Southwest Chicken Salad
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Hi again friends! Right on the heels of yesterday’s Easy Baked Chicken Breast, I’m serving up this delicious Southwest Chicken Salad! It’s a delectable mix of diced chicken, black beans, corn, red peppers, and cilantro, that’s been tossed with a creamy dressing! Southwest Chicken Salad is great for meal prepped lunches. I love it on a big bed of chopped lettuce, or in a hearty wrap.
Hi there friends, I know it’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything new. It’s been a heck of a year so far, but I’m ready to get back to it! And on that note, I’m so very excited to share this Southwest Chicken Salad recipe! How many of you think of ‘Chicken Salad’ as creamy stuff in a bowl with celery, grapes, maybe some nuts, and not a whole lot of taste? Welp, I’m here to blow your minds… because this Southwest Chicken Salad is not your average recipe, and you’re going to wanna make it right now! It’s just the thing to stir into a big salad, or it’s absolutely perfect for stuffing in a wrap with some avocado, cheese, and lettuce. Or, if you’re not feelin’ fancy (and lord knows we all have those days), just grab this Chicken Salad and a bag of crunchy nachos, and start scoopin’!
There’s a story behind the invention of this recipe, and it’s not a very happy one, but I’m going to go ahead and share it with y’all.
During the first few days of this new year, in a very sad and unfortunate turn of events, my Gramma unexpectedly passed away. So my mom, sister, my nephew and I took off straight away, and made the long drive up to be with family in Minnesota. Eric and Pepper made the trip soon after. Of course, it was a very tough week for us all, but I felt extra lost without my sweet little girl and Eric, even for that brief time.
I was standing in my Auntie Brenda’s beautiful kitchen, wishing for the strength to help me through. There’s nothing quite like the turbulent emotional storm we all experience after a loved one goes away. Those warm, welcome waves of all the good times wash over us- unforgettable memories of laughs, hugs, and sweet smiles. But just as quickly, we’re dragged back down by the deep, cold waves of reality and finality, loss and regret… the heart longs for those feelings and memories, even while deep down, we know we’ll never experience them again. It was during this very sad and tough time that I created this Southwest Chicken Salad. And while there’s no doubt that this recipe came out of a time of sadness, it truly gave me great comfort to create and cook food for the family, and to watch all of them enjoy it. In fact, they raved about it! They loved it so much, I was only able to photograph the first part of the recipe- they crowded into the kitchen and ate it all up so quickly, I had to take all the final photos later on when I returned home. Haa! I guess a good meal with good people can bring a lil’ sunshine into any situation. My mom and aunt decided to ditch the salad and/or wrap part, and simply scoop it up with chips! So for real, this Southwest Chicken Salad is so versatile. You can make it once, and then throughout the week eat it 5 different times, and in 5 different ways! You’ve gotta love that.
Now let’s get in the kitchen.
In a big ol’ bowl, throw in some diced chicken (preferably some of my Easy Baked Chicken Breast), a can’a black beans, one medium diced red pepper, about a cup of chopped green onions, one cup of frozen corn that’s been thawed a bit, and about 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro.
For this dressing (WARNING: It’s so delish, you’ll want to just pour it in a cup, grab a straw and drink… don’t do that though, the chicken will be lonely.), you’ll need to grab’a a small bowl and add the juice of one lime (about 3 tbsp), the juice of half of a lemon (about 2 tbsp), 2 tablespoons of honeeeeyy, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1/4 cup’a nonfat Greek yogurt, 2 teaspoons of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of oregano, and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Whisk together well.
Pour the dressing into the bowl over the chicken mixture, and stir it up really well. Salt and Pepper to taste. *Sighhh* This is such a magical mixture!
For best results: Before serving/Eating, cover it up and throw it in the fridge for about 20 minutes, to let all those flavors mingle and get to know each other much better.
