Although I love the ease and convenience of ordering a prepared chicken salad out at restaurants, making it at home allows you to customize the ingredients and flavors to your own personal taste. That’s what makes this Southwest Style Salad recipe so special! It starts off with paprika and cumin-spiced baked bone-in chicken breasts cooked to perfection. Then, all I have to do is mix together my favorite southwestern vegetable blend (beans, corn and peppers) along with some delicate leafy greens and toss it all together in an insanely delicious creamy avocado dressing. It’s easy, filling and satisfying meal any night of the week. And if you cook the chicken ahead of time, the salad takes less than 30 minutes to make from start to finish. That’s much faster than ordering take-out at any of your favorite chain restaurants.
Southwest Chicken Salad Ingredients
This Southwestern chopped chicken salad recipe is made with a handful of fresh and pantry ingredients. For the chicken, gather together salt, pepper, sweet paprika, ground cumin, olive oil and three bone-in chicken breasts. For the salad, you will need romaine lettuce, canned black beans, canned corn, colorful mini peppers, jalapeno, scallions, cherry tomatoes, fresh cilantro, cheddar cheese and creamy avocado dressing.
A few helpful tips on ingredients:
Paprika: I used sweet paprika but if you like additional heat, feel free to use spicy hot paprika instead.Chicken: This recipe calls for three bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts for the right proportion of chopped chicken to the salad. Since chicken breasts typically come in packages of two, I recommend purchasing two packs and cooking the extra chicken breast (seasoned with salt and pepper so as not to steal away from the paprika seasoning) right alongside the other three breasts. This way, you have an extra chicken breast prepped and ready to add to leafy green salads or sandwiches throughout the week.Alternatively, you can also use storebought rotisserie or grilled chicken for this healthy Southwest salad recipe.
Canned Black Beans and Corn: Whenever I think of Southwestern food, the first veggies that come to mind are beans, corn, and peppers. They are my go-to Southwest chicken salad toppings. When preparing them for the salad, make sure to rinse, drain and dry thoroughly. Too much water on the surface can dilute the dressing. Peppers: I used a few colorful sweet mini peppers, but one bell pepper (any color) would be a wonderful substitute.Jalapeno: You can’t have Southwestern food without a kick of spice. Easily control the amount of spice by using or removing the seeds and ribs (this is where the majority of the spice lives).Cheese: I love a sharp, yellow cheddar cheese, but feel free to use mild or white cheddar, pepper jack or Monterey jack, whatever you have on hand.
How to make a Southwest salad
This southwest salad is a filling, satisfying, flavorful weeknight salad recipe easily made by prepping the chicken and then assembling the salad.
The Chicken
The Salad
How to make a Southwest dressing
I find the best dressing for a southwest chicken salad is my avocado cilantro lime dressing. The recipe calls for ½ cup dressing, but when I make it for us, I go crazy with the dressing because we are big fans of avocado. Not only does the avocado provide a healthy dose of fat, but the flavors marry beautifully with the spices, vegetables, and cheese.
Prefer more of a traditional Southwest salad dressing?
That being said, if you are looking for different dressing options to try, I think the closest you can get to some of the restaurant versions of this salad is my go-to creamy southwest dressing, Chili and Lime Dressing, which adds a nice sweet-and-spicy touch. It takes the humble flavor of beans and corn to another level.
Toppings & Variations
I like to consider toppings as the fun and creative part. It’s also the ingredients that are easily customizable to suit your taste buds. A few of my favorite variations include:
Grilled Chicken: Prepare the chicken breasts on an outdoor grill during the spring and summer for a delicious Southwest grilled chicken salad. Grill marks combined with all the rest of the ingredients adds a nice, fire-roasted flavor.Rotisserie Chicken: Short on time? Head on over to the store and get an already cooked chicken for a quick and easy, meal worthy salad for dinner.Taco Seasoning: Replace the paprika and cumin with 2 teaspoons taco seasoning for a Tex-Mex seasoned chicken.Tortilla Chips: Crush a few tortilla chips in your hands and sprinkle on top of the salad just before serving.Change it up with different dressings: If you like this salad you can switch it up by using different dressing like homemade ranch dressing, or better yet, my healthier Greek Yogurt Salad Dressing.
How many calories are in southwest chicken salad?
One serving of this homemade southwest salad is 769 calories, which includes the chicken, vegetable ingredients, leafy greens, and 2-3 Tablespoons of the creamy avocado dressing. Keep in mind that it is the quality of those calories that really matter. Unlike restaurant versions, when I make this southwestern chicken salad at home, I can control the quality and quantity of ingredients.
How to store?
If you happen to have leftover salad that’s already been dressed, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. I would not keep it any longer as the avocado dressing begins to wilt the greens. For longer storage, you can cook the chicken, assemble the salad, make the dressing and store each component in separate glass containers. The prepped ingredients will keep well for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Other healthy chicken salad recipes you might like
Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe (with Greek yogurt)Asian Sesame Chicken SaladChicken Waldorf Salad
Other easy chicken recipes you might like
Open-Face Chicken Caprese SandwichQuick Chicken Stir Fry with Roasted BroccoliSkillet Roast Chicken with Parsnip and FennelSpicy Orange Ginger ChickenCheck out all easy chicken recipes on the blog
This Southwest Chicken Salad recipe was originally published in September 2016. It has been updated with more helpful information in July 2020.
