By the time January rolls around, I find myself craving fruits and vegetables and quite finished with sweets from the holidays. This southwestern chicken salad is completely loaded with vegetables, protein and flavor which makes it taste so good after all those holiday goodies! This recipe is catered to making the salad indoors over the stovetop instead of grilling the chicken and sweet corn outside but do feel free to grill the chicken for more flavor. Some like to grill a fresh corn on the cob for this salad. I think grilled fresh sweet corn would taste even better than canned corn listed in this recipe, but canned corn works well when the grill is covered in snow!
If you love to try new salad recipes, you may also enjoy my recipes for Curried Chicken Cobb Salad or Strawberry Pecan Salad.
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Southwestern Chicken Salad with Spicy Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
For the Chicken and Marinade:
- 1 pound chicken breast
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons diced cilantro
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice freshly squeezed or bottled
- 1/2 teaspoon taco seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (scant) can add as desired
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
For the Spicy Ranch Dressing: *see alternatives below.
- 1 cup Ranch dressing
- 2-3 tablespoons hot sauce add to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika or regular paprika can also add to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
For the Salad:
- Romaine lettuce or mixed greens
- 1 large avocado
- 1/4 cup diced onion optional
- 1 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes
- cilantro stems removed
- crushed tortilla chips
- shredded Colby Jack or cheddar cheese
- 3/4 cup canned black beans drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup canned whole kernel sweet corn drained
Instructions
- Chicken: Cut the chicken into cubes or strips then place into zip-lock bag or small mixing bowl. Dice the garlic and cilantro and place into a separate mixing bowl. Add lime juice, olive oil and seasonings then whisk all together until well combined. Pour the marinade over the chicken breast and then refrigerate for 4-8 hours or overnight.
- Spicy Ranch Dressing: Combine Ranch dressing with hot sauce, smoked paprika, garlic powder and chili powder. The spices can be adjusted to taste for the dressing.
- Salad: Chop enough lettuce to fill a salad bowl with several inches of room on top. Add onions, tomatoes and cilantro then set aside for now. Amounts can be adjusted to your preference.
- Heat several tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick skillet, then add the marinated chicken and fry on both sides until cooked through (roughly 2-3 minutes per side). Remove the chicken as soon as the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees and allow to rest for several minutes. Toss the drained canned corn and rinsed black beans in the same skillet over medium heat until they are toasted and heated through.
- Top the salad with the hot chicken, beans and corn, then finish it off with avocado slices, crushed tortilla chips and shredded cheese. Serve with dressing and enjoy! This salad is best when served fresh, storage notes and prep ahead tips below.
Notes
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I have not personally tried this avocado dressing from Love and Lemons, but think it would pair very well with this southwestern chicken salad. Click on the highlighted link to access the recipe.
Ingredients needed for this Southwest Chicken Salad: Romaine lettuce, tortilla chips, onion, avocado, shredded Colby Jack cheese, canned or fresh sweet corn, black beans, cilantro, diced cherry or grape tomatoes. For the dressing: Ranch dressing, hot sauce, garlic powder, smoked paprika and cumin. For the Chicken marinade: Chicken breast, garlic cloves, cilantro, olive oil, lime juice, taco seasoning, cumin, chili powder and salt.
Ingredient alternatives:
If you do not have all the ingredients on hand, you can probably swap in something else or omit it, especially the vegetables for the salad. You can use regular diced tomato instead of the grape or cherry tomatoes (or leave it out altogether). Cilantro does not have to be added, although it does add an important flavor profile to the salad. You can use other types of shredded cheese like cheddar or Mexican style. The dressing can be customized to taste, you can even skip making a dressing and use plain Ranch dressing or use bottled dressings like southwest Ranch, Chipotle Ranch or Cilantro Lime dressing.
For the Chicken: Cut the chicken into cubes or strips then place it into zip-lock bag or small mixing bowl. Dice the garlic and cilantro and place into a separate mixing bowl. Add lime juice, olive oil and seasonings then whisk all together until well combined. Pour the marinade over the chicken breast and then refrigerate for 4-8 hours or overnight. Fry the chicken in a pre-heated non-stick skillet coated with oil until nicely browned on all sides and heated through. Remove the chicken from the skillet and allow to rest, then toss the corn and beans into the skillet and cook until heated through. If there is liquid remaining from the marinade, the beans should soak it up.
For the spicy Ranch Dressing: Combine the Ranch dressing with hot sauce (add to taste) and seasonings then chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Note*
This dressing is best if prepped ahead of time! You can prep it a day or two ahead to allow the flavors to blend together. Keep refrigerated.
For the salad: Chop the lettuce, then top with tomatoes, onions and cilantro. Finish with cooked chicken, corn and beans, tortilla chips, avocado and shredded cheese. Serve with dressing and enjoy!
Storage tips:
This salad is definitely best when fresh as the chicken can dry out the longer it sits. If you wish to prep this salad ahead for enjoying throughout the week, I recommend keeping the chicken, corn and beans separate so that you can reheat them in the microwave. Chips and avocado should be added right before consuming to keep the chips from becoming stale and the avocado from browning.
Thanks for stopping by and feel free to pin this recipe for later! I love to hear from you, so be sure to leave a rating and comment in the comments section below. Thank you for your support-Marilyn Stoltzfus Peight.
