Our simple Tex Mex Salad is one of the most epic taco salads that we have ever had! Made with tender chicken, all the best fresh veggies, crispy tortilla strips, shredded cheese, and homemade chipotle ranch dressing. You will be enjoying this easy salad all summer long!
The Best Tex Mex Salad
During this time of year we find ourselves craving all the best fresh, summer salads and this Tex-Mex Salad is definitely one of our all-time favorites! We took some of the best flavor from our Ultimate Southwest Salad and created this chopped salad recipe. It is a whole family favorite that can be built any way you want. Typically, we like to create a salad bar for an easy dinner where everyone can build their salad any way they want to!
Looking for More Mexican-Inspired Recipes?
If you love these recipes as much as we do, you definitely need to try our Steak Fajita Bowl!
What You Will Need
- chipotle ranch dressing – highly recommend our homemade tex mex dressing, but you can also pick-up your favorite store-bought version at your local grocery store.
- chicken thighs – love this cut of meat, but feel free to sub with grilled chicken breasts or keep it really easy and just buy a rotisserie chicken.
- soy sauce – typically we use our chicken marinade recipe when grilling chicken, but some simple soy sauce can work in a pinch.
- salt and pepper – simple ingredients that are always a must when cooking any type of meat.
- lettuce – option to use romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, or another leafy green spring mix.
- black beans – love this super easy ingredient in the mix!
- corn – keep it easy with canned corn, but you can also use frozen corn or make grilled sweet corn to add even more flavor.
- shredded cheese – any variety of cheese will work here – cheddar cheese, Mexican cheese, Monterey Jack, etc.
- green onions, cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper, & avocado – some of our favorite fresh salad toppings.
- fresh cilantro – a fresh herb that always hits the spot and is the best part!
- tortilla strips – perfect for that added crunch on top, option to sub with broken tortilla chips.
How To Make A Tex Mex Salad
The first steps to making this easy recipe are to prep all of the essential salad ingredients.
One of the basic ingredients to prep is the tex mex salad dressing. Just put all the ranch dressing ingredients in a small food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
Now you can either build individual salad bowls or put all the simple salad ingredients in one large bowl. The lettuce is the base and then all your favorite toppings can be piled on top.
Best Way To Serve A Tex Mex Salad
We love serving this tex mex chicken salad recipe with our classic chipotle ranch dressing, but we also have a southwest dressing and southwest vinaigrette that would be delicious too. A little sour cream, salsa, or fresh limes for a squeeze of lime juice would be great too. And if you are looking for a simple side dish to make a complete meal, we highly recommend some grilled bread!
Recipe FAQs and Tips
- Are there other ways to season the chicken for a tex mex salad? Absolutely! We kept it super easy and just used soy sauce with salt and pepper, but our chicken marinade or homemade taco seasoning would be great too.
- What are the best toppings for a tex mex salad? Everything that’s listed in the recipe card is amazing, but you could also add some black olives, red onion, guacamole, etc.
- Meal Prep: this is a great recipe to make ahead of time, just make sure you store the chicken, fresh ingredients, and dressing each in a separate airtight container to prevent sogginess. Store in the fridge for 2-3 days.
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Other Salad Recipes You Might Like
Tex Mex Salad
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 salads 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: Mexican-Inspired
Description
The BEST Tex Mex Chop Salad recipe with a homemade creamy chipotle ranch dressing you will come back to again and again!
Ingredients
Chipotle Ranch:
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/2 cup sour cream (reg. or dairy-free)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon dried parsley leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoon dried chives
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped (more if desired)
Tex Mex Chopped Salad:
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2–3 tablespoons soy sauce (sub Tamari)
- kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 4 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
- 15oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 15oz can of corn, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup white cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/3 cup green onions, sliced
- 1 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 avocado, sliced or diced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 cup tortilla strips, more as desired
- for serving: fresh lime wedges, salsa, sour cream
Instructions
- Chipotle Ranch: Add ingredients to a small blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Taste and add additional chipotle peppers, as desired, and blend again.
- Prep Chicken Thighs: Add chicken thighs to a bowl and toss with soy sauce; set aside while you prep the remaining salad ingredients.
- Grill Chicken Thighs: Bring grill to medium-high heat (about 400 degrees F) and ensure grill grates are clean. Remove chicken from soy sauce letting any excess liquid drip off. Grill chicken on direct heat (directly over flame) for 3-4 minutes per side (the bigger the thigh the longer you will need to cook it), flipping once and seasoning both sides with a little salt and pepper. Remove from grill once the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees F (use an instant-read meat thermometer). Let rest 5-10 minutes and then cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Build Salads: Divide chopped lettuce between 4 salad bowls and top with black beans, corn kernels, shredded cheese, green onions, tomatoes, bell pepper, avocado, cilantro and tortilla strips. Top with the chopped up grilled chicken thighs.
- Dressing + Serve: Serve with some salsa, sour cream and fresh lime wedges. Top with as much dressing as you want and enjoy!
Notes
- Dairy-Free: to make this dairy-free use a dairy-free sour cream and your favorite shredded cheese.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6oz
- Calories: 512
- Sugar: 3.7 g
- Sodium: 706.9 mg
- Fat: 31.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 25.3 g
- Protein: 32.6 g
- Cholesterol: 132.2 mg
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