Mexican Chopped Salad

July 7, 2021

I love a good salad, but I really love a good chopped salad and this one has worked its way straight to the top of my list. With a variety of flavors and textures, beautiful bright colors and a creamy latin inspired ranch dressing, this salad is like a big fiesta in a bowl and you are going to absolutely love it.

Let’s get started…

Begin by generously seasoning two boneless skinless chicken breasts with your favorite seasoning blend. I love using a good taco seasoning, my fajita seasoning blend or some Lawry’s seasoned salt.

Add some extra virgin olive oil into a skillet and place it over medium heat. Once the skillet is warm, cook the chicken until it is golden brown on both sides and cooked through to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Transfer the cooked chicken onto a plate and set it aside for now.

While your chicken relaxes, gather the salad ingredients….

Start by thinly slicing 1 head of romaine lettuce and dicing 1 orange sweet bell pepper, 1 large poblano pepper, half of an avocado and 2/3 cup of red onion and transfer everything into a large bowl. Now, add 1 cup of sweet corn, 1 cup of black beans and 1 cup of quartered cherry tomatoes. Roughly chop about 2/3 cup of fresh cilantro and crumble 1/2 cup of fresh oaxaca cheese and toss them into the bowl too.

Mix everything to combine. Slice the chicken breasts thin and add them to the party too.

Now that everything is all chopped, sliced, crumbled and tossed together, we have a very important decision to make…. the dressing. So, technically, your favorite dressing will work just fine, but if you are looking for some dressing inspiration, then I would love to very highly recommend my creamy poblano and herb ranch dressing…

If you are interested in whipping this fabulous latin inspired dressing up, simply combine 1 large poblano pepper with the seeds and stem removed, 1/4 cup of plain Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise, 1/4 cup of buttermilk (or your favorite milk), 1/3 cup of fresh cilantro, 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice, 1 teaspoon of garlic pasted, 1 teaspoon of dried dill, 1/2 teaspoon of dried chives, 1/2 teaspoon of dried parsley, 1/2 teaspoon of onion flakes, a pinch of salt and black pepper and 1-2 tablespoons of pickled jalapeño and blend until smooth.

This is one of my favorite dressings and it pairs perfectly with the ingredients in this mexican chopped salad. If you are interested in checking out the entire recipe, visit my creamy poblano and herb ranch dressing recipe here.

Now drizzle that fabulousness all over the salad and get ready to fall in love with a truly delicious and fun combination of mexican inspired flavors and textures.

From the juicy, well seasoned chicken to the crunchy veggies, creamy oaxaca cheese and fresh herbs, this salad is the full package. The tomatoes and sweet bell peppers bring a bit of sweetness, the poblano and that dressing add just the right amount of heat and everything else is bursting with freshness. Each bite is amazing and keeps you coming back for more.

Make this salad! You are going to love it…

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