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Southwest Salad with Honey Chipotle Chicken

Published: Dec 17, 2021 · Modified: Apr 25, 2022 by Jessica · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 11 Comments

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This Southwest Salad is loaded with black beans, corn, avocado and smoky, spicy honey chipotle chicken, drizzled in a tangy cilantro lime dressing. A hearty main dish salad that fresh, full of bold flavor and easy to make!

Southwest salad in a white bowl with avocado, lime and cilantro in the background. A bed of romaine lettuce with ingredients grouped together.
A hearty main dish salad bursting with bold Southwest flavors.

I love a giant, fresh, flavor-packed salad with for dinner. This Southwest Salad is full of black beans, corn, peppers, red onion, avocado and spicy, smoky, sweet honey chipotle chicken. It’s bursting with my favorite flavors and on repeat in my kitchen all year long.

What I love most about Southwest Salad is that it’s highly customizable! Start with a bed of crisp romaine lettuce and then just follow your heart with your favorite veggies. Keep it vegan or add the spicy sweet honey chipotle chicken for a super filling, nutritious meal.

Jump to:
  • Ingredients in Southwest Salad
  • How to make the Honey Chipotle Chicken
  • Assembling your salad
  • Salad dressing for Southwest Salad
  • Southwest Salad with Honey Chipotle Chicken
  • A special thank you
Close up of Southwest Salad with Honey Chipotle Chicken. Ingredients arranged in groupings in a white bowl.
Southwest Salad is fresh, healthy and easy to make.

Ingredients in Southwest Salad

A fresh and crunchy array of colorful veggies, hearty black beans and creamy avocado with warm, spicy chicken brings all the Tex Mex flavor to this salad.

  • Romaine Lettuce – I recommend sticking with romaine because it’s crisp, hearty and will hold up loads of toppings.
  • Black Beans & Corn – A staple ingredient in any Southwest style dish.
  • Tomato – Use halved cherry or grape tomatoes or chopped roma tomatoes for best texture.
  • Red Onion – A bit of finely diced red onion or some thinly sliced scallions adds tons of flavor.
  • Bell Pepper – Any color you like or try some chopped, roasted poblano peppers for extra flair.
  • Avocado – Adds creaminess.
  • Fresh Cilantro – I love the flavor of fresh cilantro leaves mixed in with the salad.
  • Honey Chipotle Chicken – Boneless skinless chicken breast with a spicy, smoky, sweet honey chipotle marinade. You’ll definitely want to make extra of to have for leftovers.
  • Southwest Salad Dressing – I definitely recommend making my Cilantro Lime Dressing. Or go with your favorite ranch if you prefer a creamy dressing.
  • Extras: Add some cotija cheese or crushed tortilla chips if you’re feeling extra.
Overhead view of Southwest Salad with Honey Chipotle Chicken in a white bowl. Gold pattern napkin, gold fork, half an avocado, lime wedges, cilantro and jar of cilantro lime dressing on the table with salad.
Drizzle with bright and tangy homemade Cilantro Lime Dressing.

How to make the Honey Chipotle Chicken

Topping this Southwest Salad off with warm honey chipotle chicken just takes it to the next level. If you need a shortcut, just skip this step and go vegan or use rotisserie chicken.

All you need is chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, fresh garlic, honey, cumin, mustard, salt and fresh limes to make a delicious marinade for boneless skinless chicken breasts.

Step one – If your chicken breasts are on the larger side, start by butterflying the chicken breast. Carefully cut lengthwise about halfway through the breast and then open it up like a book. This makes the chicken an even thickness throughout which allows for faster, more evenly cooked, juicier chicken breasts.

Step two: Add fresh minced garlic, chopped chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, honey, cumin, lime juice, olive oil and salt to a shallow dish or plastic zip top bag. Add in chicken breasts, seal and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. I do not recommend letting the chicken marinade for more than two hours. The marinade is highly acidic from the lime juice and any longer could toughen the meat. Reserve some of the marinade for basting.

  • Butterflied boneless skinless chicken breasts on a white cutting board with a knife.
    Butterfly the chicken breasts for juicier, more evenly cooked chicken.
  • Honey chipotle chicken marinade ingredients in a clear bowl with squeezed limes, zester and measuring cup on a wood cutting board.
    Reserve some of the marinade for basting.

