Name: Simple Mexican Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 chicken breasts; 3 teaspoons taco seasoning; 1 tablespoon oil; 1 head romaine lettuce (chopped); 1/2 bunch cilantro (chopped); 1 pint cherry tomatoes (halved); 1 bell pepper (any color, chopped); 3 green onions (chopped (or 1/2 purple onion)); 1 avocado (diced); 14.5 ounce can corn (rinsed and drained); 14.5 ounce can black beans (rinsed and drained); 1/2 cup black olives (about 1/2 can); Avocado Lime Ranch; Chips (for serving)

Recipe

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This Mexican salad is fresh, filling, and loaded with bold flavor. Yes, it’s hearty enough to count as dinner.

Meal-worthy salads are about to become a big deal at your house with this simple Mexican salad recipe.

Chopped Mexican Salad

When it comes to high-protein salads that are good enough to eat as a meal without feeling hungry later, this Mexican salad delivers!

It's the kind of salad that checks all the boxes, since everyone in my family loves it, made with lots of fresh ingredients without being too elaborate to make on a weeknight, just like my blackened chicken salad and my epic chicken cobb salad.

Ingredients

The combination of fresh ingredients like crisp lettuce, ripe tomatoes, crisp bell peppers, and onions (green or purple), with pantry staples like canned corn, black beans, and black olives, makes this salad a breeze to make.

The chicken breasts seasoned with the best taco seasoning add protein to the salad, which turns this salad into a satiating meal. For the dressing, I like to use avocado lime ranch, or for a healthier option, my cottage cheese ranch. Chips or not, that’s totally up to you!

How to Make It

I usually start by pan-searing the chicken and then get the salad going in the 12 to 15 minutes it takes to cook.

Then build this Mexican salad, in a big bowl or on individual plates, by layering all the fresh ingredients. First, use lettuce as a base, sprinkle the cilantro, then top it with canned corn, black beans, juicy tomatoes, black olives, green or purple onions, bell pepper, and avocado.

Once the chicken is cooked, I slice it on a board, place it on top of the salad, drizzle it with dressing, and serve it with a few tortilla chips, with a crunch that makes it feel like a treat.

More Add-Ons

Swap the protein or toppings in this Mexican salad and you’ve got endless ways to fiesta for lunch. Here are other things you can load yours up with:

Grilled shrimp instead of the chicken.
Pork carnitas, shredded on top.
Cheese, such as cotija, queso fresco, or Mexican blend.
Jalapeño slices for a little heat.
Tortilla strips for added crunch.
Mango or pineapple, grilled or diced for sweetness.
Grilled veggies, like zucchini or summer squash.
Fresh Pico de Gallo for freshness and zest.
Spicy guacamole instead of avocados.
Petitas (pumpkin seeds) for added crunch.

Simple Mexican Salad

overhead view of a large bowl of a Mexican salad with chicken

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 25

This Mexican salad is fresh, filling, and loaded with bold flavor. Yes, it's hearty enough to count as dinner.

5 from 3 votes

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Ingredients

2 chicken breasts
3 teaspoons taco seasoning
1 tablespoon oil
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
½ bunch cilantro, chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 bell pepper, any color, chopped
3 green onions, chopped (or ½ purple onion)
1 avocado, diced
14.5 ounce can corn, rinsed and drained
14.5 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup black olives, about ½ can
Avocado Lime Ranch
Chips, for serving

Instructions

Make the chicken:

On a flat surface, pat dry the chicken breasts with a couple of paper towels. Distribute the seasoning on both sides of the chicken breasts.
Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the oil. Place the chicken breasts on the pan and cook the first side for 7 minutes. Flip the chicken breasts over and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes on the other side, until the internal temperature reaches 165F. Cooking time on the second side will vary by the thickness of the chicken breast.
Remove the cooked chicken breasts from the pan onto a board and allow them to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Assemble the salad:

While the chicken breasts cook, fill a large salad bowl or individual bowls with the chopped romaine as a base. Distribute the cilantro on top of the lettuce, then top it with canned corn, black beans, juicy tomatoes, black olives, green or purple onions, the chopped bell pepper, and diced avocado.
Place the sliced cooked chicken breasts on top of the salad. Drizzle the dressing over the top, and serve with tortilla chips.