Best Southwestern Chicken Salad Recipes

SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Place tortilla strips on a baking sheet; spritz both sides of strips with butter-flavored cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 4-5 minutes or until crisp. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook chicken in oil over medium heat until no longer pink; set aside. , Combine the salad greens, corn, beans, 1 cup tomatoes, green pepper, jicama and onions; arrange on a serving platter. Place chicken in center of salad; sprinkle with cheese and remaining tomatoes. Arrange tortilla strips around chicken. , In a small bowl, combine the ranch dressing and barbecue sauce; serve with salad.

SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD WITH CHIPOTLE DRESSING

Steps:

• Brush olive oil over the chicken breasts, then sprinkle the fajita seasoning onto both sides.
• Grill over medium-high heat about 6 minutes per side (or you may broil).
• Allow to cool then slice into strips; set aside.
• For the dressing; in a blender or food processor combine mayonnaise, 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese, sour cream, cumin, anchovy fillets, green onions, Dijon mustard, chipotle pepper, fresh garlic, Worcestershire sauce and black pepper; process or blend until smooth then season with salt if desired.
• Place the lettuce in a large glass bowl, add in black beans; toss to mix.
• Top the salad with croutons and red bell pepper rings and cooked chicken slices, then sprinkle with about 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or any amount desired).
• Drizzle the dressing over the salad or serve dressing on the side.
• Delicious!

SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN LAYERED SALAD

Steps:

• Arrange lettuce on large platter. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, place chicken and reserved liquid from corn. Sprinkle with taco seasoning mix. Cook over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until blended and thoroughly heated.
• Arrange chicken mixture over lettuce. Sprinkle with cheese and corn. Drizzle with dressing; top with corn chips. Garnish with salsa.

SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN TACO SALAD

Steps:

• In small bowl, beat dressing ingredients with wire whisk until well blended.
• In large bowl, mix salad ingredients except corn chips. Add dressing; toss until coated. Sprinkle with corn chips.

SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Fill a large skillet with 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water. Add lemon slices, bay leaf, peppercorns and 2/3 of the thyme, and bring to boiling over high heat. Add chicken, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-18 minutes, turning chicken once, until juices run clear and chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from liquid and set aside to cool.
• In a small skillet, stir together the paprika and remaining thyme over medium-low heat for 2 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together the toasted paprika mixture, mayonnaise, sour cream, salt, ground pepper and nutmeg until evenly blended.
• Cube cooled chicken and transfer to a medium bowl. Add prepared dressing, corn, cilantro, orange pepper and jalapeno and toss until evenly coated. Serve warm, or refrigerate until ready to serve.

SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Season the chicken strips with cayenne red pepper (to taste) or Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning (to taste) - set aside.
• Cook pasta 'al dente' - drain and rinse well with cold water.
• In large bowl combine pasta, peppers, corn, beans and onion.
• Next add the chicken, seasonings and mayo. Fold together (pasta and kidney beans can fall apart if you mix too hard).
• Add more seasonings to taste if needed.
• Chill overnight.

SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN SALAD WITH CHIPOTLE CHILES

Steps:

• Combine the water, the quartered onion and the whole crushed garlic cloves in a 2-quart saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the chicken breasts, and bring back to a simmer. Skim off any foam that rises, and then add the dried herbs. Cover partially, reduce the heat to low and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. (Cut one in half; the meat should not be pink.) Add salt to taste. Allow the chicken to cool in the broth if there is time. Remove the chicken from the broth when cool enough to handle. Remove from the bone and shred, pulling strips of chicken off the top of the breast. Pull with the grain, and the meat comes apart naturally. You should have about 4 cups of shredded chicken. Strain the chicken broth, and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, skim off and discard the fat, and freeze the broth in smaller containers.
• Mix together the ingredients for the dressing.
• Place the shredded chicken in a large bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss with the diced radishes, cilantro, chipotles and all but 2 tablespoons of the dressing.
• Toss the romaine lettuce with the remaining dressing, and arrange on a platter. Top with the salad. Garnish the top of the salad with the sliced radishes and the sliced avocado, and serve.

SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Rub chicken with olive oil and fajita seasoning. Grill over lot heat until done. Set aside and keep warm.
• While the chicken is grilling, prepare and combine the remaining salad ingredients, except the dressing.
• Slice chicken 1/4" thick, against the grain, and add to salad. Toss with dressing to taste.
• Serve immediately.

SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook and drain rotini as directed on package. Rinse with cold water to cool. Drain well.
• Meanwhile, in large bowl, mix chicken, avocado, tomato, corn, onions and cheese. In small bowl, mix mayonnaise and salsa.
• Add rotini to salad; stir gently to mix. Add mayonnaise mixture to salad; toss to coat. Arrange lettuce blend on individual plates. Spoon salad over lettuce. Sprinkle with cilantro.

SIMPLE SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, mayonnaise, celery, cilantro and seasoning mix. Mix well.
• Cover bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour.

SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN AND PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain; rinse under cold running water and drain again.
• Transfer pasta to large bowl. Add oil and toss to coat. Mix in chicken, green onions, tomatoes, hominy, beans, taco sauce and cilantro. Season salad generously with salt and pepper.

SOUTHWESTERN SHREDDED CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Combine lettuce, chicken, corn, beans, bell pepper, avocados, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro for salad in a large bowl.
• Stir yogurt, mayonnaise, taco seasoning, and ranch dressing mix for dressing together in a small bowl.
• Pour 1/2 of the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Gradually add more dressing until it is dressed to your liking. Top with tortilla chips before serving.

LAYERED SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• For dressing, in a blender, combine the first six ingredients; cover and process until smooth. While processing, gradually add oil in a steady stream. Transfer to a small bowl; cover and refrigerate until serving. , In a 4-qt. glass salad bowl, layer the remaining ingredients in the order listed. Serve with dressing.

SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN COBB SALAD

Steps:

• In small bowl, beat all dressing ingredients with wire whisk until blended. Cover; refrigerate while preparing salad.
• On 1 large platter or 2 medium platters, arrange cheese, tomatoes, chicken strips, corn and jicama in rows, leaving room at end for row of avocados.
• Just before serving, remove pits from avocados, peel and chop. In small bowl, mix avocados and lime juice; toss to coat. Arrange avocados on platter. Serve dressing on the side.

SOUTHWESTERN GRILLED CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Season the chicken breasts with Essence, drizzle with olive oil and grill or bake until done.
• You can also substitute fajita seasoned sliced chicken breasts strips here.
• Slice the chicken breasts into thin strips.
• Toss the lettuce with your other salad"stuff".
• Slice the corn tortillas into thin strips and deep fry until crisp.
• If you stop short of crisp, the tortillas will be tough.
• Test one and if this is the case, just refry til crisp.
• Drain on paper towels.
• Divide the tortillas into four equal portions and place on individual plates (I use deep pasta bowels).
• Place the lettuce mix on top of the tortilla strips and put an equal portion of chicken breast on each.
• Mix together the Ranch Dressing and salsa 1:1.
• Pour this over each salad and sprinkle cheese on top.

SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN BLT SALAD

Steps:

• Mix all Salsa Bacon Dressing ingredients.
• In large bowl, mix all Salad ingredients. Add dressing; toss until coated.

~ BLACKENED CHICKEN / SOUTHWESTERN SALAD ~

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Prepare chicken: Mix all spice together in a small bowl. Pound chicken to thin some. Sprinkle seasoning on each side of chicken, making sure its thoroughly coated. In a skillet cover bottom with oil, over med high heat, Once smoking, add chicken and cook on one side for 5 minutes, turn and cook for 5 minutes longer. Place on a sheet pan and place in oven, cook until juiced run clear, about 15 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes, then slice each breast. Prepare salad while chicken cooks.
• 2. In a medium bowl, mix corn, beans and peppers, set aside. On each plate measure out 1 cup or more lettuce. Add desired onion slices. Sprinkle each with even amount of cheese. Place 3 mounds per plate around the edge of lettuce with bean mixture. Place 8 halves of tomato around the edge of each salad. Sprinkle each with even amount of bacon. Top each salad with a sliced chicken breast. Add to the side or on top of chicken, a couple avocado slices. Sprinkle with fried tortilla chips. Serve with dressing.
• 3. Mix dressing with taco seasoning and serve aside the salad.

SOUTHWESTERN RANCH CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Place tortilla strips on microwaveable plate sprayed with cooking spray. Microwave on HIGH 1 min. Meanwhile, mix dressing and cumin.
• Toss greens with chicken, tomatoes, cheese and dressing mixture in large bowl; top with tortilla strips.

SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Combine ingedients in a bowl. Spread on.
• bread slices to form a sandwich.

SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN TACO SALAD

Steps:

• In small bowl, beat dressing ingredients with wire whisk until well blended.
• In large bowl, mix salad ingredients except corn chips. Add dressing; toss until coated. Sprinkle with corn chips.