Southwest Santa Fe Chicken Salad

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 25

This Southwest Santa Fe salad with grilled chicken knocks it out of the park with incredibly seasoned chicken, lots of fresh ingredients, avocado, and a simple vinaigrette to seal the deal.

5 from 25 votes

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Ingredients

1 ½ lbs chicken breasts, about 2
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 heads romaine or 1 large, washed and chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 avocado, diced
14 ounce can corn, drained and rinsed
14 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
¼ cup cotija cheese, optional
½ cup cumin vinaigrette

For the vinaigrette:

1 large garlic clove grated, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 ½ teaspoons cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons honey
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup lime juice, about 4 large limes

Instructions

Prep:

Make the vinaigrette by adding all the vinaigrette ingredients inside a mason jar or a dressing bottle. Shake well to combine and refrigerate for up to 7 days and ready to use.

Grill the chicken:

Pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel and season them on both sides with the taco seasoning.
Heat a cast iron skillet or large pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, pour the oil and distribute it around the hot surface. Place the chicken breasts on the pan and cook the first side for 7 minutes. Flip the chicken breasts over and cook for another 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 from the skillet or pan onto a board.

Build this dream salad:

Assemble the salad in a large bowl by layering the chopped Romaine, topping it with cherry tomatoes, diced avocados, black beans, corn, and sliced chicken breasts. Sprinkle the cotija cheese over the top.
Drizzle ½ cup salad dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Serve with lime wedges for an additional zest in life.

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