Fiesta Chicken Salad

a Southwestern Chicken Salad in a mixing. bowl with salad tongs.

No ratings yet

This Fiesta Chicken Salad is the perfect protein-based dinner! It's made with crunchy romaine lettuce, corn, black beans, pico de gallo, shredded cheese, and Mexican chicken, then finished off with a zesty fiesta Ranch dressing. Just 25 minutes to make!

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Total Time25

Servings: Servings

Calories: 628kcal

Ingredients

For the chicken

1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
1 lime juice of
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

For the Salad

2 romaine hearts chopped
1 can Mexican style corn (11 ounce) drained
1 can black beans (15 ounce) drained and rinsed
1 cup Pico de Gallo
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese or mexican blend

Fiesta Ranch Dressing

8 ounces sour cream
1/3 cup Salsa
½ ranch seasoning packet (½ ounce or 1½ tablespoons)
2 teaspoons taco seasoning
1 lime juice of
water or buttermilk to thin

Instructions

For the chicken

Cut the chicken breast into thin cutlets. Then place them in a zip top bag or container with taco seasoning and lime juice. Mix together and let marinate for 10 minutes.
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.
Once hot, place each piece of chicken flat into the skillet. Let it cook 3-4 minutes on the first side, then flip and repeat on the other side until cooked through (165˚F internal temperature.)
Remove from heat and let rest while you assemble the salad.

To make the Fiesta Ranch Dressing

Whisk together the sour cream, salsa, ranch seasoning, taco seasoning, and lime juice.
Whisk in buttermilk or water until the dressing reaches your desired consistency.
If you like a thicker dressing, you might not need any, however if you like a thinner pourable dressing you might use up to ¼-⅓ cup.

To assemble the salad

Place the chopped romaine in the bottom of a large shallow bowl. Top with corn, black beans, pico de gallo and cheese.
Dice (or slice) the chicken into pieces and add to the top of the salad.
Drizzle with Fiesta ranch dressing and toss to coat the salad.
*See notes for optional serving ideas.

Notes

Yield: 4 entree sized salads, or 8-10 side salads.

Alternate serving ideas:

Salad Bar- Set up all of the toppings as a bar and let each person top their own.
Meal Prep- Place in a mason jar or container in layers starting with the dressing
- Fiesta dressing
- Diced chicken
- Pico de gallo
- Corn
- Black beans
- Romaine
- Cheese

Nutrition