The perfect Tex-Mex salad is easy to create with a handful of fresh ingredients and a few minutes of prep time. Cooked tender chicken, black beans, and shredded cheese mix with lettuce, tomato, peppers, and onion to make a Tex Mex chicken salad that you can enjoy for lunch, a quick weeknight dinner, or as a simple side dish with tacos or soup. The easiest ever creamy taco ranch dressing makes this salad amazing! I think you’ll also love my Dorito Taco Salad. It’s a favorite for parties and potlucks.
Why Choose Our Tex Mex Salad Recipe
Salad Ingredients
A chopped chicken salad with Tex Mex dressing is all about fresh veggies: Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Cooked Chicken: You need about 2 cups of cubed or shredded cooked chicken to make this salad. I used grilled chicken breast, but you can also use rotisserie chicken, leftovers, or cook fresh shredded chicken using the crockpot or use my boiled chicken breast recipe. Alternatively, season boneless and skinless chicken breasts or thighs with chili powder, salt, and pepper, then shallow fry in a skillet over medium high heat with a little bit of olive oil until cooked through, then dice into cubes to use in the salad. Lettuce: I like to use romaine lettuce for this salad, but you can also use iceberg lettuce or your favorite salad greens. Shred the lettuce so that it’s in small, easy-to-eat pieces. Fresh Vegetables: Tomatoes, red onion, red bell pepper, and green onions add color, crunch, and flavor to the salad. Slice or chop each into small pieces for this salad. Canned Corn and Beans: To make things simple, a whole can of corn and a whole can of black beans are added to the mix. Be sure to drain and rinse the canned veggies well. I had corn on the cob that I grilled with the chicken so I cut the corn kernels and used that. Cheese: You can’t make a taco-style salad without it! Shredded cheddar cheese and/or Monterey jack cheese are perfect, or you can use a shredded Mexican cheese blend instead. Garnishes: Tortilla strips add crunch, and fresh cilantro adds the perfect finishing touch. Tex-Mex Dressing Ingredients: Start with ranch dressing (either bottled or homemade). Add taco seasoning and lime juice (or white wine vinegar) to give it the perfect Tex-Mex flavor!
How To Make Tex Mex Salad
- Dress and Serve: Pour the salad dressing over the salad, and toss again to coat. Top with tortilla chips before serving.
Recipe Tips
Better ingredients = tastier salads! While you can use pre-shredded cheese, bottled ranch dressing, and pre-chopped lettuce, I highly suggest taking the time to grate fresh cheese, chop fresh lettuce, and make a batch of delicious homemade ranch dressing. If you don’t have tortilla strips, you can simply crush up tortilla chips instead! To keep the salad low in cabs, you can also just leave the tortillas out altogether. Instead of shredded chicken, you can use cubed or sliced chicken. If I’m making this salad with leftover grilled chicken, I usually dice it finely. Try topping the salad with taco-seasoned beef or carnitas too!
Storing Tips
As with most salads, this one is best when enjoyed right away! Once you add the dressing to a lettuce chicken salad, the veggies will start to soften, so if you want to make it ahead of time, keep the dressing and the tortilla strips on the side until it’s time to serve.
What To Serve With Tex Mex Salad
This chopped chicken salad is a satisfying meal of its own, but you can also enjoy it as a side dish with your favorite Tex-Mex and Mexican dinners. Grilled chicken with my amazing Mexican Chicken Marinade can replace the chicken on the salad. Serve both with a side of Mexican Rice and you’ll have the most delicious meal! This salad works well as a side dish with easy Baked Chicken Tacos, Chicken Enchilada soup, Chile Colorado, or Stuffed Pepper Casserole too.
What else can I add to Tex-Mex salad?
Anything that you’d enjoy on tacos or in a burrito would be delicious in this recipe. Try a bit of guacamole, diced avocado, sliced radishes, or cilantro lime rice.
Is taco salad healthier than tacos?
It can be! Enjoying these Tex-Mex flavors in a big salad rather than wrapped in a tortilla can save some calories and carbs.
What is a chopped salad?
A traditional chopped salad has the chef place all of the ingredients on a cutting board before chopping them all together into uniform pieces. You can do that in this recipe, but I prefer to chop the ingredients separately and then mix them. This tasty Tex Mex Salad with creamy dressing couldn’t be any easier! Be sure to pin the recipe so more people can enjoy it too. © Little Sunny Kitchen
