This spicy southwest salad is what dreams are made of! With an easy spicy ranch dressing, perfectly seasoned chicken, and tons of vegetables, it’ll be your new go-to salad at home!
There is literally nothing I love more than a fresh summer salad on a hot evening. Salads are so versatile with toppings and dressings, they can truly be anything you want them to be!
My favorite salad right now is the spicy southwest chicken salad. Chicken marinated in honey, fresh lime juice, and seasonings, then grilled to perfection is already delicious. But then, placed atop a bed of lettuce, avocado, fresh vegetables, and smothered in homemade spicy ranch dressing, you just can’t beat it!
If you’re ready to try a delicious new summer salad, then you’ve come to the right place! Let’s get cooking!
what is a spicy southwest salad?
Although there are many variations of this grilled southwest chicken salad, this one is a regular chicken salad that’s been totally jazzed-up with spicy southwest flavor!
Southwest-inspired ingredients like black beans, corn, avocado, cilantro, and tortilla strips all drizzled with a spicy ranch dressing made with hot sauce just beg to be eaten!
what does southwest chicken salad taste like?
This southwest avocado chicken salad tastes like a super flavorful chicken salad. The chicken is marinated in a sweet and tangy marinade, then grilled to juicy perfection. The salad greens are fresh and crunchy, and with all the added toppings, it basically tastes like a burrito and a salad had a baby. This salad recipe is that baby!
what’s in a southwest chicken salad?
Lime – You’ll end up using at least one lime for this recipe, both zested and juiced to help flavor and marinade the chicken. If you’re a big fan of lime, buy a couple more to squeeze over your finished salads.
Garlic powder – One of the marinade ingredients, it just adds a nice garlic flavor to the chicken.
Cumin – This is a southwest chicken salad, so we need to add some southwest flavors like cumin!
Chili powder – One of the main flavors in the chicken, chili powder just adds a nice color and taste to the chicken breasts.
Salt – This helps tenderize the meat as it sits in the marinade, so don’t skip it. If you’re looking for a lower sodium chicken, reduce the amount of salt down to 1/4 teaspoon.
Honey – Adding honey to the marinade makes the chicken a little sweet, and who doesn’t like a sweet and spicy chicken?
Avocado oil – This will add some moisture to chicken breasts, which are prone to drying out.
Chicken breasts – The main protein source of this recipe. Chicken breasts grill easily and take on a lot of flavors!
Ranch dressing – You could just use ranch dressing for this salad, but then it wouldn’t be spicy! Give your ranch dressing a kick instead by adding in hot sauce!
Hot sauce – Transform regular ranch dressing into a spicy southwest ranch by just adding a few tablespoons of your favorite hot sauce.
Lettuce – It wouldn’t be a salad without lettuce!
Tomatoes – I love to add tomatoes for the flavor, color, and vitamins they provide!
Black beans – Low sodium black beans that are drained and rinsed work great for this salad recipe!
Bell pepper – I like to use red bell peppers because they’re sweeter than the other colors. You can use any color you’d like, though!
Avocado – A filling and healthy fat source, avocado adds a great texture to this southwest salad recipe!
Corn – I use frozen that I thaw under hot water, but you can use canned or fresh if you’d like, too!
Tortilla strips – You can buy tortilla strips for salads at the grocery store. They’re usually by the salad kits in the produce department. You can also sometimes find them in bulk bins at a discount grocery store like Winco.
Red onion – As if this salad recipe didn’t have enough color, red onion adds a gorgeous purple and provides a little more flavor, too!
Cilantro – Garnish your salad with cilantro, or skip it altogether!
substitutions
Chicken breasts – You can eliminate this ingredient altogether to keep this salad vegetarian, and you won’t need any of the marinade ingredients, either!
Ranch dressing – Instead of using ranch dressing and mixing it with hot sauce, you could buy a premade southwest salad dressing or even an avocado lime dressing, too!
Hot sauce – Feel free to use your favorite hot sauce! Cholula, sriracha, or tapatio all work great. I personally like using chipotle Cholula for it’s smoky and spicy flavor!
Tomatoes – I used Roma tomatoes, but you can use any kind you want. You could even use grape or cherry tomatoes.
