I've told you before about my love of a chopped salad. There's just something so easy about it as you can pile it into a bowl, cuddle up in an armchair, and munch away! This Southwestern Chicken Chopped Salad with a Creamy Chipotle Dressing is perfect for this time of the year!
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
This Southwestern Chicken Chopped Salad with a Creamy Chipotle Dressing is a spin on my all time favorite salad from high school. You know what I'm talking about - that decadent salad you used to get at the cafeteria for lunches that had a creamy spicy dressing on top and glue everything together. We've elevated it and turned it into the most glorious chopped salad of all times that's perfect for when you're throwing some chicken on the grill or have leftover grilled chicken that you want to turn into something new and exciting! The dressing is also wildly easy and addictive so feel free to make a triple batch of that and store in your fridge for the week!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Romaine Lettuce
- Grilled Chicken - I literally just season some boneless skinless chicken breasts with taco seasoning and grill for 4-5 minutes on each side!
- Black Beans
- Corn
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Avocados
- Green Onions
- Cilantro or Chives
- Cotija or Feta Cheese
- Tortilla Chips
- Greek yogurt
- Sour cream
- Chipotles in adobo sauce
- Fresh lime juice
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- Cumin
- For the full recipe list, please see the recipe card below with measurements
How to Make
For the Creamy Chipotle Dressing: Whisk all your dressing ingredients together in a bowl until smooth, taste and adjust lime, salt and pepper as needed. Then store it in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of your salad.
For the Southwestern Chicken Chopped Salad: Add your lettuce, chicken, black beans, corn, tomatoes, avocado, green onion and cilantro to a large bowl and toss in your desired amount of dressing. Serve the Southwestern Chicken Chopped Salad immediately with crumbled cotija cheese and crushed tortilla chips sprinkled over each individual bowl.
Tips & Tricks
This Southwestern Chicken Chopped Salad recipe is super straight forward but if you're looking for some hot tips - let's discuss:
- The Creamy Chipotle Dressing can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 1 week
- If you want to skip grilling chicken, you're welcome to use a store bought rotisserie! It's equally as delish. Just sprinkle a little seasoning on it and then toss it into your salad.
- You're welcome to use that frozen grilled corn from Trader Joe's in this Southwestern Chicken Chopped Salad - or grill your own if you want to add an extra level of dimension to the salad!
FAQ's
What is in a Creamy Chipotle Dressing?
The main ingredients in a Creamy Chipotle Dressing are greek yogurt, sour cream, chipotles in adobo sauce, fresh lime juice, olive oil, kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste and cumin.
Can you prep a chopped salad ahead of time?
You can prepare the components of a chopped salad ahead of time, but wait until right before eating to add the dressing otherwise your lettuce will get soft.
Similar Recipes
Southwestern Chicken Chopped Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 4 cups romaine lettuce chopped
- 2 cups grilled chicken breasts chopped
- 1 cup black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 cup grilled corn kernels removed from the cob
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 avocados diced
- ¼ cup green onions or chives, chopped
- 2 tablespoon cilantro chopped
- ¼ cup cotija cheese or feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 cup tortilla chips crushed
For the Creamy Chipotle Dressing
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
- 1 tablespoon chipotle in adobo sauce plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- For the Creamy Chipotle Dressing: Whisk all your dressing ingredients together in a bowl until smooth, taste and adjust lime, salt and pepper as needed. Then store it in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of your salad.
- For the Chopped Salad: Add your lettuce, chicken, black beans, corn, tomatoes, avocado, green onion and cilantro to a large bowl and toss in your desired amount of dressing. Serve immediately with crumbled cotija cheese and crushed tortilla chips sprinkled over each individual bowl.
This is going to be the new favorite dinner slald!