This Mexican Chicken Salad is brimming with flavour and is so easy to make. Chicken thighs are seasoned to perfection with Mexican spices and fried until juicy and tender. The chicken thighs are set aside to rest and then roughly chopped while the corn kernels get fried up in the pan, coating them in the spices from the chicken. The corn and chicken is then served over crunchy and fresh lettuce, flavoursome red onions, creamy avo, sweet grape tomatoes and high protein black beans. To take this salad to the next level, it’s then drizzled in a chipotle mayo dressing, topped with crumbled feta and served alongside tortilla chips.
Jump to Recipe
What’s to Love About Mexican Chicken Salad
- allergy friendly – this salad is gluten free, nut free and egg free and can easily be made dairy free (see notes for how).
- perfect for the warmer months – no oven required!
- high protein – chicken thighs and black beans are a great source of protein, with 38 grams of protein per serve, this salad is designed to be a complete meal.
- healthy – this delicious salad has everything you need – protein, complex carbohydrates, dietary fibre, healthy fats (like polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat thanks to the olive oil) and other nutrients like potassium and vitamin C.
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
Below is a list of all of the ingredients you will need to make this chicken salad recipe as well as any ingredient notes and possible substitutions. Please see the recipe card for the ingredient quantities.
- skinless boneless chicken thigh – I prefer chicken thighs in this recipe as they are more moist and flavoursome. You can use chicken breasts in a pinch if you don’t have chicken thighs.
- salt & pepper – I always opt for sea salt flakes and freshly cracked black pepper.
- Mexican spices – you will need garlic powder, onion powder, sweet paprika, ground cumin and dried oregano. These spice mix is also great to use as a taco seasoning.
- corn kernels – you will need two Cobbs of corn and then remove the corn kernels with a sharp knife.
- avocado – a fresh and firm but just ripe avo is best for this recipe.
- red onion – I’ve used fresh red onion, very thinly sliced with a mandolin (be careful if you’re using a mandolin!). However, some quick pickled red onions would also go really well with this salad.
- romaine lettuce – also known as cos lettuce, you can swap the romaine lettuce for baby cos lettuce, gem lettuce or iceberg lettuce.
- black beans – I’ve used canned black beans for convenience, just strain them and rinse them under water in a fine mesh sieve.
- grape tomatoes – you can swap the grape tomatoes for cherry tomatoes. If you don’t love tomatoes then other veggies you can add instead include diced cucumber, capsicum (red bell pepper) or even blanched green beans.
Optional
- jalapeño – if you love a little spice, top your salad with either fresh or pickled jalapeños.
- tortilla chips – I love serving the salad with some tortilla chips (corn chips) on the side.
- feta cheese – ok so I know feta isn’t exactly authentic Mexican but some firm feta crumbled over the top of this salad is so yummy! If you need this recipe to be dairy free then don’t add feta.
- cilantro – also known as coriander, tear some fresh leaves to top your salad with.
Dressing
- lime juice
- mayonnaise – I recommend using a good quality mayo.
- plain greek yoghurt – to make this recipe dairy free swap the plain Greek yoghurt for unsweetened natural coconut yoghurt.
- chipotle seasoning – if you don’t have any chipotle or can’t find it at the shops then you can swap for a mix of chilli powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika and onion powder (about an 1/8 of a teaspoon each).
Would you like to save this?
We’ll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
How to Make Mexican Chicken Salad
This salad is so easy to throw together and tastes amazing! Follow the instructions below to make this Mexican Chicken Salad.
Start by seasoning the chicken. To a medium or large mixing bowl add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, sweet paprika, ground cumin and dried oregano. Stir to combine and then add the chicken thighs to the spice mixture. Toss the chicken thighs in the spice mix to coat as evenly as possible.
Bring a large frying pan to a medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add the chicken thighs and fry until golden on both sides and cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside to rest for at least 5 minutes before roughly slicing.
Add the corn kernels to the pan and fry until starting to turn golden. Don’t worry if there are little burnt bits on the corn, this is perfect and adds flavour! Turn off the heat.
To make the dressing, add the lime juice, mayonnaise, Greek yoghurt and chipotle seasoning to a small bowl and whisk to combine.
To assemble the salad, divide the lettuce, black beans, diced avocado, thinly sliced onion and halved cherry tomatoes to four bowls. Top each dish with corn kernels, chicken and fresh cilantro if using. Drizzle with the dressing, top with crumbled feta and serve alongside tortilla chips. Alternatively, you can add everything to a large bowl and serve in a large bowl if preferred.
Mexican Chicken Salad
Equipment
- Sharp knife
- Chopping Board
- Medium Mixing Bowl
- Frying pan
- Tongs
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 500 grams chicken thigh, skinless and boneless
- ½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
- cracked black pepper, to taste
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cobbs corn, corn kernels sliced off
Salad
- 1 avocado, halved and diced
- 1/2 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 head romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
- 400 grams canned black beans, strained and rinsed
- 200 grams cherry tomatoes
Salad dressing
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons plain Greek yoghurt
- ½ teaspoon chipotle seasoning, or 1/8 ground cumin, smoked paprika, chilli powder and onion powder
To serve
- small handful cilantro
- 100 grams firm feta
- Jalapeno, optional
- tortilla chips, optional
Instructions
- To a medium bowl add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, sweet paprika, ground cumin and dried oregano. Stir to combine and then add the chicken thighs. Toss the chicken thighs in the spice mix to coat as evenly as possible.
- Bring a large frying pan to a medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add the chicken thighs and fry until golden on both sides and cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside to rest for at least 5 minutes before roughly slicing.
- Add the corn kernels to the frying pan and fry until starting to turn golden with little charred bits. Turn off the heat.
- In a small bowl add the lime juice, mayonnaise, Greek yoghurt and chipotle seasoning and whisk to combine.
- To assemble the salad, divide the lettuce, black beans, diced avocado, thinly sliced onion and cherry tomatoes to four bowls. Top with corn kernels, chicken and cilantro. Drizzle with the dressing, top with crumbled feta and serve alongside tortilla chips.
Notes
To Make Dairy Free
- Swap Greek yoghurt for unsweetened natural coconut yoghurt.
- Don’t use feta or swap for a vegan dairy free feta.
To Make Gluten Free
- make sure to choose gluten free corn chips (tortilla chips) and spices.
Like this recipe? Leave a comment!