Southwest Chicken Chopped Salad

5 from 1 vote

Southwest Chicken Chopped Salad

A big, filling entrée salad recipe the whole family will love, this Southwest Chicken Chopped Salad is loaded with flavor! Mix it up with different add-ins and dressings to customize it to your liking!

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Total Time40

Course: Salads

Cuisine: American

Servings: Servings

Calories: 657kcal

Author: Julia

Ingredients

For the Salad:

5 ounces spring greens chopped
4 cups cooked chicken chopped into cubes*
1 14-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 14-oz can whole corn kernels, drained
1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
1 large ripe avocado diced
⅔ cup red onion thinly sliced (about ½ a red onion)
¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
⅔ cup fresh cilantro chopped

For the Dressing:

½ cup plain Greek yogurt
3 Tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
1 Tbsp rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
2 to 5 chipotle chilis in adobo sauce**
1 large clove garlic minced
½ tsp sea salt to taste
¼ tsp black pepper to taste

Instructions

Prepare the Dressing:

Add all of the ingredients for the dressing to a small blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth. If you don’t have a small blender, you can mix everything together in a small bowl. Just be sure to finely chop the chipotle chilies first. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use.

Make the Salad:

If you’re cooking the chicken ahead of time, choose your favorite method for preparing the chicken. See blog post for chicken recipe suggestions, or use store-bought pre-cooked chicken such as rotisserie chicken.
Add all of the ingredients for the salad to a large serving bowl. Add in your desired amount of dressing and toss until everything is well coated in dressing. Serve salad in big bowls and enjoy! You can toss in some crushed tortilla chips and/or serve with a dollop of sour cream on top.
Store any leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Salads are best when eaten fresh, but you can stretch leftovers until the next day if you're okay with leftovers.

Notes

*Use your favorite method for cooking 1 pound of chicken breasts or chicken thighs. My preference is my Grilled Chicken Thighs recipe. You can also use store-bought pre-cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken to keep it easy!

**Base the amount of chilis you use on how spicy you like your food. For a mild dressing, use 2 teaspoons of chili powder instead of the chipotle chilies.

If you're using this as a meal prep recipe in a big batch, pack the salad ingredients separately from the dressing and toss salad in dressing just before consuming it to avoid soggy salad.

Nutrition