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This Southwest Chicken Salad has everything you want in a dinner salad. Crisp romaine is topped with warm seasoned shredded chicken, black beans, juicy tomatoes, fresh corn salsa, avocado, Monterey Jack cheese, crunchy tortilla strips, and creamy cilantro ranch dressing.
Easy Make-Ahead Southwest Chicken Salad
I know the ingredient list for this salad looks long, but most of it is seasonings and toppings. There really isn’t anything difficult about it.
I usually make the chicken, corn salsa, and dressing earlier in the day or the night before. Then everything is ready to pull out of the refrigerator when it is time for dinner. The contrast between the warm chicken, cold lettuce, creamy avocado, and crunchy tortilla strips is what makes this salad so good.
The seasoned chicken recipe makes about four cups, while you only need about three cups for six salads. Save the extra chicken for tacos, quesadillas, nachos, or lunch the next day.
❤️ Echo
Table of Contents
Ingredients
Mexican Shredded Chicken – The chicken is slow-cooked with chicken broth, garlic, Italian dressing mix, dry ranch seasoning, taco seasoning, paprika, chili powder, and cumin.
Fresh Corn Salsa – The corn salsa is made with corn, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, fresh lime juice, salt, and pepper. It adds sweetness, crunch, and just a little heat.
Creamy Cilantro Ranch Dressing – Ranch seasoning, mayonnaise, buttermilk, tomatillos, cilantro, garlic, lime, and jalapeño.
Salad and Toppings
- Romaine lettuce – Romaine is sturdy enough to hold all the toppings and stays crisp under the warm chicken and dressing.
- Black beans – Drain and rinse the beans well before adding them to the salad.
- Cherry tomatoes – Cut them in half so they are easier to eat. Diced Roma tomatoes will also work.
- Monterey Jack cheese – This cheese is mild and creamy, but you can also use cheddar, Pepper Jack, or a Mexican cheese blend.
- Avocado – Slice the avocado just before serving so it stays fresh and green.
- Tortilla strips – These add the crunch every good Southwest salad needs. Store-bought strips work, or you can make Homemade Tortilla Strips.
- Lime and cilantro – These are optional, but they make a pretty garnish and add one more layer of fresh flavor.
Step by Step Instructions
- Prepare the Chicken: Combine chicken breasts, chicken broth, oil, and seasonings in a crockpot. Cook 4 hours on high, then shred in the juices. Keep warm until ready to serve.
- Prepare the Corn Salsa: Rinse and drain frozen corn, add diced jalapeños, diced red onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Make the Dressing: Combine ranch seasoning, mayonnaise, buttermilk, tomatillos, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, and jalapeño in a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. The dressing will thicken slightly
- Make the Salad: Place 2 cups of lettuce in the bottom of each bowl.
- Add prepared chicken, corn salsa, cheese, drained and rinsed black beans, and tomatoes.
- Garnish with sliced avocado, lime wedges, and cilantro.
Recipe Tips
- Start the chicken early. The chicken takes the longest, so get it into the slow cooker at least four hours before you plan to eat.
- Don’t skip the final cooking time. Letting the shredded chicken cook in the juices for another 30 to 45 minutes gives it much more flavor.
- Make the salsa and dressing ahead. Both taste better after they have had time to chill.
- Drain everything well. Excess water from the corn or black beans can make the salad soggy.
- Keep the components separate. Don’t toss the entire salad with dressing unless you know it will all be eaten immediately.
- Add avocado and tortilla strips last. The avocado will stay fresh and the tortilla strips will stay crunchy.
- Use large bowls or plates. There are a lot of toppings on this salad. A small salad plate fills up quickly!
Make-Ahead Instructions
This is a great salad to prepare ahead or in stages.
Up to one day ahead, you can:
- Cook and shred the chicken.
- Make the corn salsa.
- Prepare the cilantro ranch dressing.
- Wash and chop the romaine.
- Rinse and drain the black beans.
- Shred the cheese.
- Wash and cut the tomatoes.
Store everything in separate covered containers in the refrigerator. Wait to slice the avocado and add the tortilla strips until just before serving.
Warm the chicken before assembling the salads, or serve it cold
Shortcuts and Variations
Use Rotisserie Chicken
For a faster dinner, replace the slow-cooked chicken with approximately three cups of shredded rotisserie chicken. You can serve it cold or warm it with a little taco seasoning and chicken broth.
