Southwest Salad

Southwest Salad is loaded with a fresh and colorful combination of seasoned chicken, fresh vegetables, and beans, and tossed with a lusciously creamy dressing.

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This Southwest Salad is not only fresh, filling, and flavorful, but it’s also easy to make! The salad is loaded with fresh vegetables and the lusciously creamy dressing packs an explosion of flavor. 

MORE RECIPES: Strawberry Spinach Salad | Layered Taco Salad | Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad

If you’re looking for a genuinely satisfying salad, look no further. This Southwest Salad is fresh, savory, and irresistibly crunchy! The best salads have oodles of texture. Every salad needs a nut or seed, crunchy veggies, and cheese. And this Southwest Salad is loaded with them.

Southwest Salad is a fresh and colorful combination of seasoned chicken, fresh vegetables, and beans, tossed in an exquisitely creamy avocado/lime dressing. It’s packed with flavor that will have you asking for more. 

Everyone will love this Southwest Salad! It will quickly become a favorite dish for potlucks, pool parties, or picnics. Want to spice up a fun night at home? Line up all of the Southwest Salad ingredients in separate serving bowls and let your guests create their own!

Southwest Salad Ingredients

• Buttermilk
• Mayonnaise
• Sour cream
• Salad dressing - ranch salad dressing packet
• Lime juice - fresh lime juice
• Cilantro - chopped fresh cilantro
• Chicken - boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Seasoning packet - Southwest Ranch Chicken Taco seasoning packet (McCormick)
• Oil - light olive oil
• Water
• Lettuce - Romaine lettuce hearts
• Black beans - canned black beans in seasoned sauce, 
• Corn - canned whole kernel sweet yellow corn
• Tomatoes - Campari tomatoes
• Avocado - Hass avocado
• Onion - red onion
• Tortilla strips - Santa Fe Style tortilla strips, optional garnish
• Lime - lime wedge, optional garnish

One of the best things about this Southwest Salad recipe is how versatile it can be. You can add more of your favorite veggies, or take out elements you don’t want. This recipe has chicken, but you could use shrimp or any protein of your choice. 

You could switch the salad into more of a salad meets dip medley by removing the lettuce and mixing together the corn, tomatoes, beans, avocado, and dressing together. It would be perfect for dipping the tortilla strips in. 

This Southwest Salad recipe makes four large salad servings. If you only plan on eating one serving at a time, you can easily prepare the additional servings for later in the week. 

How to Make Southwest Salad

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

SECOND STEP: 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.

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

FOURTH STEP: To a small mixing bowl, add the packet of ranch chicken taco seasoning, light olive oil, and water. Stir to combine.

FIFTH STEP: 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.

SIXTH STEP: 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).

SEVENTH STEP: 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.

EIGHTH STEP: 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.

NINTH STEP: 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.

TENTH STEP: 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.

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

Can I change the toppings on my salad??

This easy Southwest salad is very flexible. You can add or subtract any of the toppings you’d like to make this a customized salad.

How do I store this salad?

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to two days. We don't recommend freezing this salad. If you’d like to make this salad ahead of time, you can prepare the components and store them in separate containers in the fridge. Assemble it right before you are ready to enjoy it. 

Could I use leftover chicken for this recipe?

Since this recipe marinates the raw chicken breasts before grilling them, using leftover or rotisserie chicken would alter the taste of the chicken. However, you could use leftover or rotisserie chicken as a time saver and leave out the marination.

How to Store Southwest Salad

IN THE FRIDGE: While it is best to eat this Southwest Salad freshly made, it can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days. 

IN THE FREEZER: We do not recommend freezing the salad. It is best made fresh. 

Southwest Salad

Southwest Salad is loaded with a fresh and colorful combination of seasoned chicken, fresh vegetables, and beans, and tossed with a lusciously creamy dressing.

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5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 18 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 18 minutes mins

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Calories 1160 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the Dressing

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

For the 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)

DIRECTIONS

 

• 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 1160kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 60g | Fat: 86g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 31g | Monounsaturated Fat: 37g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 177mg | Sodium: 1051mg | Potassium: 2111mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 15457IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 326mg | Iron: 7mg

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