Southwestern Chicken Salad

I have so much going on in my kitchen right now that I can’t WAIT to share with you!

I figure I’ll give y’all a sneak peek of recipes that I’ll be posting this upcoming week—since you guys are the bees knees. Here’s a few (super summery) recipes you can fantasize about for the next few days:

• Lime Pepita Cookies
• Warm Buffalo Potato Salad
• Slow-Cooker Chicken with Apple Chardonnay Gravy
• Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole
• Mexican Skillet Rice
• Slow-Cooker Curry Basil Chicken

If those don’t sound like the most delicious meals, side dishes and desserts ever, than I don’t know what is!

In the meantime, I’ve been munching on this simple salad recipe for lunch. I can’t believe I have never thought about combining all of these ingredients before! I adore roasted red peppers, and they mixed together so well with the corn, cilantro, spinach and chicken in this dish. 

I’ve showed you how to make taco salad shells before, but I can’t help but shamelessly plug my YouTube tutorial here:

This salad works so well in  a taco salad shell! Oven bake them to the perfect crispiness and then stuff them full with this delectable salad. I topped mine with a little dollop of sour cream and a squeeze of lime. Perfection!

Southwestern Chicken Salad

• Servings: 4-6
• Time: 30 mins
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Tortilla bowls stuffed with a chicken salad that has a limey Southwestern flair.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. chicken breast tenderloins
• 2 TBS. olive oil
• 1 can yellow sweet kernel corn
• 1 cup roasted red peppers, chopped
• 1 cup red onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 cup spinach, roughly chopped
• 3 TBS. lime juice
• 3 TBS. olive oil
• 3 tsp. honey or agave nectar
• 1 TBS. chicken taco seasoning mix, from a packet
• 6 tortillas

Directions

1. In large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Salt and pepper chicken tenderloins generously and then add to the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side until juices run clear. Transfer to a plate to cool and then shred with a fork or roughly chop with a knife.
2. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, red peppers, onion, cilantro, corn, and spinach. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, combine lime juice, 3 tablespoons olive oil, honey, and chicken taco seasoning mix. Whisk until well combined.
4. Drizzle lime-honey dressing over chicken salad and mix until everything is well coated.
5. Using ramekins or a muffin pan, spray with cooking spray. Place tortillas on top of ramekins/muffin tin and pinch sides so that the cover the ramekins well. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes until lightly browned and crispy.
6. Serve chicken salad in warm tortilla bowls and top with sour cream and a squeeze of lime.

Step-By-Step Instructions

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons over olive oil over medium high heat. Add chicken tenderloins and cook 3-4 minutes per side or until juices run clear. Let cool and then shred with a fork. In a large bowl, combine corn, onion, red peppers, cilantro, and spinach. Add shredded chicken and toss until well combined.

Make the dressing: combine lime juice, olive oil, honey and chicken taco seasoning mix.

Whisk dressing ingredients until everything is well combined.

Drizzle dressing over chicken mixture and toss until everything is well coated with dressing. Serve salad in warm, baked tortilla bowls.

I managed to refill my taco salad bowl a couple of times with this salad before devouring it in one fell swoop. I looooove tortilla shells! When they’re bakes they are still just as good as when they are fried.