Try Grilled Chicken
Season chicken breasts with taco seasoning, grill them, and slice them over the salad. This is especially good during the summer when you already have the grill going.
Adjust the Heat
Remove all the seeds and membranes from the jalapeños for a mild salad. Leave some in or add another jalapeño if you want more heat.
Change the Cheese
Monterey Jack keeps the flavors mild. Pepper Jack adds spice, while cotija gives the salad a salty, crumbly finish.
Make It Meatless
Leave out the chicken and add extra black beans, pinto beans, or both. You can also add cilantro lime rice to make the salad more filling.
Try Another Dressing
The cilantro ranch is my favorite, but this salad is also delicious with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette or Cafe Rio Creamy Tomatillo Ranch.
How to Store Leftovers
Store the chicken, lettuce, salsa, dressing, and toppings in separate airtight containers. The salad will become soggy once it has been dressed and not eaten right away.
Cooked chicken can be stored in the refrigerator for three to four days. Keep some of the cooking liquid with it so it stays moist. The corn salsa will keep for about three days, and the cilantro ranch can be refrigerated for up to five days.
The shredded chicken can be frozen separately, but the lettuce, dressing, tomatoes, and avocado will not freeze well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Use approximately three cups of shredded rotisserie chicken for six salads. Warm it with a little chicken broth and taco seasoning, or add it cold when you assemble the salads.
You can serve it either way. I like the seasoned chicken warm over the cold lettuce, but the salad is also delicious with chilled chicken. This makes it a good option for meal-prep lunches.
You can prepare nearly everything ahead, but keep the ingredients separate. Assemble the salads and add the avocado, tortilla strips, and dressing just before serving.
Drain the corn and black beans well and store the dressing separately. Keep warm chicken away from the lettuce until you are ready to assemble the salad. Add the tortilla strips at the very end.
It can be, but check the labels on the seasoning packets, chicken broth, ranch mix, and tortilla strips. Ingredients and manufacturing methods can vary by brand.
More Dinner Salad Ideas
When you make this Southwest Chicken Salad, be sure to leave a rating ⭐ and comment below. We read every one and would love to hear how it turned out and which toppings you added!
Southwest Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Seasoned Shredded Chicken
- 3 chicken breasts
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 packet (0.7 ounce packet) Good Seasons Italian Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon dry ranch dressing mix
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
Corn Salsa
- 12 ounces frozen corn, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
- 1/3 cup red onion, finely diced
- 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Additional Salad Ingredients
- 12 cups Romaine lettuce, chopped
- 15 ounces black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- 2 avocados, sliced
- 1 1/2 cups tortilla strips
- 1 lime, sliced
- 6 cilantro sprigs, optional
Cilantro Ranch Dressing
- 1 packet (1- ounce) Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning, original (not buttermilk)
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 tomatillos, husked and diced
- 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 1 jalapeño, stem removed
Instructions
Prepare the Seasoned Shredded Chicken in a Crockpot (4-hours in advance)
- Place chicken breasts in a slow cooker. Pour chicken broth and vegetable oil over chicken. Sprinkle all of the seasonings over the chicken.
- Cover with lid and simmer on high for 3-4 hours. Chicken should shred easily. Place a fork in the thickest part of a chicken breast and twist. If it turns easily, it's ready to shred.
- Remove the lid and shred the chicken using two forks. Cover and simmer another 30-45 minutes for the chicken to soak up the juices.
Prepare the Corn Salsa (one day to 1-hour in advance)
- In a large bowl, combine corn, cilantro, red onion, jalapeños, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Stir well and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Make the Dressing (one day to 1-hour in advance)
Arrange the Salad (just prior to serving)
- Prepare each salad separately on 6 large plates or large bowls. Place 2 cups of chopped lettuce in each bowl.
- Arrange approximately ½ cup shredded chicken, ¼ cup black beans, ¼ cup corn salsa, ¼ cup tomatoes, and ¼ cup shredded cheese over the lettuce.
- Garnish each salad with sliced avocado, tortilla strips, lime slices, and a sprig of cilantro (optional). Top with prepared salad dressing or serve on the side.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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