South Western Chicken Salad

South Western Chicken Salad mains This South western chicken salad is a flavorful and nutritious dish that combines the best of Tex-Mex cuisine with fresh, healthy ingredients. This salad is perfect for warm weather, as it's light, refreshing, and packed with protein. protein salads South Western Chicken Salad chicken, salads

This South western chicken salad is a flavorful and nutritious dish that combines the best of Tex-Mex cuisine with fresh, healthy ingredients. This salad is perfect for warm weather, as it’s light, refreshing, and packed with protein. To make a delicious southwestern chicken salad, you’ll need ingredients like rotisserie chicken, black beans, corn, red bell peppers, jalapeño and cilantro! The dressing is typically made with a combination of Greek yogurt, lime juice, and spices, which adds a rich and creamy element to the dish. Serve this southwest salad recipe over a bed of greens or romaine lettuce, with tortilla strips or chips, in a whole wheat pita pocket, or wrapped in a tortilla!

South Western Chicken Salad

Easy Southwest Chicken Salad Recipe Ingredients

  • CHICKEN: I use pre-cooked chicken for this chicken salad, most often rotisserie chicken for an easy quick version, but leftover chicken of almost any kind, including grilled chicken, can be used. Or you can use poached chicken or roast your own chicken. To end up with 4 cups diced chicken, you will need to cook approx 1⅓ pounds of raw, skinless boneless chicken. Or, buy a cooked rotisserie chicken that weighs between 2½-3 pounds. You can use canned chicken as well but I prefer cooked or rotisserie chicken.
  • MAYONNAISE: I prefer regular Hellmann’s as my go-to for optimal creaminess. It helps give chicken salad its rich creaminess and feel free to add more if needed to reach desired creaminess. Im not a fan of miracle whip or the sweet kind of mayo dressing but if that is what you prefer by all means use that
  • GREEK YOGURT: I like to use a little mayo mostly yogurt so you get the creaminess but also a bit of tanginess and a bit of a lighter tasting dressing. Feel free to use one or the other
  • LIME JUICE: Freshly squeezed lemon juice adds a nice brightness to the chicken salad
  • CORN: Feel free to use fresh corn or frozen thawed corn or canned corn. I add it in just so but if you prefer to saute the corn in a skillet for more flavor before adding it to the chicken salad you can.
  • GREEN ONIONS & RED ONION/SHALLOT: Green onions are a mild tasting onion variety and work great in egg salad, tuna salads and chicken salad and the red onion adds a nice crunch plus loads of flavour - shallots are great substitute for red onions - feel free to use both green onions and red onion/shallot or one or the other and add as much or as little as you prefer
  • BLACK BEANS: Black beans add fiber and more protein to the chicken salad. If you would like to swap them out with pinto beans you can.
  • PEPPERS: I love to add bell pepper and jalapeño pepper - usually red bell pepper for sweetness and 1 jalapeño for flavor and crunch.
  • FRESH HERBS: Fresh cilantro is what I always use but if you are not a fan feel free to swap it out with fresh parsley.
  • SPICES: Salt and pepper - generously season adjust to taste. I also like to add ground cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, oregano, and garlic powder. Feel free to adjust amounts to taste. If you prefer to use a store-bought blend of spices you could use 1-2 tablespoons taco seasoning instead of all the spices.
  • OPTIONAL ADD INS: Add a little hot sauce for a little spicy kick. Some grated Tex Mex cheese blend or Monterey Jack Cheese. I also like to add chopped avocado sometimes too.

South Western Chicken Salad

How To Make Chicken Salad

  1. Cook and or chop cooked chicken or shred
  2. Prepare all your veggies and other add ins - chop veggies, onions, herbs
  3. Stir the chicken with the rest of the ingredients
  4. Adjust flavours and creaminess to taste - add more mayonnaise, yogurt, salt and pepper, seasoning, lime juice or whatever you think might need to be adjusted to taste
  5. Serve in a sandwich, or as a dip for veggies or pita chips or any crisps you like

South Western Chicken Salad

What to Serve With Chicken Salad

Chicken salad classically makes a great chicken salad sandwich on toasted or untoasted bread lined with fresh greens of choice lettuce leaves, romaine, spinach or arugula, tomatoes or even sliced avocados adding richer flavor to your sandwich. It is also great in buns, croissants or in or on pita bread. Like egg salad and tuna salad, chicken salad can also be served as a dip for crisps and crackers, tortilla chips, carrots, celery, cucumber or pita chips.

South Western Chicken Salad

Chicken Salad Storage & Make ahead

  • STORAGE: Place the chicken salad into an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. Its probably good for up to 5 days but optimally I would say for fresh flavor 2-3 days
  • MAKE AHEAD: This chicken salad keeps well up to 2-3 days in the refrigerator, so it can be made ahead. Just remember any leftovers will not keep as long and the veggies may get a little less crunchy after day 1 or 2
  • FREEZING: Chicken salad doesn’t work well in the freezer, the veggies turn to mush and the mayo sometimes breaks. This is fast and easy to make, so no need to freeze it

More Recipes You Will Love

Recipe

Servings: 6
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

For the Chicken Salad

  • 4 cups shredded chicken
  • 1 cup black beans
  • 1 cup corn kernels
  • ½ cup diced red bell pepper
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, diced
  • ¼ cup finely diced red onion
  • 1 green onion sliced
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro

For the Dressing

  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • Zest of 1 lime
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon oregano
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Make the dressing: In a large bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, yogurt, lime zest, lime juice, all the spices, and salt, and pepper.
  2. To the dressing, add the chicken, scallions, bell peppers, jalapeños, red onion, beans, corn and chopped cilantro. Toss until evenly combined.
  3. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  4. Serve in sandwiches (I usually add lettuce and cucumber to mine), wraps, or even lettuce wraps for a low-carb option or serve as a dip with veggies and tortilla chips.
  5. Leftover chicken salad can be stored in an airtight container and stored in the fridge for up to 2-3 days

Recipe Notes

  • Chicken Salad is traditionally served cold and it has mayonnaise in it, so it shouldn’t stay out for longer than 2 hours or it will go bad.
  • Note: I use rotisserie chicken (approx 3lbs) for this recipe but you could use poached chicken or roast chicken for this recipe. If you’d like to use roasted chicken, you’ll need approx 1⅓ lbs chicken breasts. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange the chicken breasts skin-side up on the prepared baking sheet. Coat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle both sides with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, or until done. Let cool.
  • To poach chicken: In a large saucepan, cover the chicken breasts with water or chicken broth. Bring to a very slow simmer and cook over low heat until white throughout, about 18 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and let stand until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Cut the chicken or shred it.

South Western Chicken Salad