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Southwest Chicken Salad

A bright and smoky Southwest Chicken Salad that’s perfect for weeknight meals, featuring grilled chicken, black beans, corn, and a zippy chipotle-lime dressing.

  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups grilled chicken, sliced (about 10–12 oz)
  • 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed (about 1 cup)
  • 1 cup sweet corn (fresh, canned, or thawed frozen)
  • 4 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
  • 1 ripe avocado, diced
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/3 cup smoky chipotle-lime dressing (store-bought or homemade)
  • Optional: cilantro, lime wedges, sliced red onion, tortilla strips

Instructions

  1. Grill the chicken until cooked through and juicy, then slice it into strips.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the black beans, sweet corn, chopped romaine lettuce, diced avocado, and halved cherry tomatoes.
  3. Add the grilled chicken on top.
  4. Drizzle the smoky chipotle-lime dressing over the salad.
  5. Toss everything together gently to combine.
  6. Serve immediately or store for meal prep in the refrigerator.

Notes

Grill chicken with a simple rub (salt, pepper, cumin, garlic powder) for easy Southwest flavor. Use slightly underripe avocado if storing the salad to hold up better.

  • Author: jayne
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Category: Salad
  • Method: Grilling
  • Cuisine: Mexican
  • Diet: Gluten-Free

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 serving
  • Calories: 450
  • Sugar: 5g
  • Sodium: 600mg
  • Fat: 20g
  • Saturated Fat: 3g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 15g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 35g
  • Fiber: 10g
  • Protein: 30g
  • Cholesterol: 70mg

Keywords: southwest salad, chicken salad, meal prep salad, healthy salad