This Southwestern Chicken Salad is an easy and hearty main dish salad that is packed full of healthy ingredients creating loads of flavor. This salad is going to be a new favorite dinner salad the whole family is going to enjoy!

Top view of southwestern chicken salad assembled on white round plate.

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Who doesn't love a simple and healthy dinner? This salad is simple and healthy. Salads don't have to be just a side dish, there are so good as entrees. My kids' love creating their own salads in big bowls and this is a favorite of theirs.

Southwestern Chicken Salad Ingredients

Romaine Hearts
Black Beans
Frozen Corn
Roma Tomatoes
Avocado
Shredded Co-Jack Cheese
Chopped Cilantro
Baked Cumin Chicken
Favorite Salad Dressings

Substitution Suggestions:

This salad is so customizable. Once you have the base, you can add all your own favorite toppings and create something you are going to absolutely love!

Romaine Hearts: My kids love romaine and iceberg lettuce the most so I tend to buy those more often than others. However, you can use your favorite lettuce or blend of greens.
Black Beans: Canned beans are the easiest way to go for this salad. If you have the time to make your own, then by all means do it. If you prefer a different kind of bean then you can use that too.
Frozen Corn: Again keeping it super simple and using frozen corn with this salad. Canned corn can be used, as well as fresh corn that has been blanched and then cut off the cob.
Roma Tomatoes: I love Roma tomatoes on salads because they have less seeds and are the perfect size. You can also use grape or cherry tomatoes.
Shredded Co-Jack Cheese: Feel free to use your favorite cheese with this salad. Pepper jack, Monterey jack, cheddar, or crumbled cojita or queso fresco are all delicious options.
Baked Cumin Chicken: This chicken is my favorite to use when making a simple southwest salad. You can also use leftover chicken and toss it with a little bit of ground cumin and salt so you don't miss out on any flavor.

Side view of assembled southwestern chicken salad on round plate in front of plate of cumin chicken.

How to Make Southwestern Chicken Salad

The first thing to do is to make the chicken. You can get the complete recipe for this delicious chicken here: Baked Cumin Chicken.

Baked cumin chicken in red casserole dish.

While the chicken is baking, prep the rest of the salad. Cut the romaine hearts, drain and rinse the beans and take the corn out so it can thaw. Dice the tomatoes and avocado, shred the co-jack cheese and chop the cilantro.
Place all the ingredients in bowls so everyone can create their own salad or fill a big platter with the lettuce and add the fixings in piles on top of the lettuce.

Once the chicken is done, slice it and set it on a plate or add it to the center of the platter.
Dress the salad with your favorite salad dressings. Some delicious ideas are: Chipotle ranch, avocado ranch, green goddess, cilantro lime vinaigrette, or my guilty pleasure, western dressing.

Top view of sliced cumin chicken on romaine with remaining salad ingredients surrounding chicken and topped with a drizzle of chipotle ranch dressing on round plate.

Meal Prep Tips for Southwest Avocado Chicken Salad

When I make Baked Cumin Chicken, I make a double batch so I can make this salad super quickly on a busy night or prep salads for lunches.
You can prep this salad two different ways. You can mix the entire salad together except the dressing and then add it to your containers. Or you can individually make the salads in your containers. Either way works great, but I like to individually make mine. The lettuce seems to hold up better this way.
Store the dressing separate or on the bottom of the container so it doesn't make the salad too soggy before you are ready to eat it.
If you like warm chicken on your salad, store the chicken separate so it can be warmed and then added to the salad.

Sliced chicken on top of romaine with extra salad ingredients surrounding chicken on round plate.

More Easy Chicken Recipes:

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Southwestern Chicken Sald

Course: Main Course, Salad

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 30

Servings:

Author: Heather

Ingredients

6 baked cumin chicken breasts
3 heads romaine hearts, chopped
15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
2 large roma tomatoes, diced
1 large avocado, diced
1 cup shredded co-jack cheese
¼ cup chopped cilantro

Instructions

Prepare the baked cumin chicken.
While the chicken is baking, prepare the salad ingredients. Chop the romaine hearts, drain and rinse the black beans, and take out frozen corn to thaw.
Dice the roma tomatoes and avocados, shred the co-jack cheese and chop the cilantro.
Serve the salad ingredients in bowls so everyone can make their own salad, or arrange it all on a large platter.
Once the chicken is done, slice it and place on a plate or in the center of the platter.
Top with your favorite dressings. Chipotle ranch, avocado ranch, Greek goddess, cilantro lime vinaigrette, or western dressings are all delicious options.
For some crunch: add croutons or crushed tortilla chips to the salad.

Nutrition

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