Chicken Taco Chopped Salad (Printable)

Crunchy Tex-Mex salad with taco chicken, fresh veggies, cheese, avocado and zesty salsa ranch dressing.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb)
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - 2 teaspoons taco seasoning
04 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
05 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Salad

06 - 6 cups chopped romaine or iceberg lettuce
07 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
08 - 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
09 - 1 cup canned corn kernels, drained
10 - 1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
11 - 1 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
12 - 1 avocado, diced
13 - 1 cup crushed tortilla chips

→ Salsa Ranch Dressing

14 - 1/2 cup ranch dressing
15 - 1/3 cup tomato salsa
16 - Juice of 1/2 lime

# How-To:

01 - Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat. Rub chicken breasts with olive oil, taco seasoning, salt, and black pepper, ensuring even coating on all sides.
02 - Cook chicken for 6–7 minutes per side until cooked through and juices run clear. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes to retain moisture, then chop into bite-sized pieces.
03 - In a small bowl, whisk together ranch dressing, salsa, and lime juice until smooth and well combined. Set aside until ready to serve.
04 - In a large bowl, combine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, black beans, corn kernels, red onion, shredded cheese, and diced avocado.
05 - Add chopped chicken to the salad mixture. Drizzle with salsa ranch dressing and toss gently to coat all ingredients evenly.
06 - Sprinkle crushed tortilla chips on top immediately before serving to maintain their crispy texture.
07 - Divide among bowls and serve immediately while chips remain crunchy.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • You get all the bold taco flavors without heating up your kitchen for hours
  • The combination of warm spiced chicken and cool crisp vegetables creates perfect texture contrast
  • Everything comes together in under 40 minutes even on busy weeknights
02 -
  • Add the tortilla chips at the very last second or they will get sad and soggy quickly
  • Let the chicken rest before chopping, otherwise all those juices end up on your cutting board instead of in the salad
  • The dressing tastes better if it sits for 10 minutes while you prep everything else
03 -
  • Toast your tortilla chips in a dry skillet for 2 minutes before crushing for next-level flavor
  • Massage the lettuce with a tiny bit of olive oil and salt before building the salad
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