Southwest Chicken Salad
This southwest chicken salad is so good! I just love it. The crispy tortilla strips, the grilled corn, the perfectly seasoned chicken, and don’t forget the vibrant cilantro lime dressing.
We have been eating variations of this southwest chicken salad for years. The mainstays have always been the crispy tortilla strips, the southwest-seasoned chicken, black beans, corn and cilantro. Sometimes I’d throw in other veggies, but this combination is just perfect and all you need. This salad is a meal in and of itself, with plenty of protein, fiber and veggies that will keep you satisfied for hours! Let’s make it!
Ingredient notes
Corn tortillas – you’ll use these to make the crispy tortilla strips. Just store-bought standard-sized corn tortillas are what you want.
Southwest-seasoned chicken breast – we will make a simple, yet flavorful spice rub for the chicken. As always, I’m going to recommend that you salt the chicken ahead of time to ensure the best flavor and the most tender meat possible.
Corn – I often just use thawed frozen corn, but since it’s summer and I was going to grill the chicken anyway, why not grill the corn, too! It adds great flavor, but you definitely can swap it for thawed frozen corn if you want to.
Black beans – another southwest standard! Black beans bring great texture, flavor and fiber to this salad!
Mixed greens – I also often will use romaine lettuce for this salad. Even iceberg will work here.
Tomatoes – I like to use cherry or grape tomatoes but any tomato you like will do.
Red onion – red onion adds the perfect little crunch and tang to this salad. I prefer red in this salad but you can also use white or yellow onion.
Cheddar cheese – perhaps not necessary, but I really like it in this salad. I love the flavor it brings, and grated cheddar cheese is always in the fridge at my house!
Cilantro-lime dressing – this dressing is just me riffing on my go-to vinaigrette. I switched it up a little by adding some lime juice and a bunch of fresh cilantro. It’s bright, tangy, and complements the salad ingredients perfectly. A salad is only as good as its dressing!
How to make this southwest chicken salad
If you will be following the recipe in its entirety and not swapping the tortilla strips for chips and such, start by making the tortilla strips. They take a little bit of time but are SO worth it and you can do other prep tasks while they cook.
Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add coconut oil and tortilla strips in an even layer. Stir gently because the tortillas will break apart at this point. Let them sit and cook for a few minutes without stirring. Then cook and stir occasionally until browned and crisp. Towards the end of cooking, you’ll need to stir more often.
Tips for the best southwest-seasoned chicken
My #1 tip for the best chicken is to salt the meat ahead of time. You can do this up to a day ahead for thick chicken breasts. Thinner cuts will be fine to salt just a few hours ahead. Either way, this ensures flavor penetrates the entire cut of meat and also makes it more tender. Who doesn’t want that?
After that we just use a simple southwest-inspired spice rub with smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, pepper and cayenne. Rub it on the chicken with some oil and you’re ready to grill!
When grilling chicken, you want to have the grill nice and hot to get those beautiful grill marks and slightly crisped edges. Heat grill to 450°F and cook on the first side until it’s browned on the bottom and the top side is beginning to look opaque, then flip. Cook until an internal temperature of 165°F is reached using a meat thermometer.
Please see the recipe card for notes on stovetop or oven cooking!
Allow the chicken to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing and assembling the salads.
Customizations & substitutions
Short on time?
- Substitute the tortilla strips for crushed tortilla chips!
- Use thawed frozen corn instead of grilled.
- Get a rotisserie chicken and either just use it plain or shred it and add the spice rub blend and mix until combined!
Make it vegan – try roasting chickpeas with the spice rub and swapping that in for the chicken!
A drizzle of my chipotle southwest sauce can add a little extra spice and sauciness if you are so inclined.
Tried this recipe?
If you try this recipe, please leave a star rating below and let me know how it went. I’d love to hear from you! You can also find me on Pinterest!
PrintSouthwest Chicken Salad
This southwest chicken salad is so good. I just love it. The crispy tortilla strips, the grilled corn, the perfectly seasoned chicken, and don’t forget the vibrant cilantro lime dressing. It’s so good!
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
southwest chicken
- 1 lb chicken breast
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- pinch of cayenne pepper
salad
- 8 corn tortillas, cut in half, then cut into strips
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- lime zest
- salt and pepper
- 1–2 avocados, cut into slices
- 2 ears fresh corn OR 1 cup thawed frozen corn
- 1 1/2 – 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
- cheddar cheese, grated
- mixed greens or chopped romaine lettuce
dressing
- 2/3 cup avocado oil
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp agave nectar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup cilantro, measure 1/2 cup then chop
Instructions
- The night before cooking, salt sprinkle chicken with 3/4 tsp salt evenly. Store in the fridge until ready to cook.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup coconut oil then add the tortilla strips in an even layer. Just let them cook a minute without stirring, then stir continue cooking and stirring until they begin to brown. As more of the strips are getting browned, you’ll want to stir more often to keep from burning. Once all are browned/crisped sprinkle with a little salt, pepper and add zest from 1 lime. This might take up to 20 minutes.
- Note: during the downtime while the tortilla strips cook, you can prep all the veggies and dressing.
- To make the dressing, simply combine all the ingredients in a jar with a secure lid and shake vigorously to combine, you’ll want to shake again just before serving.
- To cook the chicken and corn on the grill, heat to 450F.
- Rub chicken with oil, then combine spices in a small dish. Mix the spices then rub evenly over the top of the chicken.
- Rub corn with avocado oil as well and place chicken and corn on the grill.
- Cook chicken on first side for 5-7 minutes, until browned on the one side and beginning to turn opaque on the other. Flip and cook until an internal temperature of 165F is reached using a meat thermometer.
- Cook the corn until brown on all sides.
- Transfer corn and chicken to a clean plate and let rest while you do any remaining preparations for the salad.
- Once corn is cooled, stand up one ear vertically and use a knife to remove corn kernels.
- Cut chicken into thin slices.
- Assemble the salads with greens, black beans, corn, cheese, red onions, tomatoes, chicken, avocado slices, crispy tortillas and plenty of cilantro lime vinaigrette. Enjoy!
Notes
Substitutions – you can skip making the tortilla strips yourself and swap in crushed tortilla chips. Use frozen thawed corn instead of fresh grilled and you can even use shredded rotisserie chicken instead of cooking the chicken yourself.
Stovetop/oven – you can cook the chicken in a skillet on the stove over medium heat until an internal temp of 165F is reached, following the same guidelines as for grilling: cook on initial side until browned and turning slightly opaque on the top, flip and continuing cooking until safe temp is reached. Or you can bake in the oven. You won’t the crispy sear that comes with the grill or skillet but still will get some tasty chicken and enjoy more hands-off cooking. Ideal temp for baking chicken is 375F.
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