Southwest Chicken Salad Recipe

Name: Southwest Chicken Salad Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2 cups rotisserie chicken (diced); 1 bell pepper (diced); 1 cup black beans (or pinto); 1 cup sweet yellow corn (canned, fresh, or frozen and defrosted); 2 roma tomatoes (diced); 4 scallions (washed and sliced, white and green parts); 1 large romaine heart (washed and chopped); 1/2 bunch cilantro (washed and chopped); 2 avocados (perfectly ripe, diced); 2 cups tortilla chips (crushed); 1/2 cup mayonnaise; 1/2 cup sour cream; 1/2 tbsp ranch seasoning; 1/2 tbsp taco seasoning; 1/2 tbsp lime juice (optional); salt (to taste); black pepper (to taste)

4.99 from 51 votes

By Katie

April 3, 2024

112 comments

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Looking for a scrumptious salad bursting with bold Southwest flavors? Look no further than this easy Southwest Chicken Salad Recipe! Packed with juicy chicken, crisp veggies, and a creamy dressing, it’s a perfect addition to your meal rotation.

A colorful southwest chicken salad with avocado, corn, and tomatoes on a blue plate.

Why You’ll Love this Southwest Chicken Salad

The other day I thought I’d experiment with some leftover black beans and leftover chicken I had in my fridge. Best decision ever. The results are a tasty Southwest Salad with a little something for everyone! Plus, there was no cooking involved! BONUS.

If you’re looking for other salads, don’t look far, here are a couple of favorites: macaroni salad, cucumber salad, seafood salad, chicken salad with grapes or broccoli salad.

Various ingredients for a southwest salad arranged neatly on a marble countertop.

Ingredients Needed For Chicken Southwest Salad

You should expect 20 minutes of work time, I’d say. Besides that, you should be good to go. This is a really straight forward Southwest Salad recipe that will impress your taste buds with all these bold flavors brought together. All very simple ingredients…here’s what you’ll need:

For the salad:

Sweet Corn, Avocado, Tomatoes, Green Peppers, and Romaine Lettuce – all of these fresh veggies makes up the filling of this salad and help make it a southwestern chicken salad. Consider using grilled corn for an added layer of flavor.
Chicken – think rotisserie, or leftover chicken! Or, feel free to cook your own chicken and use that.
Black Beans – feel free to substitute any bean of your choice.
Scallions (aka green onion) and Fresh Cilantro – these make the salad so much more flavorful!
Tortilla Chips – pick your favorite brand and add them in. They give the most wonderful crunch to this chopped salad.

For the creamy salad dressing:

ranch seasoning– adds some savory flavor.
taco seasoning– use my homemade taco seasoning, or a packet of store-bought seasoning is great too.
sour cream– adds tanginess.
mayo– use a good real mayonnaise like Duke’s for a smooth and creamy dressing.
pantry staples: lime juice, salt and black pepper

Variations:

Swap rotisserie chicken for grilled chicken breasts (boneless skinless chicken breasts).
Substitute black beans with kidney beans or pinto beans.
Use different colored bell peppers for added visual appeal.
Replace mayonnaise with plain Greek yogurt for a lighter dressing.
Add red onion instead of scallions.

Various condiments and ingredients for a southwest salad arranged neatly on a marble surface.

How to Make Southwest Chicken Salad

This simple chicken salad combined with all the southwestern flavors is my favorite summer salad! It’s a healthy and hearty salad that comes together in about 20 minutes! For full recipe details, including ingredient measurements see the printable recipe card down below. Here are step-by-step directions for making this salad.

1. Prep the Chicken + Veggies

In a large bowl, combine diced chicken, green pepper, black beans, sweet yellow corn, diced tomatoes, sliced scallions, chopped romaine heart, and cilantro.

A bowl of freshly chopped lettuce, cilantro, and southwest salad.

Ingredients for a mixed bean and vegetable southwest salad arranged separately in a glass bowl before mixing.

2. Make the Creamy Salad Dressing

In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, ranch seasoning, taco seasoning, lime juice, salt, and pepper until smooth.

Pouring mayo into a southwest salad bowl.

Seasoning being sprinkled over a creamy southwest salad mixture in a white bowl.

3. Toss Salad with Dressing + Add Toppings

Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and toss until well combined.

Note: Pour *just enough* dressing over the salad to moisten everything and toss.

A bowl of creamy southwest mixed salad with various vegetables and dressing.

A bowl of southwest salad with leafy greens, avocado pieces, and crushed tortilla chips.

Gently stir in fresh avocado (diced) and crushed tortilla chips. Serve immediately and enjoy!

A plate of colorful southwest salad with avocado and chips on a marbled surface, accompanied by a fork, a napkin, a salt shaker, and a slice of lime.

Make-Ahead + Storage Directions for Southwest Chicken Salad

Store leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. After that things tend to get soggy and gross.

I don’t recommend freezing salad due to the avocado and lettuce, but you can prep the salad ingredients ahead of time and assemble when ready to serve.

To Make Ahead– simply chop and combine everything except the avocados, tortilla chips, and dressing. Refrigerate the dressing and salad in separate containers, then when ready to serve, top with the dressing and stir in some crushed tortilla chips with that ripe avocados.

If you let the salad, tortilla chips, and dressing mingle too long together in the fridge things tend to get soggy, that’s why it’s best to wait until you’re ready to devour this salad.

A plate of creamy southwest salad garnished with fresh herbs, served with a pair of gold-colored utensils on a marble tabletop.

What to Serve with Southwest Chicken Salad

While this easy chicken salad has enough components in it to be a main dish salad, sometimes you just want a little more to serve with it. Here are a few ideas:

More Salads To Try!

Whether you’re meal prepping for the week ahead or craving a satisfying lunch, this Southwest Chicken Salad Recipe is sure to become your new favorite salad! I hope you like this one, guys! The printable recipe card is below! Have a great day!

If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.