Southwest Salad

This delicious Southwest salad is loaded with fresh veggies and grilled chicken before being smothered with a tangy and creamy cilantro lime dressing to create the perfect meal. 

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This Southwest salad is the perfect mix of flavors and textures. With juicy tomatoes, creamy avocado, crispy bacon, tender chicken, and a cilantro lime dressing that gives it just the right amount of zing, it’s a salad you’ll love to eat!

Southwest Salad Ingredients

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This Southwest salad boasts a dynamic flavor profile with a blend of fresh ingredients and a cilantro-lime dressing that combines creaminess with the freshness of cilantro.

Together, this salad offers a harmonious blend of zesty, smoky, and fresh flavors, making it a delicious and satisfying meal.

You’ll need:

For The Cilantro-Lime Dressing:

• 1 cup of buttermilk
• 1 cup of mayonnaise
• ½ cup of sour cream
• 1 (0.4-ounce) packet of ranch salad dressing mix
• 4 tablespoons of fresh lime juice
• 7 tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro

For The Salad:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (approximately 1½ to 2-pound package)
• 1 (0.87-ounce) packet of Southwest ranch chicken taco seasoning (McCormick)
• ½ cup of light olive oil
• ¼ cup of water
• 1 (24-ounce) package of romaine lettuce hearts, rinsed and chopped
• 1 cup of canned black beans in seasoned sauce, liquids drained
• 1 cup of canned whole kernel sweet yellow corn, liquids drained
• 1 cup (from 4-6) of Campari tomatoes, quartered
• 1 Hass avocado, diced
• ½ cup of red onion, thinly sliced
• Optional garnish – Santa Fe-Style tortilla strips and a lime wedge

Substitutions And Additions

TACO SEASONING: If you cannot find the seasoning packet of Southwest ranch chicken taco seasoning, then you can substitute a standard packet of taco seasoning.

They will both taste delicious. They can both be found in the same section in your local grocery store.

TOMATOES: You can use any variety of small fresh tomatoes you have available in season, such as grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, in place of the Campari tomatoes.

You would only need to cut them in half.

SOUR CREAM: Greek yogurt can be used in place of sour cream in the creamy Southwest dressing.

How To Make This Southwest Salad Recipe

Make the delicious dressing and let it chill in the fridge before assembling the ingredients to create this tasty salad.

STEP ONE: In a medium mixing bowl, add the buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, packet of ranch salad dressing mix, fresh lime juice, and fresh chopped cilantro.

STEP TWO: Whisk together to fully incorporate all the ingredients.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour while preparing the remainder of the Southwest salad recipe.

STEP THREE: Add the boneless skinless chicken breasts to a large, heavy-duty, zip-top bag.

STEP FOUR: Add the packet of Southwest ranch chicken taco seasoning, light olive oil, and water to a small bowl. Stir to combine.

STEP FIVE: Pour the seasoned marinade over the chicken breasts inside the zip-top bag.

Seal the bag, making sure to remove as much air as possible, and place it into the refrigerator to allow the chicken to marinate for one hour.

STEP SIX: Once your chicken has marinated, you can preheat your outdoor grill to medium-high heat (approximately 425°F to 450°F, depending on how your grill runs).

STEP SEVEN: Grill your chicken breasts for 8 to 9 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.

Remove from the grill and slice each chicken breast into ½-inch thick slices.

Try to keep your chicken breast together to transfer it to your salad for a pretty presentation when assembling your salad.

STEP EIGHT: While the chicken is grilling, you can prepare the romaine lettuce, black beans, corn, tomatoes, avocado, and red onion slices.

You will need to divide the romaine lettuce equally into four large salad bowls.

STEP NINE: Top each bowl of lettuce with ¼ cup black beans, ¼ cup corn kernels, ¼ cup sliced tomatoes, a quarter of the chopped Hass avocado, and some red onion slices.

STEP TEN: Place one sliced grilled chicken breast onto the top of your salad and garnish your salad with a drizzle of homemade cilantro lime dressing.

STEP ELEVEN: You can add an optional garnish of the Santa Fe-style tortilla strips and a lime wedge to squeeze over the entire salad.

How To Serve

This hearty salad would make a full meal on its own. You could serve it for a filling lunch or dinner for a busy weeknight.

A batch of our dinner rolls would be a great addition to this delicious salad.

For more tasty salad recipes, you will love our Big Mac salad and our loaded pasta salad.

