Southwest Chicken Salad in a Jar

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.

5 from 2 votes

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Course: dinner, dinner recipe, Lunch, lunch recipe

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Keyword: southwest chcken salad, southwest chicken salad in a jar, southwest salad

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 40

Servings:

Calories: 468kcal

Author: Tammy Overhoff

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.

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