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The BEST Southwest Chicken Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing! Made with colorful veggies, marinated grilled chicken, black beans, corn, crumbled cotija cheese and tossed with the most delicious avocado cilantro dressing!
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5 from 4 votes

Southwest Chicken Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

The BEST Southwest Chicken Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing! Made with colorful veggies, marinated grilled chicken, black beans, corn, crumbled cotija cheese and tossed with the most delicious avocado cilantro dressing!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: lunch, Main Course, Salad
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Southwest Chicken Salad
Servings: 4

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

For the Salad:

  • 8 cups romaine lettuce chopped
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes halved
  • 1 cup black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup corn fresh or canned
  • 1 ripe avocado diced
  • 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
  • 1/3 cup fresh cilantro chopped
  • 1/3 cup cotija cheese crumbled

For the Dressing:

  • 1 avocado
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
  • 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 3 Tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp lime juice
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup water depending on consistency

Instructions

  • Make the dressing: Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Feel free to add in a few tablespoons of water to thin out the dressing to reach your desired consistency. Store in the fridge in a sealed, airtight container or mason jar until ready to use.
  • Cook the chicken: Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, taco seasoning, salt/pepper and toss with chicken. Let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes (or up to 12 hours) and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Bake chicken for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the inside of the chicken reaches 165 F using a digital thermometer. You could also grill the chicken 4 to 5 minutes on each side on the grill or grill pan, until the juices run clear.
  • Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, mix together the lettuce, tomatoes, black beans, corn, avocado, red onion, cilantro, cheese and diced chicken. Drizzle with the avocado dressing and toss until all combined. Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4th of salad | Calories: 492kcal | Carbohydrates: 37.2g | Protein: 40.5g | Fat: 26.6g | Saturated Fat: 5.1g | Cholesterol: 81.3mg | Sodium: 653.8mg | Fiber: 15.1g | Sugar: 9.1g