Mexican Chicken Salad

A vibrant Mexican Salad with Marinated chicken breast shown in a wooden bowl.

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The crunchy romaine lettuce base of this salad is tossed with a creamy cumin-lime dressing that gives it so much flavor and a creamy texture. Pile on your favorite Mexican-style veggies - we love avocado, tomato, charred corn, and cilantro. Use my marinated chicken breasts or meat from a rotisserie chicken to save time!

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Total Time50

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: servings

Calories: 560kcal

Author: Michelle Miller

Ingredients

Marinated Chicken Breasts

1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
black pepper to taste

Crunchy Tortilla Strips

3 corn tortillas
olive oil to spray or drizzle
sea salt to taste

Creamy Cumin-Lime Dressing

1/3 cup cashew butter
6 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin

Mexican Chicken Salad

2 heads romaine lettuce
1 avocado sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
1 ear corn charred and cut from cob
1/4 cup cilantro roughly chopped
1/4 cup red onion chopped
1/4 cup pepitas

Instructions

Spicy Marinated Chicken Breasts

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.
When ready to serve the salad, grill the chicken 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.

Creamy Cumin-Lime Dressing

Add all the dressing ingredients into a blender, and process until smooth.
Adjust the salt and lime juice to your preference. Refrigerate the dressing until ready to toss together the salad.

Crispy Tortilla Strips

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

Mexican Chicken Salad

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

Notes

*nutrition facts include half of the dressing.

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 salad bowl. 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

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

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

Mix up the Veggies: Add sauteed peppers 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!

Nutrition