Southwestern Chicken Salad With Cilantro Lime Dressing

During the summer all I want to do are eat salads. Salads and anything grilled (like these amazing eggplant rolls). And ice cream. I could totally go for some of this lemon ice cream right now! This southwestern chicken salad is perfect for the summer because it combines both of my summer favorites – salad and grilled chicken. Pair it with a refreshingly cool cilantro lime dressing for the ultimate summer dinner for the entire family. This salad makes it way onto our weekly meal planner on a regular basis, and I hope you love it as much as we do!

Southwestern Chicken Salad Ingredients

There are three main parts to this salad – the chicken, the salad itself, and the dressing. This list includes everything for the salad, chicken marinade, and dressing. Make sure to check out the full recipe at the bottom of this post so you know what goes where!

Romaine lettuce – you can really use any kind of greens you want but romaine gives this salad a nice crunchRed pepper – cut into stripsTomato – dicedCabbage – purple or red works here, you can either buy pre-cut cabbage or just cut it yourself Tortilla strips – I just used a bag of pre-made tortilla stripsCrumbled feta cheese – you can also substitute this with a Mexican cheese like cotija cheeseAvocado – cut into large cubesBoneless skinless chicken breastsSaltOlive oilLime juiceCuminChili powderGarlic cloves OreganoSmoked paprikaCilantroPlan Greek yogurtWhite vinegar

Something else that would be really yummy is this salad is the caramelized corn that we use in this white chicken chili recipe. It’s super easy and the flavor would be an amazing addition to this!

How to Make Southwestern Chicken Salad

This salad is super easy to make and tastes way better than what you can get at your favorite restaurant.

1 – Marinate the southwestern chicken

Mix all of the ingredients for the marinade in a large plastic zipper bag then place the chicken breasts in the bag with the marinade. Allow the chicken to marinade for at least 30 minutes.

2 – Prep your salad

While the chicken is marinating, cut all of your veggies and toppings (other than the avocado, which you’ll want to cut right before you toss the salad)

3 – Make the dressing

Make your dressing by blending all of the ingredients together on low. Once it reaches your desired consistency, put it in the fridge to allow the flavors to set and cool before serving.

4 – Grill the chicken

Once your chicken has marinated for 30 minutes, it’s time to grill it! Grill the chicken either using a regular grill or on a grill-an at medium high heat. Once cooked all the way through, slice up the grilled chicken and you’re ready to make the salad!

5 – Make your southwestern chicken salad

Combine the lettuce and chopped veggies in a large bowl. Top with avocado, grilled chicken, cheese crumbles, cilantro lime dressing, and finally the tortilla strips. And there you have it – a delicious southwestern chicken salad ready for lunch, dinner, or eating all week long. If you do want to use this all week long, I recommend putting the veggies all in separate bags as well as the chicken. Then just combine the ingredients for a salad whenever you’re hungry!