My favorite way to gobble this up in salad form is to just plop it on top of some chopped up romaine lettuce that’s been tossed with just a smidge of salt & pep. I add a few cherry tomatoes, a pinch or two of cheese, and some gorgeous lil’ avocado chunks, and I am in Southwest Chicken Salad heaven. It’s also super delish stuffed and rolled up into a wrap. And, like I said before- my mama and aunt decided it was best scooped up with tortilla chips. I just know it’d be great scooped up with some mini red pepper slices too!
This chicken salad alone is full of so much flavor. It’s great for meal prepping on Sunday, and then just pack it up for lunches throughout the week!
I hope you love it as much as my whole family does. Be sure to comment below and let me know if you’ve tried it!
With love from my kitchen to yours, Star
Southwest Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Chicken Mix
- 4 cups cooked chicken breast diced
- 1 cup frozen corn thawed
- 1 15 oz can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 cup green onions chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper diced
Creamy Dressing
- juice of one lime about 3 tbsp
- juice of half of a lemon about 2 tbsp
- 1/4 cup non fat greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl add the diced chicken, black beans, corn, red pepper, cilantro, and green onions together. Stir well.
- To make the creamy dressing: In a small bowl add juice of half of a lemon and one lime, olive oil, greek yogurt, honey, cumin, oregano, and salt.
- Add the creamy dressing to the chicken mixture and stir together well. Salt and Pepper to personal preference and then cover it tightly and place in the fridge for at least twenty minutes to let the flavors mingle.
Great recipe for our weekly lunch meal preps! Have made twice now and both times it was a hit!
Hi Brittiny! So glad to see you enjoy this one. Thanks for stopping by to let me know!
This great. We made it with leftover smoked/grilled chicken. It was better than the original meal with the chicken. I will definitely cook and eat again. Thanks
yum loved smoked chicken!! I bet it takes this meal next level!
I love this so much, I make it all the time!
Today, I put it in egg roll wrappers and air fried them, and it was SO GOOD! Such a versatile recipe, amazing!
This salad screams summertime to me!!! I love the flavor combination in the dressing. Making it with fresh August sweet corn is to die for! This recipe is on repeat in my house! It definitely should have made the top 25 recipes of 2021. #top2021
Another absolutely steller dish! I made this with grilled chicken and my husband raved about it- even went back for thirds! Simple, flavorful and a wonderful meal prep idea for the week!
I can’t get enough of the salad it’s so delicious! I have to stop myself from eating all of it at once!
Such a good recipe!! I made it for the first time today and my husband and I both loved it. This will become a staple for sure! Thank you for giving us an easy, healthy way to spice up chicken!
Omg, I love this chicken salad! The sweet and citrus dressing knocks it out of the park!
This is my favorite recipe! So simple yet tasty!! A hit with my whole family!
Hi There! I notice that the recipe calls for frozen corn that’s thawed. Is there a reason that’s better than canned corn? Thanks for your time and your great recipes.
I just mostly use frozen corn as a personal preference, but canned corn will work great! Just be sure to drain it well. So happy you’re enjoying the recipes. Hope you enjoy this one too!
Hi!!
Do you think once it’s all made, it could be put in the freezer and then thaw out okay when needed?
Thanks!
Hi there! I do not think the sauce would freeze well since its mayo/greek yogurt based. I’m sorry!
So delicious!! Thank you for making such amazing recipes!!!
YoureWelcome! Thank you!
Made this, packaged it in 1 cup servings 0 points. Warmed up served over lettuce and spinach with light Olive Garden dressing.
This recipe is fantastic! Tried it over the weekend for lunches for the week and it will be a staple for sure. Used Costco rotisserie chicken and this cake together beautifully. And deliciously! My boyfriend would not stop eating it and is already asking when I’m going to make it again.
I’m so so happy you enjoyed it, Maddie! I’ve used the costco rotisserie for ease too and oh man, SO GOOD
This is so good. I didn’t get 8 cups out of it, but it sure made plenty. I eat it as is out of a bowl.
This salad was amazing!
