This healthy southwest chicken taco salad is filled flavorful chicken breast, your favorite veggies and toppings, and a creamy Greek yogurt jalapeño ranch to tie it all together. This salad is so easy to make and completely customizable. It’s perfect for a quick lunch or filling dinner that everyone will love!
The Best Healthy Chicken Taco Salad with Greek Yogurt Jalapeño Ranch
Southwest Chicken taco salad? Yes. With Greek yogurt jalapeño ranch? Yes, please!
Salads do not have to be boring my friends and this easy chicken taco salad is here prove that point. With juicy, tender chicken breast, your favorite toppings, and a creamy jalapeño ranch there is nothing boring about this healthy and delicious salad. All you need are a few simple ingredients and thirty minutes to whip up this healthy meal that everyone will love!
Watch How to Make This Chicken Taco Salad
More Taco Recipes
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
- Ground Beef Tacos
- Chicken Taco Soup
- Shrimp Tacos with Chipotle Cabbage Slaw
- Roasted Chipotle Cauliflower Tacos
The Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken breast
- Spices and seasoning
- Greek yogurt
- Olive oil
- Lime juice
- Romaine lettuce
- Corn
- Black beans
- Avocado
- Red onion
- Cotija or feta
- Cilantro
An Easy Marinade For Flavorful Chicken Breast
At the heart of this taco salad is juicy, flavorful chicken. The chicken breast is marinaded in a combination of lime juice, olive oil, and spices like paprika and cumin before cooking. The marinade really helps to ensure that the chicken stays juicy and has plenty of flavor.
Chicken breast can be hard to cook for many people because they often come out overcooked and dry or undercooked and needing a bit more time back in the pan.
To get perfectly cooked chicken breast every single time, I recommend butterflying or splitting the chicken breast in half before adding it to the marinade. Doing this will cut down on the thickness of the chicken breast which makes it easier to cook correctly.
Greek Yogurt Jalapeño Ranch Ingredients
One of the best parts of this salad is the jalapeño ranch! This healthier ranch dressing is creamy, flavorful and so easy to make.
- Greek yogurt
- Olive oil
- Lime juice
- Dried dill
- Jalapeño
- Cilantro
- Garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
To make the dressing, add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. If you need a dairy-free alternative to use as a dressing for you taco salad, this dairy-free jalapeño ranch dressing is a great option.
How to Make This Healthy Chicken Taco Salad Recipe
(be sure scroll down for the full recipe card with ingredients and instructions)
Step One: The first step is marinate your chicken breast. To do this, add the spices, lime juice, and olive oil to a large mixing bowl and whisk until well combined. Next, add the chicken breast and toss until well coated. Cover the bowl with chicken breast and allow the chicken to marinate for at least twenty minutes.
Step Two: Once the chicken has finished marinading, heat a large skillet over medium high heat and then cook the chicken for 4-6 minutes per side until the internal temperature is 165.
Step Three: While the chicken breast is cooking make the jalapeño ranch dressing by adding the dressing ingredients to a high-powered blender and blending until smooth and creamy.
Step Four: Once the chicken and dressing is done, prepare your salads. Start with a base of romaine lettuce and then add your favorite toppings like grilled corn and fresh tomato salsa. Drizzle the jalapeño ranch dressing over everything and enjoy immediately!
How To Cook Corn For Taco Salad
I love adding fresh sweet corn to this taco salad along with other healthy toppings. If you are a corn lover as well, here a few easy ways to cook your corn before adding it to your salad. You can feel free to leave corn off to keep this salad Whole30 compliant.
- Roast it in the oven! – This is my personal favorite way to cook the corn for this salsa. Wrap the cleaned and shucked ears of corn in tin foil and roast for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees should do the trick!
- Grill it! – Shuck your corn and then grill for 10 minutes on high heat.
- Boil it! – Another great option is to add your shucked ears of corn to boiling water and let it quickly boil for 5 minutes.
Ways to Customize Your Salad
What I personally love about this taco salad is how easy it is to customize it based on what you have in the fridge or what you have a taste for. Here are a few more great topping ideas to try:
- Homemade Pico de Gallo
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Cilantro
- Black beans
- Thinly sliced radishes
- Pickled onions
- Sliced avocado or guacamole
- Avocado corn salsa
More Delicious Salad Recipes to Love
- Chicken, Bacon, Avocado Chopped Salad
- Avocado Corn Salad
- Greek Pasta Salad
- Bacon Ranch Potato Salad
- The Best Greek Salad
- Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
- Thai Crunch Salad with Creamy Peanut Dressing
- Healthy Homemade Chicken Salad
- Healthy Broccoli Salad
- Berry Chicken Salad with Honey Lime Vinaigrette
- kale Caesar salad
Get all of our reader favorite salad recipes, HERE!
Print
Healthy Southwest Chicken Taco Salad
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
For the Greek yogurt Jalapeño Ranch
- 1/2 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 1 jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1/4 cilantro
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- salt and pepper, to taste
For the Salad
- 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 cup corn
- 1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup grape/cherry tomatoes
- 1 large ripe avocado, sliced
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion
- Cotija or feta cheese
- Cilantro, for garnish
Method
- Make the chicken: Add the spices, lime juice, and olive oil to a large mixing bowl and whisk until well combined. Next, add the chicken breast and toss until well coated. Cover the bowl with and allow the chicken to marinate for at least twenty minutes.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and then cook the chicken for 4-6 minutes per side until the internal temperature is 165.
- Make the dressing: Add the jalapeño ranch dressing ingredients to a high-powered blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Once the chicken and dressing is done, prepare your salads. Start with a base of romaine lettuce and then add the sliced chicken breast, black beans, corn, tomatoes, avocado, red onion, and crumbled cheese. Drizzle the jalapeño ranch dressing over everything and enjoy immediately!
