Mexican Chicken Salad

This delicious Mexican chicken salad is piled high with colorful veggies, and topped with a delicious avocado lime ranch dressing. A hot chicken salad never tasted so good!

We try to eat a salad a day over at my house. It’s a great way to get in some vegetables and protein, and there is something so satisfying about that crisp crunch of a lettuce. But only if it has great flavor! I can’t handle boring salads – I want lots of vegetables, lots of flavor, and a delicious dressing to drizzle all over.

Like this Mexican chicken salad. Packed with protein from grilled and seasoned chicken, dry-roasted corn, and black beans, this salad eats like a meal.

Why You’ll Love This Mexican-Inspired Chicken Salad

Great for meal prep:

This salad makes a very generous serving and if you wait to add the dressing, you can easily portion it into containers to take for work lunches. When I do this, I like to keep the chicken separate as well so I can heat it up before adding to my salad.

Nutritious:

This is a delicious way to pack in several colorful vegetables! Red bell pepper, corn, tomatoes, avocado, crunchy romaine lettuce all come together to create such a satisfying salad.

Mexican Salad Ingredients & Notes

Romaine Lettuce – I used a head of romaine for this and I love to chop it into bite-sized pieces.

Black Beans – I just used canned. You can substitute pinto or navy beans if you prefer.

Corn – I used frozen corn and gave it a sear in a hot pan to add a little char and another level of flavor!

Bell Pepper – I prefer to use red bell pepper in my Mexican chicken salad as it gives you a sweeter flavor but you can substitute any color that you want.

Cherry Tomatoes – I added cherry tomatoes sliced in half

Avocado – Creamy avocado tastes so good in this salad. I added half of an avocado, and used the other half to whip up a batch of my delicious avocado lime ranch dressing.

Cheddar Cheese – I added shredded cheddar, but you could substitute monterey jack, pepper jack, or even cotija cheese if desired.

Cooked Chicken Breast – I seasoned my chicken breast in my homemade chicken taco seasoning and air fried it for 15 minutes. You can also use rotisserie chicken, pulled chicken, or even a crispy chicken.

Dressing: I served my Mexican chicken salad with a creamy lime avocado ranch but you can use ranch, or a mix of ranch and salsa, or stir a bit of hot sauce into ranch dressing for a kicked up ranch.

Fresh lime: I love squeezing fresh lime all over this salad just before we dig in. It add such a refreshing touch!

How to Make Chicken Salad With Mexican Flavors

Start by chopping and washing your romaine lettuce, and then spinning it dry. A salad spinner is one of our most used kitchen tools! Alternatively, you can use bagged romaine lettuce.

If you’re making your own chicken, you’ll want to take a pound of chicken breast, and generously sprinkle with chicken taco seasoning. Cook in the air fryer at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes or until cooked through. Set aside. If you prefer, you can use rotisserie chicken, or crispy chicken nuggets.

Next, we’ll sear the corn. This adds a delicious flavor. We’ll take a pan and set it over medium-high heat. Once pan is hot, add in the frozen corn in a single layer, along with a pinch of salt. Let it cook for a few minutes until you can smell the roasted corn smell, and the corns start to char a bit. It may even jump around too!

That’s it! Now we just assemble the Mexican chicken salad.

In a large bowl, add in your lettuce, roasted corn, black beans, diced avocado, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and cheddar cheese. Portion into containers if you’re doing meal prep, or add in chicken and toss with dressing if you’re eating it right away. Serve with lime wedges.

Mexican chicken salad is hearty and “eats like a meal” so you don’t have to serve anything alongside it. For a little something extra, I suggest pairing this salad with a few tortilla chips & salsa, cheese quesadillas, or even a cup of chicken tortilla soup.

Enjoy!