This Southwest Chopped Chicken Taco Salad will keep everyone around your dinner table happy. Bursting with Tex-Mex flavours, including juicy taco-seasoned chicken, black beans, corn, tomatoes, avocados, and cheese you can easily customize it to include your family's favourite ingredients.
Do you have picky eaters in your family? Do you ever wonder what to serve your guests when you don't know their likes or dislikes? Southwest Chicken Taco Salad to the rescue!
Taco salad solves all my problems when I'm choosing what to make for a dinner that I know everyone will love.
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Flavour! All your favourite Mexican or Tex-Mex flavours.
- Great for picky eaters: Kids can often be picky eaters as they're learning about different textures and flavours. I've found that they love taco flavours.
- Prep ahead: All the ingredients in this taco salad can be made in advance, giving you more time to spend with your friends or family, instead of rushing around in the kitchen.
- The answer for special diets: With allergies, food sensitivities and special diets, it can sometimes be difficult to serve a one-size-fits-all dinner. Letting your guests or family members create their own salad has been my lifesaver for this problem. I offer all the ingredients, either on a big platter or in separate serving dishes and invite my guests to dig in.
- I use this same strategy when I make Family Style Greek Cobb Salad. It makes everyone feel comfortable and allows them to stick with their special diet.
Love those Southwest flavours? Try something different for Taco Tuesday, like these Shrimp Tacos with Tomatillo Guacamole, Grilled Fish Tacos with Pineapple Rhubarb Salsa or Shredded Chicken Tacos.
🛒 Ingredients and substitutions
Here's a list of the main ingredients you'll need to make this chicken taco salad. You'll find a complete list in the recipe card below.
- chicken breasts: boneless, skinless
- taco seasoning mix
- romaine lettuce or other crisp greens. A bed of chopped romaine forms the base of this delicious chicken taco salad.
- black beans: canned, drained and rinsed
- corn kernels: fresh, canned or frozen and thawed
- avocado: tossed in 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- cherry tomatoes or chopped tomatoes
- red onion
- Monterey Jack cheese: or cheddar cheese or non-dairy vegan cheese.
- tortilla chips: or tortilla strips for serving alongside or crushing on top of the salad.
- lime wedges and fresh cilantro for garnish
How to Make Chopped Chicken Taco Salad
- In a small bowl, whisk the zesty lime vinaigrette ingredients together and set aside to allow the flavours to blend.
- Preheat your grill or stovetop grill pan over medium heat.
- Season the chicken breasts with homemade taco seasoning mix. Drizzle olive oil over the chicken breasts and rub the seasonings to coat evenly. Grill the chicken for about 6-8 minutes per side or until cooked through, or air fry for about 6 minutes per side. Remove from the heat and let it rest for a few minutes. Slice the chicken into thin strips or cubes.
- In a large salad bowl, combine the chopped romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, corn kernels, black beans, diced avocado, red onion, and shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese.
- Pour the lime vinaigrette over the salad and toss gently to coat all the ingredients.
- Top the salad with the sliced grilled chicken and (optional) finely chopped cilantro.
- Serve cold. Top with crushed tortilla chips just before serving so they don't become soggy.
- Alternatively, arrange all the ingredients on a large platter or in individual bowls and let your guests serve themselves to create their own taco salad.
How to serve taco salad
This healthy Southwest Chicken Taco Salad keeps everyone happy!
- This chopped chicken taco salad is perfect for a light lunch or dinner. Feel free to customize it with your favorite toppings such as finely diced jalapenos, pickled jalapeños, sour cream, pickled red onions, guacamole or salsa.
- If you want to let your family or friends choose what they like to make their own taco salad, arrange the ingredients on a large platter or in individual bowls.
- Offer a bowl of rice chips as well as tortilla chips for those who may be avoiding corn in their diet. Your vegetarian friends can skip the chicken, and vegans can also skip the cheese or you can offer vegan cheese.
- Offer cilantro and dressing on the side for those who choose to avoid it.
- Tossing the salad with a lime vinaigrette keeps it fresh and light, and adds a deliciously piquant flavour!
Next time you're faced with the problem of satisfying everyone's likes and dislikes, try this Chopped Chicken Taco Salad! A win-win.
🗒More chicken salad dinner recipes
More favourite chicken salads that make a completely satisfying meal:
This recipe was originally published in 2016. It has been completely updated with new information and photos.
🌟 Did you make this easy chicken taco salad?
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📖 Recipe
Chopped Chicken Taco Salad
Keep even the pickiest eater happy with all the options provided in this recipe for Chopped Chicken Taco Salad. Easy to customize for your vegetarian or vegan friends.
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RateServings: 6
Calories: 540kcal
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- 2 teaspoons olive oil,
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
- 5 - 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 cup black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup corn kernels, fresh, canned or frozen and thawed
- 1 cup chopped avocado, tossed in 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese or cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 - 3 cups tortilla chips
- 1 medium lime for garnish
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped (optional)
Zesty Lime Vinaigrette
- ½ cup olive oil, extra-virgin
- 3 tablespoons lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- ½ small shallot, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 ½ tablespoons honey, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon each sea salt or Kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Toss chicken breasts with oil, and then rub with taco seasoning mix.
- In a small bowl, whisk the zesty lime vinaigrette ingredients together and set aside to allow the flavours to blend. Serve the chopped chicken taco salad immediately and enjoy!
- Preheat your grill or stovetop grill pan over medium heat. Season the chicken breasts with homemade taco seasoning mix.Drizzle olive oil over the chicken breasts and rub the seasonings to coat evenly. Grill the chicken for about 6-8 minutes per side or until cooked through. Remove from heat and let it rest for a few minutes. Slice the chicken into thin strips or cubes
- In a large salad bowl, combine the chopped lettuce, cherry tomatoes, corn kernels, black beans, diced avocado, red onion, and shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese. Pour the lime vinaigrette over the salad and toss gently to coat all the ingredients.
- Top the salad with the sliced grilled chicken and finely chopped cilantro. Add crushed tortilla chips just before serving so they don't become soggy. Serve with lime wedges.
- Alternatively, arrange all the ingredients on a large platter or in individual bowls and let your guests serve themselves to create their own taco salad.
Nutrition
Calories: 540kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 534mg | Potassium: 853mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 7259IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 239mg | Iron: 3mg
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Marlo
Fresh flavors, easy, balanced and everyone liked it! A keeper recipe.
Jane Amstutz
Brilliant idea for tricky appetites and dietary needs. Yummy looking salad. Who doesn't love tortilla chips? If corn, it's a low fodmap option for sensitive digestive tracts.
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Jane! We love this one. Good to know that corn chips are okay on low fodmap diets.