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Storing This Southwestern Salad

IN THE FRIDGE: It is best to eat this delicious salad immediately after it is made for the freshest flavors.

You can pre-assemble the salad (lettuce, black beans, corn, tomatoes, and red onion slices) ahead of time and cover the bowls with a piece of plastic wrap while your chicken breasts are marinating to save time.

You can also make the homemade dressing and store it in a mason jar in the fridge. I would wait to dice your avocado until you are ready to eat your salad so that the avocado does not start to brown before you are ready to serve your southwestern chicken salad.

MAKE AHEAD: To prepare the ingredients in the salad ahead of time, I would grill all the chicken breasts at one time, allow them to cool, and package the sliced chicken breasts into an airtight container.

You would need to prep all your other ingredients and store them in separate lidded containers in the refrigerator.

Once ready to eat, you can assemble your salad and top it with the Southwest salad dressing and optional garnishes.

IN THE FREEZER: We don’t recommend freezing any components of this salad. It is best made fresh.

This Southwest salad is everything you love about Tex-Mex food—fresh, vibrant, and loaded with so much flavor. With a rainbow of colors on your plate and a creamy dressing, it’s not only stunning to look at, but it’s healthy too! The perfect meal for any day of the week that the whole family will love.

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Southwest Salad

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This delicious Southwest salad is loaded with fresh veggies and grilled chicken before being smothered with a tangy and creamy cilantro lime dressing to create the perfect meal. 

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 18 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 18 minutes minutes

Servings 4

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Ingredients

  

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Cilantro Lime Dressing

• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• ½ cup sour cream
• 0.4 ounce packet of ranch seasoning
• 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 7 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Salad

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, approximately 1½ to 2 pound package
• 0.87 ounce Southwest ranch chicken taco seasoning packet (McCormick)
• ½ cup light olive oil
• ¼ cup water
• 24 ounces Romaine lettuce hearts, rinsed and chopped
• 1 cup canned black beans in seasoned sauce, liquids drained
• 1 cup canned whole kernel sweet yellow corn, liquids drained
• 1 cup Campari tomatoes, from 4 to 6 quartered
• 1 Hass avocado, diced
• ½ cup red onion, thinly sliced
• Santa Fe Style tortilla strips and a lime wedge, optional garnish

Instructions

 

• In a medium mixing bowl, add the buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, packet of ranch salad dressing mix, fresh lime juice, and fresh chopped cilantro.
• Whisk together to fully incorporate all the ingredients. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour while preparing the remainder of the Southwest salad recipe.
• Add the boneless skinless chicken breasts to a large, heavy-duty, zip-top bag.
• To a small mixing bowl, add the packet of ranch chicken taco seasoning, light olive oil, and water. Stir to combine.
• Pour the seasoned marinade over the chicken breasts inside the zip-top bag. Seal the bag, making sure to remove as much air as possible, and place it into the refrigerator to allow the chicken to marinate for 1 hour.
• Once your chicken has marinated, you can preheat your outdoor grill to medium-high heat (approximately 425°F to 450°F, depending on how your grill runs).
• Grill your chicken breasts for 8 to 9 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Remove from the grill and slice each chicken breast into ½-inch thick slices. Try to keep your chicken breast together to transfer it to your salad for a pretty presentation when assembling your salad.
• While the chicken is grilling, you can prepare the romaine lettuce, black beans, corn, tomatoes, avocado, and red onion slices. You will need to divide the romaine lettuce equally into 4 large salad bowls.
• Top each bowl of lettuce with ¼ cup black beans, ¼ cup corn kernels, ¼ cup sliced tomatoes, a quarter of the chopped hass avocado and some red onion slices.
• Place one of the sliced grilled chicken breasts onto the top of your salad and garnish your salad with a drizzle of the cilantro-lime ranch salad dressing.
• You can add an optional garnish of the Santa Fe-style tortilla strips and a lime wedge to squeeze over the entire salad.

Notes

• This Southwest chicken salad recipe makes four very hearty large salads. If you only plan to eat one of the salads at a time, you can easily prepare additional servings for meals for the week.
• The dressing will keep for up to a week in the fridge. You can keep leftovers or prepare the dressing ahead of time.
• A little lemon juice on the avocado will prevent it from browning.

Nutrition

Calories: 1056kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 88g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 30g | Monounsaturated Fat: 37g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 119mg | Sodium: 1540mg | Potassium: 1536mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 16201IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 198mg | Iron: 4mg

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