This Southwest Chicken Salad recipe has wonderful chipotle seasoned chicken, black beans, corn, and tortilla strips served hot on a bed of greens.
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This chipotle chicken salad is perfect for a casual but elegant complete lunch. Crisp fresh greens get topped with warm spicy, tender chicken, sweet corn, black beans, crunchy tortilla strips—and topped with your favorite creamy dressing.
It is a complete meal worthy of company, friends, and family that will become one of your favorite lunch meals. Serve it warm on a large plate of greens, a pita, or a wrap.
Don't forget to check out other chicken salad recipes, like Waldorf Chicken Salad, Caprese Pasta Salad, and Easy Chicken Salad. Other light lunch recipes you will like are Fresh Spinach Salad, Easy Grilled Chicken Sandwiches, and Grilled Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches.
This is my copycat version of my wife's favorite lunch Chicken Fiesta Salad at Grand Traverse Pie Company.
Reference Posts
🐓Ingredients
- Chicken breasts
- Chipotle seasoning—homemade or purchased
- Vegetables—frozen corn, frozen black beans, onion
- Mixed greens
- Creamy Avocado, Southwest, or Chipotle dressing of your choice
- Shredded cheese—cheddar or Mexican blend
- Tortilla strips
- Optional additions—slices of avocado, green peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, red onion, jalapeño slices
👨🍳How to make Chipotle Chicken Salad
- Trim and season chicken breasts with Chipotle seasoning.
- Sear on the stovetop and finish to 165° in the oven.
- Saute onion, corn, and black beans
- Slice the chicken, add to the sauteed vegetables, then serve over greens topped with shredded cheese and tortilla strips.
- Serve with dressing on the side.
✔️Tips
- Chicken breasts are suggested, but you can use thighs or skip the meat. If the breasts are thick, thin them to ¾ inch with a meat mallet.
- Chipotle season or rub is needed for the chicken. You can use my version if you want. Chipotle Seasoning or commercial versions are available.
- Creamy Avocado and Southwest Chipotle dressing are available in most markets.
- Use frozen corn and beans to minimize waste, but canned or fresh may be used.
- Like all salad recipes, vary to your taste, but this salad will fill you up at lunch, unlike others.
- A large salad serving needs about 2 cups of mixed greens, approximately 2 oz.
❓FAQs
Store the leftover topping refrigerated for 4 days, sealed in an airtight container.
No. Both will have ground smoked jalapeno peppers as one of the ingredients but otherwise totally different.
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Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Preheat oven to 375° convection or 400° conventional.
Trim and pat dry two skinless boneless chicken breasts. If thick, thin to ¾ inch with a meat mallet.
Give them a nice sprinkle of chipotle seasoning. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in an oven-safe pan over medium-high heat and sear both sides of the chicken breast for 2-3 minutes each.
Place in the oven and bake until an internal temperature of 165°—about 25 minutes. Rest for 5 minutes before cutting into slices or dicing.
Using the pan the chicken cooked in, add one small or ½ medium onion sliced or chopped, ½ cup corn, and ½ cup black beans. Cook over medium-high heat until there is a little browning—about 4-5 minutes.
On a large plate, cover with greens of your choice. Half of a 5 oz package is just about right. Top with a sliced chicken breast. Next, cover with the hot bean/corn/onion mixture. Add a sprinkle of shredded cheese, then a hand full of tortilla strips.
Serve with dressing.
📖 Recipe
Southwest Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons Chipotle seasoning - homemade or commercial
- 2 teaspoons oil
- ½ cup sweet corn
- ½ cup black beans
- 1 onion - small or ½ medium diced or sliced
- 5 oz cleaned mixed greens - about 5 cups
- ½ cup Creamy dressing - Southwest, Avocado, Chipotle
- ½ cup Shredded cheese - usually cheddar or Mexican blend
- ½ cup tortilla strips
Optional additions
- slices of avocado, green peppers, tomatoes
- cilantro, red onion, jalapeño slices
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° convection or 400° conventional.
- Trim and pat dry two skinless boneless chicken breasts. If thick, thin to ¾ inch with a meat mallet.
- Give them a nice sprinkle of chipotle seasoning. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in an oven-safe pan over medium-high heat and sear both sides of the chicken breast for about 2-3 minutes each.
- Place in the oven and bake until an internal temperature of 165°—about 25 minutes. Rest for 5 minutes before cutting into slices or dicing.
- Using the pan the chicken cooked in, add one small or ½ medium onion sliced or chopped, ½ cup corn, and ½ cup black beans. Cook over medium-high heat until there is a little browning—about 4-5 minutes.
- On a large plate, cover with greens of your choice. Half of a 5 oz package is just about right. Top with a sliced chicken breast. Next, cover with the hot bean/corn/onion mixture. Add a sprinkle of shredded cheese, then a hand full of tortilla strips. Serve with dressing on the side.
Your Own Private Notes
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- The feature of this salad is the seasoning Chipotle Seasoning.
- Thinner chicken breasts work bests. Be sure to get a final internal temperature of 165°.
- Frozen black beans and corn are recommended, but you can use canned or fresh.
- 1 oz of greens is approximately one cup.
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Editor's Note: Originally Published August 22, 2015. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Savannah
Fajita dry mix on chicken and thick sharp cheddar cheese & no onion.
Joan
I made this last night. My picky husband loved it as did I. I made a few changes. I used leftover chicken tossing it in the rub and then tossing it in the skillet with the vegetables, made my own southwestern dressing and crumbled corn chips on top since my husband can't have gluten and the tortilla strips in the store aren't GF. I never get past the peach crumble pie when I go to the Grand Traverse Pie Company so I had never tried their version of this salad.