This southwest chicken salad uses spicy chicken breast, black beans, avocado, red onion, pepper jack cheese, and a southwest ranch dressing. You can enjoy this healthy salad for a quick dinner or layer it into a mason jar salad to enjoy all week.
This post contains affiliate links. I am an affiliate for Amazon Associates and other brands and earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. You’re by no means obligated to use my links but, if you do, thank you for supporting Organize Yourself Skinny.
Salads are on our meal plan every week. Mostly, I prepare mason jar salads to enjoy every day for lunch, but at least once a week, we have a hearty, healthy salad for dinner.
We love this healthy taco salad, steak salad, cheeseburger salad.
And now I can add this flavorful southwest chicken salad to the list.
Reasons you’ll love this recipe.
- Super easy to prepare. The longest part of this recipe is waiting for the chicken to cook, and everything else comes together quickly.
- Bursting with flavor. Spicy taco seasoning, creamy southwest ranch dressing, and crunchy veggies make this chicken salad recipe super tasty and a family favorite.
- Healthy. This salad is high in protein and fiber to fill you up without feeling bloated. It’s also gluten-free.
- Great for meal prep. You can prepare the chicken on Sunday for easy weeknight dinners or make five salads ahead of time in mason jars for healthy work lunches.
Ingredients
Boneless skinless chicken breasts. Use organic, high-quality chicken breast for the best flavor and to keep this salad recipe clean.
Taco seasoning. This homemade taco seasoning is delicious, easy to make, and free from weird ingredients that you’ll find in store-bought packets. If you purchase store-bought taco seasoning, then look for an organic brand and check the ingredients on the label.
Southwest ranch dressing. I found an organic southwest ranch dressing made with Greek yogurt at Wegmans in the produce section. If you can’t find something similar at your local grocery store, then get a high-quality ranch dressing and add 1-2 teaspoons of both chili powder and cumin to 3/4 cup of ranch dressing to give it a southwest kick.
Grape or cherry tomatoes. I like to cut the tomatoes in half to soak the flavors of the dressing and spices.
Bell peppers. I like to use red, orange, or yellow bell peppers for this salad because they have a milder, sweeter flavor that balances out the heat of the spice. Green bell pepper will work too, or for extra heat, add some chopped jalapeño or poblano peppers.
Red Onion. I like using red onion for its color, crispy texture, and mild spiciness.
Black beans. Beans add fiber and protein to this southwest salad. However, even though beans are filling and nutritious, they can pack on carbohydrates and calories. So, I only use two tablespoons of black beans per serving. Refrigerate leftover beans in an airtight container to use in another recipe during the week, or you can freeze black beans for a later recipe.
Avocado. What would a southwest salad be without avocado? Avocados add good fat and a cool creamy flavor to the salad. If there are leftovers, you can freeze avocado to use in smoothies or avocado toast down the road.
Lime juice. Not only does lime juice give this salad a fresh flavor, but it’s essential to keep the avocado from browning, especially if you’re making mason jar salads.
Pepper jack cheese. Cheese can pack on many calories and saturated fat if you add it to the salads mindlessly. One trick I do is to purchase individual pepper jack string cheese and cut it into small pieces before adding it to the salad. If you use shredded cheese or block cheese, I recommend measuring it out to assure you’re not using too much.
Chopped romaine lettuce and cilantro. I’m sure you can use other salad greens, but crunchy cold romaine is my favorite salad green to use in a this chicken salad. Cilantro gives the fresh, pungent flavor found in many southwest recipes.
Tortilla chips. I would say sprinkling crushed tortilla chips on this salad was an option, but it’s so good I’m going to say that you must try it. A small portion goes a long way. I like organic tortilla chips, and red hot blues are delicious too.
Cooking Tips
- Grill the chicken or even use rotisserie chicken. You can use any chicken in this southwest salad so if you want to throw some on the grill or pick up a rotisserie chicken, go for it.
- Swap in shrimp or steak. Sprinkle the taco seasoning on your protein of choice and either cook it in a skillet, grill it, or bake it in the oven. Salmon would also work in this salad recipe.
- Switch up the dressings. Any dressing with a spicy kick will be tasty in this salad. If you want a vinaigrette dressing, then a cilantro lime dressing would be delicious.
- Add different fresh veggies. Most southwest chicken salads include corn, but I left it out to reduce the carbs. However, corn, cucumbers, poblano peppers, mushrooms, and green onions all work in this salad. Use any of your favorite salad veggies you have in the fridge.
Supplies
- 32-ounce Mason Jars
- Plastic Mason Jar Lids
- Large Rimmed Baking Sheet
How to Make Southwest Chicken Salad in a jar
In these instructions, I will show you how to make these salads in mason jars for the week. However, you can enjoy these salads for dinner to.
- Start by cooking the chicken breasts—preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Pound the chicken breasts out to about ½ inch thick. You want to make sure the chicken breasts are all about the same size, so they cook evenly.
