Mexican Chicken Salad (The BEST Ensalada de Pollo)

Seriously the best Mexican Chicken Salad you’ll make! Crunchy romaine is tossed with a creamy cumin-lime dressing, then topped with avocado, corn, tomatoes, crunchy tortilla strips, and a spicy marinated chicken breast.

Ensalada de Pollo – The BEST Mexican Chicken Salad!

I live off salads all summer long. They are quick to make and are filled with the summer’s best produce.

There is no reason to settle for boring salads when there are so many great additions. This Mexican Chicken Salad is loaded with tons of flavors and textures.

It’s a whole meal on it’s own, with lean protein from the marinated chicken, healthy fats from the dressing and avocado, and lots of fiber from the veggies and pumpkin seeds.

The crisp lettuce is tossed in a creamy cumin-lime dressing. It’s easy to make – so skip the bottle dressings! Making salad dressing at home is the best way to ensure they add nutrition to the salad rather than detract it. Plus, they taste better and save you money!

You’ll love this Mexican Chicken Salad Recipe because:

• It requires minimal cooking – grill some chicken (or even use a rotisserie chicken!), heat up some corn, and toss together this beauty!
• The creamy cumin-lime dressing has a base of cashew butter, lime juice and olive oil — it’s dairy free and packed with flavor!
• It’s versatile – start with crunchy romaine, marinated chicken, and the dressing, and then pack it with your favorite Mexican style veggies or toppings.

What You’ll Need

Marinated Grilled Chicken

• Chicken breasts (or boneless chicken thighs)
• Olive Oil
• Lime Juice
• Cumin
• Cinnamon
• Paprika
• Sea Salt
• Black Pepper

Mexican Salad

• Romaine Lettuce
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Avocado (use a ripe avocado that’s ready to be sliced!)
• Tortilla Strips (made with corn tortillas, olive oil, and salt)
• Red Onion (or chopped green onions)
• Corn (start with corn on the cob and heat it in a skillet before cutting the corn kernels off the cob)
• Fresh Cilantro
• Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• Optional: Add cotjia or your favorite crumbled cheese for a pop of extra salty flavor
• Crunchy Tortilla Strips: Make your own using corn tortillas and olive oil, or substitute your favorite tortilla chips.

Creamy Cumin-Lime Dressing

• Olive Oil
• Cashew Butter
• Fresh Lime Juice
• Red Wine Vinegar
• Cumin
• Garlic (optional, fresh minced garlic)
• Sea Salt

How to Make a Mexican Chicken Salad

Step 1: Add chicken to a bowl or marinating container. Drizzle with olive oil and lime juice, and then sprinkle with salt and spices. Toss to evenly coat the chicken, then refrigerate to marinate overnight, or for at least 2 hours. *save time by using leftover rotisserie chicken. Simply add shredded chicken to the salad and skip steps 1 and 2.

Step 2: When ready to serve the salad, place chicken on a grill preheated over medium heat until it reaches an internal temperature of 165º F. Allow the chicken to rest 10 minutes prior to slicing to add to the salad. *See this post for more tips on how to grill chicken breasts.

Step 3: Add all the dressing ingredients into a blender, and process until smooth.

Step 4: Adjust the salt and lime juice to your preference. Refrigerate the dressing until ready to toss together the salad.

Step 5: Cut tortillas into thin strips. Add the tortilla strips to a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season lightly with sea salt.

Step 6: Preheat the oven to 350º F. Cook the tortilla strips for 10 minutes. Toss, and then return to the oven for 5 more minutes. Turn off the heat and allow some heat to escape for the oven, and then allow the tortilla strips to remain in the oven as it cools to crisp up completely.

Step 7: Add romaine lettuce to a large salad bowl. Drizzle with about 1/2 the dressing and toss to coat. Save the rest of the dressing to serve alongside the salad.

Step 8: Top the salad with avocado, corn, tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, pepitas, tortilla strips, and sliced chicken. Gently mix in and serve immediately.

How to Store Leftover Chicken Salad

If the salad is being prepped ahead of time, add the lettuce, corn, cherry tomatoes, avocado, and cilantro to a large bowl or airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Store the chicken, crispy tortilla strips, pepitas, and dressing separately, and assemble each salad when ready to enjoy.

Variations

Make this avocado chicken salad recipe your own!

Save time: Use leftover rotisserie chicken instead of marinating and grilling chicken breasts for an easy recipe that’s still packs in flavor and nutrition! If you’d like to add more flavor, warm up the chicken and add some taco seasoning.

Add Cheese: Cotija cheese or even shredded cheddar cheese is great in this salad! I add cotija and omit the pumpkin seeds sometimes.

Salad Dressing: Instead of making the cumin-lime dressing, substitute with your favorite creamy dressing.

Make this Paleo/Whole30: This salad is easily made paleo or Whole30 compliant by omitting the corn and the tortilla strips.

Add Beans: Black beans, kidney beans, or chickpeas would all be a great addition if you enjoy beans! Toss them in with the fresh vegetables.

Mix up the Veggies: Add sauteed red bell pepper and onions, swap the romaine for spinach or baby greens, or use black olives in place of the avocado. Use the dressing and the marinated chicken to put together different variations!

Other Summer Salad Recipes

• Steak Caesar Salad
• Summer Greek Quinoa Salad
• Balsamic Chicken Watermelon Salad

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