This Tex-Mex salad has so much wonderful flavor that it is hard to believe it's ready in only 15 minutes! It is loaded with chopped chicken, corn, beans, cheese, crushed tortilla chips, and more! Top it off with a homemade Tex-Mex salad dressing, and enjoy!
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Chopped Chicken Salad Recipe
This Tex-Mex salad makes a fantastic entree or side dish for any occasion! It is hearty, filling, and packed with tons of flavor!
The salad itself isn't spicy at all, and all of the zest comes straight from my homemade Tex-Mex salad dressing (so make it as spicy as you like!) Customize it with any of your favorite mix-ins for a salad that your whole family will love!
🥘 Ingredients
This salad is chock full of fresh veggies and ingredients! I love it exactly as it is, but feel free to add more mix-ins like avocados or black olives!
- Chicken - 3 small, boneless, skinless chicken breasts that have been cut into bite-sized pieces. This is equivalent to 1 pound.
- Romaine Lettuce - 6 cups of chopped romaine lettuce.
- Roma Tomatoes - 2 large Roma tomatoes, diced. Alternatively, you can use a drained can of fire-roasted tomatoes.
- Corn - 1 cup of corn kernels. You can use canned, fresh, or thawed from frozen.
- Green Onions - 4 green onions, sliced.
- Black Beans - One 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed.
- Cheese - ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese.
- Cilantro - ¼ cup of chopped cilantro.
- Lime Juice - 1 tablespoon of lime juice. I recommend using fresh juice, but you can use store-bought as well.
- Tortilla Strips - 1 cup of tortilla strips. You should be able to find these at any grocery store (I found them in the produce section), but you can also use crushed tortilla chips.
- Tex-Mex Dressing - 1 cup of Tex-Mex dressing. Take a look at my simple homemade Tex-Mex dressing here!
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Tex-Mex Salad
The most time-consuming part of this salad is just cooking the chicken. However, you can easily use rotisserie chicken to make this salad even faster! You will need a knife, cutting board, skillet, and a large serving bowl.
This recipe makes a large amount of salad. You can enjoy 4 servings as a main dish or 6-8 servings if preparing it as a side dish.
Cook The Chicken
- Cook the chicken. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook 1 pound (678 grams) of bite-sized chunks of chicken until completely cooked through (about 10-12 minutes). Season with salt and pepper while cooking, and then allow the chicken to cool.
Toss & Serve
- Toss. In a large serving bowl, toss all of the salad ingredients together (6 cups (282 grams) of Romaine lettuce, 2 diced Roma tomatoes (124 grams), 1 cup (164 grams) of corn, 4 sliced green onions (48 grams), 15 ounces (425.24 grams) of black beans, ½ cup (56.5 grams) of cheddar cheese, ¼ cup (4 grams( of cilantro, 1 tablespoon (14.79 milliliters) of lime juice, and 1 cup (115 grams) of tortilla strips).
- Add dressing. Add the cooled chicken to the salad and drizzle it with 1 cup of Tex-Mex dressing. Toss until everything is mixed and coated in dressing.
- Serve. Portion into individual bowls and serve immediately.
Serve this salad by itself or alongside some beef taquitos! Pair it with a vodka margarita for a truly Tex-Mex-inspired meal! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Use rotisserie chicken to make this an extra quick meal without any cooking! You will need approximately 1 pound of chicken.
- Instead of homemade Tex-Mex dressing, you can use 1 cup of ranch mixed with 2 tablespoons of Tex-Mex seasoning, southwest seasoning, or taco seasoning!
- You can heat the corn and black beans with the chicken if desired. However, I usually add them straight to the salad at room temperature.
🥡 Storing
If storing this Tex-Mex salad, keep the salad and dressing separate. Keep the salad stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days maximum.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
Tex-Mex salad is a hearty salad that is loaded with traditional Tex-Mex flavors (think Americanized Mexican flavors). It is packed with ingredients such as black beans, corn, and cilantro! Finally, it's drizzled with a spicy salsa-based dressing to bring it all together!
It can easily be difficult to differentiate between these two types of food, as they are incredibly similar. For example, burritos are Tex-Mex, but Nachos are Mexican.
It typically breaks down into what ingredients are being used. Tex-Mex tends to use beef, while Mexicans lean more towards pork. Tex-Mex also commonly uses wheat flour, yellow cheese, and cumin, which aren't typical in authentic Mexican dishes.
This is up to you; you can either toss the salad with the dressing immediately before serving or allow your guests to add the dressing themselves. Either way, waiting until the last moment to add dressing is important so that the salad doesn't become soggy.
Absolutely! Assemble the salad components ahead of time, but add the dressing and any crunchy elements like tortilla strips just before serving to maintain freshness and texture.
Consider adding grilled corn, diced mango, or a sprinkle of cotija cheese. These ingredients introduce new layers of flavor and texture, making the salad even more enjoyable.
🥗 More Great Salad Recipes
- Pasta Salad - Simple chilled pasta is tossed with cheese, meat, and Italian dressing!
- Chicken Salad with Grapes - Tender chicken is mixed with grapes, celery, cranberries, pecans, and mayonnaise!
- Egg Salad - Hard-boiled eggs are diced and tossed with mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper!
- Fresh Fruit Salad - A refreshing side dish that can be enjoyed alongside any meal!
- Caprese Salad - Sliced tomatoes are layered with basil and mozzarella and then drizzled with balsamic vinegar.
- German Potato Salad - A warm dish consisting of potatoes, bacon, onions, and vinegar.
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📖 Recipe Card
Tex-Mex Salad
Ingredients
- 3 small chicken breasts (boneless, skinless, approximately 1 pound of chicken cut into bite-sized pieces)
- 6 cups Romaine lettuce (chopped)
- 2 large Roma tomatoes (diced, or use drained canned fire roasted tomatoes)
- 1 cup corn kernels (canned, fresh, or thawed from frozen)
- 4 green onions (sliced)
- 15 oz black beans (drained and rinsed)
- ½ cup cheddar cheese (shredded)
- ¼ cup cilantro (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice (fresh)
- 1 cup tortilla strips (or tortilla chips, crushed)
- 1 cup Tex-Mex dressing (see recipe, or use your favorite brand)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the bite-sized chunks of 3 small chicken breasts until completely cooked through (about 10-12 minutes). Season with salt and pepper while cooking and then allow the chicken to cool.
- In a large serving bowl, toss all of the salad ingredients together (6 cups Romaine lettuce, 2 large Roma tomatoes, 1 cup corn kernels, 4 green onions, 15 oz black beans, ½ cup cheddar cheese, ¼ cup cilantro, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and 1 cup tortilla strips).
- Add the cooled chicken to the salad and drizzle it with the 1 cup Tex-Mex dressing. Toss until everything is mixed and coated in dressing.
- Portion into individual bowls and serve immediately.
Notes
- Use rotisserie chicken to make this an extra quick meal without any cooking! You will need approximately 1 pound of chicken.
- Instead of homemade Tex-Mex dressing, you can use 1 cup of ranch mixed with 2 tablespoons of Tex-Mex seasoning, southwest seasoning, or taco seasoning!
- You can heat the corn and black beans with the chicken if desired. However, I usually add them straight to the salad at room temperature.
- To store: If storing this Tex-Mex salad, keep the salad and dressing separate. Keep the salad stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days maximum.
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