Step three: Using a well oiled cast iron skillet or grill pan, cook the chicken on medium high heat for 1-2 minutes on each side, basting with reserved marinade. Once each side is deep golden brown with a little bit of char, turn the heat down, cover and cook for another 10 minutes. Chicken is fully cooked when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

Step four: Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing and topping your salad.

  • Raw marinated chicken breasts cooking in a cast iron skillet.
    Cook chicken in a cast iron skillet or grill pan.
  • Honey chipotle chicken cooking in a cast iron skillet. Basting with a blue silicon brush.
    Baste chicken with reserved marinade.

Note: You definitely want to use a cast iron or heavy duty nonstick skillet. The honey in the marinade will leave some char that’s difficult to remove in any other type of pan.

Sliced honey chipotle chicken on a white plate garnished with fresh cilantro.
Smoky, spicy, sweet honey chipotle chicken is perfect with Southwest Salad.

Assembling your salad

There are a few different ways to assemble your salad so that everyone can have theirs exactly how they like it! It’s all about presentation.

  • Make a salad bar: This is a great presentation if you’re having people over for lunch and you’re not sure about everyone’s dietary preferences or tastes. Set all of the ingredients out in colorful bowls to create a salad bar so everyone choose their own adventure!
  • Arrange it on a platter: Start with a bed of romaine lettuce on a large platter and then neatly arrange each of the ingredients in separate groupings. A great option if this salad is part of a larger meal and you want to give people the option to pick the ingredients they enjoy. They can still serve themselves and easily leave behind the ones they don’t want.
  • Mix or chop it up: Go head and toss it all together. Or if you’re feeling adventurous, spread it out on a large cutting board and run a knife through it to make it a chopped, mixed salad. Not as pretty but certainly delicious as you’ll be sure to get a bit of everything in each bite!
Southwest Salad with Honey Chipotle Chicken in a white bowl with avocado, cilantro, lime and jar of dressing in the background.
Group ingredients together for a fun and colorful presentation.

Salad dressing for Southwest Salad

I love my Cilantro Lime Dressing for this salad. Some other store bought options that I love include Chipotle Ranch and Avocado Ranch.

If you make this recipe, please leave a rating and/or comment! Tag me on Instagram @bigdeliciouslife so that I can see your snaps. For more Big Delicious Life, follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook, or subscribe to my YouTube channel!

Pinterest template with big delicious life branding and photos of southwest salad and honey chipotle chicken.
Pin this recipe for later!
Southwest salad in a white bowl with avocado, lime and cilantro in the background. A bed of romaine lettuce with ingredients grouped together.

Southwest Salad with Honey Chipotle Chicken

Jessica
This Southwest Salad is loaded with black beans, corn, avocado and smoky, spicy honey chipotle chicken, drizzled in a tangy cilantro lime dressing. A hearty main dish salad that fresh, full of bold flavor and easy to make!
5 from 11 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Additional Time 30 mins
Total Time 55 mins
Course Mains
Cuisine American
Servings 4 Servings
Calories 679 kcal

Ingredients
  

Southwest Salad

  • 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
  • 1 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup corn
  • 1 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes
  • 1 ripe avocado
  • ½ red onion diced
  • Optional: cilantro & lime wedges

Honey Chipotle Chicken

  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce chopped plus 2 tablespoons adobo sauce.
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 2 limes zest and juice
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for cooking

Instructions
 

  • Combine all of the marinade ingredients for the Honey Chipotle Chicken in a small bowl. Reserve ¼ of the marinade and set aside for basting.
  • Butterfly the chicken breasts and combine with marinade in a covered shallow dish or zip top plastic bag and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
  • While the chicken is marinating, prep the salad ingredients and make the Cilantro Lime Dressing.
  • Heat a large cast iron skillet or grill pan over medium high heat and add 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard. Cook chicken breasts on one side for 1-2 minutes until browned with a little bit of char. Flip, baste with reserved marinade and cook on the other side for an additional 1-2 minutes. Baste again, turn the heat down to medium low, cover and cook the chicken for another 8-10 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
  • Remove chicken from the pan and place on a cutting board to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
  • Arrange salad ingredients, add chicken and drizzle with dressing.