- Sprinkle taco seasoning over the chicken breasts and place onto a rimmed baking sheet coated with cooking spray or olive oil.
- Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until the chicken cooks thoroughly and juices run clear – the internal temperature should read 165 degrees.
- Set the chicken aside to cool, and then chop it into chunks or strips.
- At the same time, the chicken is cooling, prep the avocado for the salad. Remove the pit and cut it into pieces. Place the avocado in a bowl and generously squirt lime juice over the top.
- Put the mason jar salads together. Divide ingredients evenly among the mason jars. Start with the dressing and then add the tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, avocado, black beans, chicken, cheese, and end with the romaine.
- Tightly place the lid on and store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- When you’re ready to eat, give the jar a few good shakes and pour the salad into a large bowl. Because the ranch dressing is thicker than a vinaigrette, you might need to help it along with a spoon. Toss the salad together and crush some tortilla chips or tortilla strips on top. Enjoy!
If you want to learn more about mason jar salads, check out my tutorial on making mason jar salads.
Storage tips
- You can make these southwest chicken mason jar salads up to 5 days ahead of time.
- If you want to enjoy this salad for an easy weeknight dinner, you can make the chicken ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Assemble the rest of the ingredients the night you plan to eat it. Then, either warm the chicken in the microwave and serve on top or enjoy the chicken cold with the salad.
- You can also freeze the cooked chicken breasts. After the chicken cooks and cools, cut into strips or chunks, place it into a freezer bag and container and freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, place the frozen chicken on a plate and microwave for 1-2 minutes or until hot.
Other Healthy Salads
- Greek quinoa salad
- Mexican quinoa salad
- California Salad in a Jar
- Detox Salad in a Jar
- Thai Peanut Salad in a Jar
Southwest Chicken Salad in a Jar
Equipment
- 32-ounce mason jars
- mason jar lids
- large rimmed baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1 lb skinless boneless chicken breast 2 pieces
- 2-3 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning or 1.3 ounce store-bought taco seasoning packet
- 10 tablespoons Southwest Ranch Dressing I like yogurt dressing
- 1 quart grape or cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 3 bell peppers any color seeded and chopped
- 1/2 red onion skin removed and chopped
- 1/2 cup canned black beans drained
- 1 avocado
- fresh lime juice
- 3 jalapeño cheese sticked chopped into small pieces
- 5 ounces chopped romaine lettuce
- tortilla chips
Instructions
- Start by cooking the chicken breasts—preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Pound the chicken breasts out to about ½ inch thick. You want to make sure the chicken breasts are all about the same size, so they cook evenly.
- Sprinkle taco seasoning over the chicken breasts and place onto a rimmed baking sheet coated with cooking spray or olive oil.
- Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until the chicken cooks thoroughly and juices run clear – the internal temperature should read 165 degrees.
- Set the chicken aside to cool, and then chop it into chunks or strips.
- At the same time, the chicken is cooling, prep the avocado for the salad. Remove the pit and cut it into pieces. Place the avocado in a bowl and generously squirt lime juice over the top.
- Put the mason jar salads together. Divide ingredients evenly among the mason jars. Start with the dressing and then add the tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, avocado, black beans, chicken, cheese, and end with the romaine lettuce.
- Tightly place the lid on and store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.When you're ready to eat, give the jar a few good shakes and pour the salad into a large bowl.
- Toss the salad together and crush some tortilla chips or tortilla strips on top. Enjoy!
Notes
Storage tips
- You can make these southwest chicken mason jar salads up to 5 days ahead of time.
- If you want to enjoy this salad for an easy weeknight dinner, you can make the chicken ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Assemble the rest of the ingredients the night you plan to eat it. Then, either warm the chicken in the microwave and serve on top or enjoy the chicken cold with the salad.
- You can also freeze the cooked chicken breasts. After the chicken cooks and cools, cut into strips or chunks, place it into a freezer bag and container and freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, place the frozen chicken on a plate and microwave for 1-2 minutes or until hot.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Have you tried this Southwest Chicken Salad recipe? If so, I’d love for you to rate this recipe and leave a comment below. We all learn from each other’s experiences. Also, it would be awesome if you could share a picture on Instagram and tag it #organizeyourselfskinny. I can’t wait to see it.
Gloria says
What is the brand of dressing you used and where can I find it?
Tammy Kresge says
Hey there. I like Newmans Own dressing and I find that in all my local grocery stores.
Zuley says
What size mason jar is recommended for salads
Tammy Kresge says
32 ounce is the size I use.
Nancy says
Just wondering what size jars you are using? I’m counting calories and wondering if I used the same size jar as you. 395 calories seems like a lot for the jar I used but maybe not. Loved my first salad by the way, thank you so much.
Jeni says
This looks great!! Is the sugar amount available to calculate it for Smart Points by chance? I’m so excited to have found your blog!!