressing
Enjoy this hearty salad dinner with a glass of sangria and a square of cornbread.
Chicken breasts are seasoned with taco seasoning but you can easily make this salad with leftover chicken you have on hand.
Served on a bed of greens, an assortment of ingredients add texture and color to this easy weeknight dinner.
Using canned beans and canned corn makes this an easy southwest chicken salad recipe to put together!
The homemade salad dressing will make you pucker with its delightful sweet and citrus notes.
Get ready for juicy chicken and southwest flavors in every forkful. Trust me, this will quickly become your new go-to recipe and favorite summer salad for dinner.
give this chicken salad recipe a tropical flair and serve it with my Chipotle Mango Salad Dressing !
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How to make southwestern chicken salad
Scroll down for the full recipe instructions and ingredient amounts in the recipe card below
- Step 1: In mason jar, shake the olive oil, lime
juice, minced garlic, honey, ground cumin, salt, and pepper until blended.
- Step 2: Season chicken breasts with taco seasoning and kosher salt.
- Step 3: Cook the chicken until juices run clear and the chicken is cooked through.
- Step 4: Remove from the heat and let the chicken rest for 5 minutes then slice into strips.
- Step 5: In a large bowl arrange the mixed greens topped with black beans, corn, avocado, tomatoes and chicken. Drizzle with dressing.
Hint: You can cook the chicken ahead and refrigerate it until you are ready to assemble the salad.
Expert recipe tips
- Make the honey lime dressing ahead and refrigerate it until ready to drizzle over the salad.
- You can cook the chicken ahead and refrigerate it until you are ready to assemble the salad.
- Add thinly sliced red onion or chopped green onions
- Add a dollop of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt to the dressing and make a creamy dressing
- Add crumbled queso fresco cheese or shredded cheddar cheese
Substitutions
- If you are short on time, you can substitute leftover cooked chicken instead of cooking the chicken. You can even use rotisserie chicken.
- Fresh corn, cut off of the cob, will be delicious in this recipe instead of canned corn kernels.
- Not a fan of cilantro? Use parsley instead.
- Cherry tomatoes can be replaced with chopped tomatoes or grape tomatoes.
- Garlic powder can be substituted for the fresh garlic
- I used my homemade taco seasoning but a store-bought seasoning can be used also
Equipment
- skillet or grill pan
- measuring spoons
- measuring cups
- chef knife
- cutting board
- whisk
Storage
- Store any leftover southwest salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- It is best to keep the vinaigrette separate from the salad ingredients when storing, if possible. Otherwise your salad may become wilted and soggy.
- As always, I find it helpful to visit the FDA website for food storage guidelines
Food Safety
- Cook chicken to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
Ingredients
Ingredients for southwest chicken salad recipe
- olive oil
- lime juice
- garlic
- honey
- ground cumin
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- boneless skinless chicken breasts
- homemade taco seasoning
- mixed salad greens
- black beans
- corn kernels
- avocado
- cherry tomatoes
- cilantro
Easy Main Dish Salad Recipes
Looking for other main dish salad recipes? You'll want to give these easy recipes a try too:
What to serve with southwest chicken salad
These are my favorite dishes to serve with a southwestern chicken salad:
Southwest Chicken Salad
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Equipment
- grill pan or skillet
Ingredients
Honey Lime Dressing:
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Chicken Salad:
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts about 2 large chicken breasts
- 1 Tablespoon taco seasoning
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 cups mixed salad greens
- 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 can corn kernels drained
- 1 large ripe avocado diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
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Instructions
Honey Lime Dressing:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, minced garlic, honey, ground cumin, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
Chicken Salad:
- Heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat.
- Season chicken breasts with taco seasoning and kosher salt.
- Grill the chicken for 8 minutes, turn and continue to cook until the juices run clear and the chicken is cooked through, about 6 additional minutes. Remove from the heat and let the chicken rest for 5 minutes then slice into strips.
- In a large serving bowl, or in individual bowls, arrange the mixed greens topped with black beans, corn, avocado and tomatoes.
- Add the sliced grilled chicken, sprinkle with cilantro and drizzle with some of the reserved saladdressing. Serve the remaining odressing on the side.
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