Black beans – Black beans are a favorite in my house, but garbanzo beans also work great!
Bell pepper – Feel free to use any color you’d like. The orange and red are sweeter than the green and yellow, though.
Tortilla strips – If you can’t find tortilla strips, just break up some regular tortilla chips and sprinkle them on!
how to make southwest salad
- In a large bowl or gallon-sized zip lock, combine the chicken marinade ingredients. Add the chicken breasts, and toss until covered in the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours, up to 24 hours.
- Spray a grill pan with cooking spray, then heat on medium heat. Once the grill pan is hot, add the chicken breasts, and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side. Once the chicken is cooked, set aside to cool, then slice into thin strips.
- Make the southwest ranch dressing. Add the ranch dressing and hot sauce to a small bowl, then stir until combined. Set aside.
- Assemble your salads with lettuce, tomatoes, black beans, bell pepper, avocado, corn, red onion, tortilla strips, cilantro, and lime juice. Drizzle with the spicy ranch dressing and eat up!
grilled chicken tips
To make perfectly grilled chicken on your stovetop, there are a few things you should know beforehand!
- Preheat your grill pan. If you want perfect grill lines on your chicken, you need to make sure your grill pan is hot! Heat it up for 2-3 minutes on medium heat before adding your chicken to make sure it sears perfectly.
- Spray oil on your grill pan. Not only will doing this make clean-up easier, it will also help the chicken become golden brown and not stick to the pan. Chicken that gets stuck to the pan will not be pretty.
- Don’t flip your chicken multiple times. Make sure to cook for the full 5-6 minutes on each side, but don’t cook either side more than once. If you flip your chicken back and forth multiple times, you’ll give the chicken multiple grill marks and it won’t look perfectly grilled.
storage instructions
If you find that you’ve got some leftovers, feel free to store assembled salads in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 2 days. Just make sure to store the dressing and tortilla strips separately, and consider waiting to cut the avocado up for the salad until the day you plan to eat it.
tips & faq
Are grilled chicken salads good for you?
They absolutely are! As long as you stay away from pouring too much high-fat or high-sugar dressing on, then they are great for you! Grilled chicken salads are usually loaded with vegetables, lean protein, and fiber to keep you full and keep you healthy, too!
How long do you grill chicken?
Grilled chicken is easy to make, and for chicken breasts, grilling on either the outdoor grill or your grill pan takes about 5-6 minutes on each side.
Can I make grilled chicken salad ahead of time?
Yes you can! For this southwest grilled chicken salad, go ahead and assemble your salad, but leave off the avocado, dressing, and the tortilla strips until the day you plan to eat it. Store your salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
nutritional info
This southwest chicken salad recipe is full of healthy fats, fiber, and lean protein, making it an insanely filling and healthy salad recipe.
To keep it on the low sodium side, use a lower sodium ranch dressing, and low sodium beans as well.
Overall, for a full meal full of every color in the rainbow, this salad recipe is perfectly reasonable in terms of calories. Enjoy!
Total nutritional content per serving is:
- Calories: 564 calories
- Total Fat: 30 grams
- Protein: 30 grams
- Sodium: 776 mg
- Carbohydrates: 48 grams
- Fiber: 14 grams
*This nutritional information is an estimate and calculated based on the ingredients used to create the recipe. The nutritional value of your ingredients may differ slightly. Furthermore, this food is not intended to prevent, diagnose, cure, or treat any disease.
pricing info
This is what I personally paid to make this recipe:
- 1 lime: $0.58
- 1 tsp garlic powder: $0.09
- ½ tsp cumin: $0.06
- 1 tsp chili powder: $0.04
- ½ tsp salt: $0.02
- 2 tbsp honey: $0.80
- 1 tbsp avocado oil: $0.27
- 2 chicken breasts: $2.48
- ½ cup ranch dressing: $0.67
- 3 tbsp hot sauce: $0.98
- 1 head green leaf lettuce: $2.28
- 2 tomatoes: $0.67
- 1 can black beans: $0.78
- 1 red bell pepper: $0.98
- 2 avocado: $1.16
- 1 cup corn: $0.33
- ½ red onion: $0.34
- ½ cup tortilla strips: $0.43
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