Chicken Taco Salad Recipe

This delicious chicken taco salad recipe is packed full of juicy grilled chicken breast, beans, veggies, taco seasoning, a sour cream and salsa dressing, and all your favorite Mexican flavors! It’s the perfect healthy yet filling dinner on a hot evening.

What’s in this Chicken Taco Salad recipe?

If you want chicken tacos in a healthy salad, this recipe is for you! Grilled chicken breast is mixed with black beans, corn, and a ton of veggies for a hearty salad main course. A salsa dressing ties the dish together for a delicious and tasty Mexican meal.

• Chicken Breasts: We used boneless skinless chicken breast for this recipe, but feel free to use your favorite cut of chicken!
• Seasoning: The chicken is rubbed with chili seasoning, taco seasoning, salt, and pepper for ultimate flavor.
• Romaine Lettuce: We love the way crisp romaine lettuce tastes with the chicken and toppings!
• Veggies: This taco salad is filled with yummy veggies like fresh corn, red onion, and cherry (or glory) tomatoes.
• Beans: Pinto or black beans pair wonderfully with the other veggies in this recipe!
• Black Olives: Black olives add a bit of extra salty flavor to give this salad some zing!
• Avocado: You can’t go wrong with avocado slices in a Mexican-style salad!
• Lime: Lime juice adds a touch of acidity that really takes this dish to a whole new level.
• Shredded Cheese: Cheddar or Mexican blend cheese are great options for this taco bowl.
• Cotija cheese: Cotija has a nice salty flavor that is delicious! Queso fresco works just as well, too.
• Cilantro: Fresh cilantro has always been a staple garnish for Mexican-inspired dishes!
• Tortilla Chips: Gives your chicken taco salad that extra crunch factor for even more delight.
• Sour Cream: Sour cream puts the creamy in creamy salsa dressing!
• Salsa: A key component for making the delicious salad dressing. Don’t skip it!

Insider Tip: Not sure how to get fire-roasted corn? You can easily find it canned at the store, or, you can make your own. Just heat oil in a skillet on high heat, then add the drained corn and roast in an even layer until it begins to brown. Easy peasy!

Swappable Taco Salad Ingredients

This chicken taco salad recipe is easy to customize into your own delicious creation.

If you’d like to add some heat to your salad, toss in some jalapenos!

Want to make it vegetarian? Replace the chicken with some extra veggies or tofu. The options are endless!

And if you’re missing any of the ingredients, don’t fret–it’s easy to skip.

How to Store

Store your chicken taco salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. For maximum freshness, we recommend storing the romaine, chicken, dressing, and toppings separately.

What to Serve with Easy Chicken Taco Salad

This chicken taco salad could easily be a full meal, but if you’d rather have it as a side, there are many delicious recipes to pair it with!

Serve it with taco stuffed chicken or a bowl of chicken taco soup!

4.55 from 42 votes

Best Chicken Taco Salad Recipe

This delicious chicken taco salad is loaded with flavors and ingredients. It's filling, full of texture and color, and is perfect to serve a crowd!

Prep: 20 minutes minutes

Cook: 0 minutes minutes

Total Time : 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 people

Print Rate Save Saved!

Ingredients

For the Chicken Taco Salad:

• ▢ 8 ounces chicken breasts
• ▢ 3 tablespoons canola oil divided
• ▢ 1 teaspoon chili seasoning
• ▢ 1 teaspoon taco seasoning
• ▢ Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
• ▢ 1 head romaine lettuce cleaned, dried and chopped
• ▢ 14.5 ounces fire roasted corn 1 can, drained
• ▢ 11.5 ounces pinto or black beans 1 can, drained
• ▢ 2.25 ounces sliced black olives 1 can, drained
• ▢ ½ red onion thin-sliced
• ▢ 1 avocado peeled, pitted and sliced
• ▢ 1 cup chopped cherry or Glory tomatoes cut into ¼ths
• ▢ 1 lime cut in-half
• ▢ ½ cup shredded cheddar of Mexican blend cheese
• ▢ 2 tablespoon freshly chopped cilantro
• ▢ 2 ounces Cotija or Queso Fresco cheese Mexican crumbling cheese
• ▢ Tortilla chips

For the Taco Salad Dressing:

• ▢ ¼ cup sour cream
• ▢ ¼ cup salsa

Instructions

For the Chicken Taco Salad:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a grill pan (or skilleset over medium heat. While the oil heats, dry the chicken breasts and brush them with the remaining 1-tablespoon oil. Liberally season the breasts with chili seasoning, taco seasoning, salt & black pepper. Place the breasts in the hot skillet and cook until the underside is golden brown and beginning to crisp (5-7 minutes). Flip the breasts over and cook until the internal temperature reaches 162°F on a meat thermometer. Transfer the breast to plate; set aside.
  8 ounces chicken breasts, 3 tablespoons canola oil, 1 teaspoon chili seasoning, 1 teaspoon taco seasoning, Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
• The salad can be plated as individual servings or as one large serving to be shared.
• Place the chopped lettuce in a bowl (or serving platteand arrange the corn, beans, black olives, onion, avocado and tomatoes on top. Drizzle the avocado with juice from ½ lime. Thinly slice the chicken breasts and carefully place the chicken breasts on top of the salad. Drizzle the entire salad with the remaining ½ lime. Sprinkle with the shredded cheese and cilantro. Add the crumbled Cotija cheese and drizzle with Taco Salad Dressing.
  1 head romaine lettuce, 14.5 ounces fire roasted corn, 11.5 ounces pinto or black beans, 2.25 ounces sliced black olives, ½ red onion, 1 avocado, 1 cup chopped cherry or Glory tomatoes, 1 lime, ½ cup shredded cheddar of Mexican blend cheese, 2 tablespoon freshly chopped cilantro, 2 ounces Cotija or Queso Fresco cheese

For the Dressing:

• Stir together the salsa and sour cream. Add a bit of canola oil if you’d like to thin a bit.
  ¼ cup sour cream, ¼ cup salsa
• Serve with tortilla chips and…
  Tortilla chips
• Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Best Chicken Taco Salad Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 595 Calories from Fat 279

% Daily Value*

Fat 31g48%

Saturated Fat 7g44%

Cholesterol 57mg19%

Sodium 563mg24%

Potassium 1562mg45%

Carbohydrates 58g19%

Fiber 18g75%

Sugar 10g11%

Protein 30g60%

Vitamin A 14740IU295%

Vitamin C 32.3mg39%

Calcium 220mg22%

Iron 4.9mg27%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Author: Becky Hardin

Course:Salad

Cuisine:American

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