Chicken Taco Salad Recipe

Stacey Mebs | Bake.Eat.Repeat.

This chicken taco salad is one of our favourite meals - juicy, grilled cilantro lime chicken tossed with salad, tortilla chips and tasty taco ranch dressing! You’ll be eating it all summer long.

Who else loves taco salad? Or taco anything really, I'm not that picky. If taco flavours of some sort are involved, I'm probably pretty happy with my meal.

Chicken Taco Salad Photo

Anyone else?

This chicken taco salad is probably one of my favourites though. I've made it more times then I can count, and we are always happy with this meal.

The chicken is marinated with a cilantro lime marinade and then grilled to juicy perfection. The salad is filled with all your favourite taco toppings - lettuce, corn, bell peppers, tomatoes, olives, avocado, green onions, cilantro and tortilla chips.

And the dressing is fantastic. It actually might be my favourite part of this salad.

Chicken Taco Salad Picture

When I'm making a quick taco salad for dinner we sometimes just use plain leftover cooked chicken, all the veggies, and sour cream and salsa for "dressing".

And while that's tasty, it doesn't compare to this version.

This chicken is just so flavourful and amazing with that cilantro lime marinade. And the dressing is SO good.

Chicken Taco Salad Image

Simple to make, it's just mayo, sour cream, ranch seasoningtaco seasoning and lime juice - but it goes so well with the other flavours happening here. It really makes the salad in my opinion so don't skip it!

I know a lot of people don't think salad makes a meal (my husband might be one of them!), but this one definitely does. I don't even get any complaints from my family, who typically fall in the "salad is not a meal" camp.

Chicken Taco Salad Pic

Everyone here is happy having this salad as a meal.

Possibly that's because they get tortilla chips with their dinner.

That's okay though, because we are all happy when this salad makes an appearance at the dinner table!

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Chicken Taco Salad Recipe

      6 Servings

Ingredients

For the Chicken:
  • 3-4 Chicken Breasts
  • 3 tablespoons Olive Oil
  • juice from one Lime
  • 2 cloves Garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
For the Salad:
  • 2 cups Corn Kernels
  • 1 Red Pepper, chopped
  • 1 Avocado, chopped
  • 1/2 cup Fresh Cilantro
  • 2 cups Grape Tomatoes, halved
  • 1 head Romaine Lettuce, chopped
  • 3-4 Green Onions, sliced
  • 1 cup Black Olives, sliced
  • Tortilla Chips
For the Dressing:

Directions

  1. In a 9x9 inch baking dish, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, chili powder, cumin, salt and black pepper.
  2. Place the chicken breasts in the marinade, turning to coat.
  3. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until you’re ready to grill, marinating for at least half an hour and up to 2 hours.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together mayo, sour cream, ranch seasoning, taco seasoning and lime juice and set aside.
  5. Preheat the grill to medium high heat.
  6. Grill the marinated chicken for 8-10 minutes per side until cooked through. Remove from grill, let it rest for 5-10 minutes, and then dice it up.
  7. Serve the chicken with the rest of the salad ingredients and the dressing. We like to put everything separately on the table, so everyone can build their own salad with the ingredients they like best.

 

Notes

  • The chicken is best if marinated for at least a half hour and up to two hours. As there is lime juice in the marinade, I don’t recommend marinating for any longer than two hours, as the chicken can start to break down from the acid in the lime juice after that point, and have a mushy texture.
  • You may not need all of the salad dressing.

Recommended

Published:
Author:
Cooking Method:
Grilling
Cuisine:
Tex Mex
Category:
Lunchbox
Tags:
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Related Recipes:
Lunchbox Recipes, Lunch Recipes, Easy Dinner Recipes, Salad Recipes, Chicken Recipes, Tex Mex Recipes, Taco Recipes, Easy Recipes, Grilling Recipes, Grilled Recipes
Recipe Yields:
6 servings
Prep Time:
Cook Time:
Marinating:
Total Time:
Related Post:
Published:
Author: Stacey Mebs
Recipe Yields: 6 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 80 minutes

Nutrition Facts

Servings Per Recipe 6

Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 195
Calories 339

% Daily Value*
38%
Total Fat 24g
24%
  Saturated Fat 5g
28%
Sodium 667mg
9%
Total Carbohydrate 27g
9%
  Dietary Fiber 7g
  Sugars 7g
9%
Protein 5g

* Percent Daily Value are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrition Facts are estimated based on ingredients and data provided by Fat Secret. Please consult a doctor if you have special dietary needs.
Stacey Mebs

About Stacey

Stacey loves to Bake. Eat. Repeat. so much that it inspired the name of her blog. With three young kids at home, she's become an expert at packing lunches. Say hello to our Lunchbox fanatic!

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