Southwest Chicken Salad

4.66 from 35 votes
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This southwest chicken salad recipe combines shredded chicken, a creamy southwest dressing, black beans, sweet corn, and cilantro for the ultimate healthy lunch.

southwest chicken salad in a bowl.
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Our classic Greek yogurt chicken salad recipe is a staple in our house and this chicken salad recipe is a spin-off of that. Keep reading to learn how to make it.

Veggie-Packed Southwest Chicken Salad

Love chicken salad, but wish it had more veggies? You’ve come to the right place! This southwest chicken salad recipe is truly veggie-packed. In addition to shredded chicken, this chicken salad features:

  • sweet corn
  • red pepper
  • black beans
  • red onion
  • cilantro

how to make shredded chicken

Looking for an easy shredded chicken recipe? Check out our shredded chicken tutorials in a variety of different methods:

ingredients in a glass bowl of southwest salad.

All About the Creamy Southwestern Chicken Salad Dressing

Once you’ve got all of your main ingredients together for the southwest chicken salad, it’s time to create your chicken salad sauce.

Classic chicken salad is usually made with mayonnaise, but we decided to up the protein and lower the fat with Greek yogurt. With the addition of lime juice and spices, I promise you won’t miss the mayo! Here’s what you need:

  • Plain Greek yogurt
  • lime juice
  • ground cumin
  • chili powder
  • Hot sauce

If you don’t love heat, feel free to swap the hot sauce for a little bit of apple cider vinegar. In addition, if you don’t have Greek yogurt, but you do have plain regular yogurt…you can totally use that too.

How to Serve Southwest Chicken Salad

There are so many different ways that you can serve this creamy, delicious salad. Check out some of our favs!

  • On toast: drizzle some olive oil on a piece of whole-grain toasted bread and then top it with this salad. Then, add sliced avocado and a drizzle of hot sauce to the top and you’re ready to rock!
  • In a Jar: place a handful of romaine on the bottom of a mason jar. Then, top that with this southwestern chicken salad. Place the top on and take this lunch to-go!
  • Bento Box: Turn this southwest chicken salad into a wrap and then serve it with your favorite chips and salsa served inside of a bento box!
  • Solo: Grab a bowl and a fork and eat it as is. We suggest serving it with a fresh squeeze of lime juice and a half an avocado for #allthehealthyfats.
southwest salad in mason jar with lettuce.

Storage

To store southwest chicken salad, transfer it into an airtight container and seal. Store in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.

4.66 from 35 votes

Southwest Chicken Salad

Lunch never tasted so good! Make our Southwest Chicken Salad for a colorful, veggie-packed lunch/dinner idea to keep you full all week long.
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 0 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
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Ingredients 

  • 1 lb. shredded chicken
  • 1 cup sweet corn
  • 1 cup can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1 medium red pepper, diced
  • 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons vinegar-based hot sauce

Instructions 

  • Place shredded chicken, sweet corn, black beans, red onion, fresh cilantro, and red pepper into a large bowl. Mix and set aside.
    chicken salad in bowl.
  • Create the sauce by mixing together Greek yogurt, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, salt, and hot sauce.
  • Add sauce to the shredded chicken mixture and mix until combined.
    sw chicken salad in bowl.

Tips & Notes

Nutrition

Calories: 254 kcal, Carbohydrates: 16 g, Protein: 28 g, Fat: 2 g, Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 12 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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About Lee Funke

Lee is the founder of Fit Foodie Finds and based in Minneapolis, MN. She started this website in 2010 as a way to share her love for real food and wellness. The internet has changed so much since then and so has Fit Foodie Finds. Today we're a female-run recipe website publishing hundreds of tried and true recipes developed and tested by our team.

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Charlotte Padilla
Charlotte Padilla
February 1, 2024 9:55 pm

5 stars
This is my 2nd time making it. My husband loves it! I like everything thats mixed in with the chicken. Its a perfect combination. I did have a question about the nutritional value. Is the value listed for the whole meal or per serving. And how many servings is it?

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purble place
May 6, 2023 6:08 pm

5 stars
I made this salad yesterday. My whole family was pleased. They said it was delicious!

Emily Richter
May 8, 2023 10:58 am
Reply to  purble place

Great!

stumble guys
March 8, 2023 10:59 pm

5 stars
I love how to mix salad

Andrea Gamblin
Andrea Gamblin
August 24, 2022 7:41 pm

5 stars
I made this twice now, I prefer it with mayo and also smoked chipotle and a pinch of smoked paprika instead of the plain chili pepper. I also used roasted bell pepper instead of fresh the second time around.

Chelsea
Chelsea
June 28, 2023 3:28 pm
Reply to  Andrea Gamblin

Did you replace the yogurt with mayo? I can’t have dairy so I’m wondering if vegan mayo would be good with this.

Aleejah
Aleejah
July 26, 2022 4:33 pm

4 stars
I was a little skeptical but once I tasted the sauce you were absolutely right about not missing the Mayo. I definitely recommend making this! Everything blends perfectly. Thank you so much. Iโ€™m looking forward to making more recipes in the future.

9E284662-A913-43A2-96CD-B5B20497AA48.jpeg
Last edited 2 years ago by Aleejah
Emily Richter
July 27, 2022 8:47 am
Reply to  Aleejah

Wahoo! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Allejah ๐Ÿ˜€

KRISTI
KRISTI
July 25, 2022 7:16 am

5 stars
This is the most delicious salad ever!! I am so glad I found it! It makes me think of the Southwest Salad at Chick-fil-A that I love!! And to know that it is healthy for me…… My son even loves it and that is saying a LOT!!! Thank you so much for this recipe!!

Emily Richter
July 25, 2022 11:02 am
Reply to  KRISTI

Aw, we’re blushing! Thanks so much for this review, Kristi! ๐Ÿ˜€

Brianna Armendariz
Brianna Armendariz
January 28, 2021 8:38 am
Recipe Rating :
     

4 stars
A bit too much onion for me but otherwise super yummy! ๐Ÿ™‚

Ashley
Ashley
August 13, 2019 7:56 am

Can you calculate WW smart points for this? Looks amazing!

LEAH
LEAH
October 29, 2019 10:29 pm
Reply to  Ashley

It looks like it would be 0 points!