Equipment

  • Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet, 10.25″, Black

Notes

It's critical to use a cast iron skillet or grill pan to cook the honey chipotle chicken as the honey will burn a bit and char.
I serve about half a chicken breast with each salad. There will likely be leftover chicken.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 679kcalCarbohydrates: 81gProtein: 50gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 97mgSodium: 841mgFiber: 18gSugar: 35g
Keyword chicken avocado salad, dinner salad, honey chipotle chicken, main dish salad, Southwest salad, Tex mex salad
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

A special thank you

Big Delicious Life has been around for a little over a year now, and I have to say, I’m really proud of how far I’ve come! Cooking is how I show love to the people close to me and sharing my recipes with you is like sharing a little piece of my heart. I can’t thank you enough for being here. Several of my followers who have made my recipes have asked, “what can I do to support your work?”. I always tell them to leave a rating and review and engage with me on social media. Each and every single one of those touch points means so much to me.

As I continue to whip up more delicious things, I’ve been exploring more ways to support my growing blog (and grocery bill!) and I’m excited to be one of Google’s paid early testers for their Thank with Google pilot program. Thank with Google is an experimental feature that allows my readers to purchase and send me a virtual sticker as a way of showing their appreciation for the free content that I work hard to develop on my website. Readers can choose and select from a variety of different stickers to show their support! Every time they decide to send a paid sticker, they can add a personal message.

These virtual stickers translate directly into revenue that goes into the recipes that you and your friends and families are enjoying on my blog. Your support is what keeps me going and it means everything to me. This is another way we can connect and engage where you have the ability to express yourself and share what my work means to you.

You can find the Thank with Google feature icon floating at the bottom of each post on your mobile device or in the sidebar if you’re on your computer. It also appears as a blue button, just under the “jump to recipe” button at the top of each post. If you choose to test it out, even just to send a free sticker, I’d love that!

Again, thank you so much for your support.

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Filed Under: Mains, Recipes, Salads Tagged With: Gluten free

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jen

    February 09, 2022 at 10:04 pm

    5 stars
    This salad was fresh, delicious and healthy. I’m currently trying to cut down on carbs so dish was perfect for me! Thanks

    Reply
  2. Britney Brown-Chamberlain

    February 09, 2022 at 7:16 pm

    5 stars
    this was such a fun and easy meal! The honey chipotle chicken was so good and paired perfectly with the salad!

    Reply
  3. Ben

    January 26, 2022 at 11:42 pm

    5 stars
    Like lots of people I am always looking for healthier ways of eating. Again like lots of people I refuse to give up on eating tasty food just to be healthy. Thankfully this salad doesn’t make me do that. It will be a lunch staple for me going forward.

    Reply
  4. Stephanie

    January 26, 2022 at 5:30 pm

    5 stars
    Made salad for me and the husband and we both loved it. I used tofu in mine and it was just as delicious. It was tasty, filling, and the perfect balance of protein, carbs, and fat.

    Reply
  5. Jen

    January 26, 2022 at 10:13 am

    5 stars
    This salad was bold, bright and delicious! It was just what I needed for my January detox and I can’t wait to make it again.

    Reply
  6. Kaluhi Adagala

    January 25, 2022 at 5:36 am

    5 stars
    This salad was so perfectly filling and the flavors were so sunny! The cilantro lime dressing was such a treat and I will for sure make this again!

    Reply
  7. Robin

    January 24, 2022 at 7:05 am

    5 stars
    This salad was a protein powerhouse! The honey chipotle flavor was popular with my entire household.

    Reply
  8. Katrina

    January 24, 2022 at 2:46 am

    5 stars
    I love a good salad and this is a winner!! The honey chipotle was the special touch!

    Reply
  9. Crystal

    January 22, 2022 at 11:18 pm

    5 stars
    This salad is soooo good! And that chicken? Omg! Only had pinto beans available but still tasted great!

    Reply
  10. Nija

    January 21, 2022 at 10:40 pm

    5 stars
    I love southwest inspired recipes and this chipotle salad delivered what it promised. Great flavor and we kept it vegan like you suggested, it was so filling and delish!

    Reply
  11. Linda

    January 19, 2022 at 6:12 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious salad full of flavor and very satisfying. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

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