Does the 3 points on the serving include the dressing? Thanks julie
Yep it’s three points for the chicken mixture and the dressing all mixed up together! So happy you enjoyed!
this is my first time trying your recipes my children wouldn’t try it but. my husband and I loved it. I’m expecting my 4th child Monday so I’m not on Ww but I’d like to know how my points, does 2 tablespoons of salsa, add.
So happy you and your husband enjoyed. Salsa is zero points usually on WW so it shouldn’t make a difference.
Love, love, love this recipe! Thank you, Star! Now, if I could keep my husband from eating 4 servings in one sitting 😉
Haha! Those darn husbands. I’m so happy y’all love it! Thanks for letting me know!
So this was my first recipe of yours to try and I followed it to the letter. It was so good I ate it every day for a week and then made it again! My husband loves it. My brother loved it. Everyone who had it loved it. It retains a fresh taste for days and the flavors just get better and better. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe with the points! Now I am moving on to your Skillet Chipotle Chicken. Thanks again!
I’m so happy you loved it so much, Sherry! thank you for stopping back by to let me know! =) I hope you love the chipotle chicken too!
This was so good!!! However did the calculations on the WW app and it came up 5 SmartPoints instead of 3.
Hey there, If you just entered the nutritional info into the app then it will come up as more because all of the nutritional information contains the zero points ww foods like chicken, beans, and corn so it will come up higher, however I build the recipes into the WW app in their recipe builder.
This is amazing!!!! I have made it a few times, and it is now a kitchen staple! I love all your recipes so much!! I was thinking of using this dressing for other salads, would you know the points value on the dressing alone?
Star – I can’t thank you enough for this recipe. It’s delicious! It’s totally worth the prep time, and I cannot wait to eat this throughout the week. I used a rotisserie chicken to save a little time, and it was yummy!
Hey Cheryl! I am soooooo happy you love it!!
This salad is yummy! Before adding the last 3 ingredients and the dressing I divided it in half. One half I used for my husband,who is not a salad eater, added brown rice and heated it in the microwave. He loved it. The other half I used for me, tossing it with 6 tablespoons of dressing and I’m eating it on top of chopped kale.
In the picture I noticed lettuce, tomatoes and looks like cheese but these are not mentioned in the recipe. So would that add more points if you add that to the salad?
Hi there the Southwest Chicken Salad is a base recipe for salads, wraps, pitas, etc. On chopped up lettuce is just how I chose to feature it because that’s one of the ways I’ve been eating it most. You can do with it whatever you’d love most. The tomatoes and lettuce wouldn’t add any points, but the cheese I have in the photo does add one point. I used 1/8 cup of colby jack made with 2% milk
Thank you! I’m going to try it because it does look delicious!
Thank you. I have made this twice in one week (my family loved it so much). My daughter wants me to take chicken mixture and bake it on hot wings for the superbowl.
I made it for lunch this week! Question…how many ounces of chicken is 4 cups diced? I always shred mine:)
This looks fantastic. Wondering if u eliminate the dressing and use your Chipotle ranch dressing would it still be 3 points
This is my new favorite salad! I love your recipes!!
I’m so happy you love it, Kathy! Thanks for letting me know!
Could you eat this warmed? Hey
I haven’t technically eaten it completely warm, but I have stuffed it into a flatbread wrap and then grilled the wrap with cheese in it so it was kind of warmed and tasted delicious!
How many tablespoons of dressing can I get for the 3 points? I plan to meal prep this individually throughout the week. Ps. thank you for always sharing your yummy recipes!!
Hi Amy, I’m sorry, but I haven’t figured out how much the dressing makes so I don’t have that info. You can actually just toss it all together with the chicken and all. It keeps well in the fridge!
I figured 2 tablespoons
Star,
I just finished making the Southwest Chicken Salad, and it is in my refrigerator as we speak. I can not wait to try it! Thank you for all your delicious recipes!
Sincerely,
Cherise M.