Easy to prepare chicken taco salad. It is loaded with chicken, corn, tortilla chips and so much more.
Taco salad was something that my sister Emma and I would make when we were teens. It probably looked nothing like this because we would usually eat it with ground beef, more chips then lettuce, and tons of sour cream as our dressing! It was pretty delicious though, and we would use Doritos sometimes, which made it even better. Hopefully I can share that taco salad recipe on the blog, but I am not sure if it was much of a recipe as it was more just grabbing whatever we had to make a taco salad bowl.
Now onto the more grownup version of that taco salad. I promise as much as I talked up that more unhealthy salad, this salad is just as mouthwatering. This version has chicken, black beans, corn, romaine lettuce, tortilla chips, cheese, and an avocado cilantro lime dressing. It is also a lot brighter and healthier.
This salad serves 4; Jason and I had it for dinner and then lunch the next day. If the lettuce and the other toppings are stored separately, then your meal will not be soggy and gross the next day. When you make it, you can mix everything together in a big bowl, but if you plan on saving some, I suggest making each bowl separate.
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2-3 tablespoons taco seasoning packet
- 10 cups romaine lettuce (3 romaine hearts)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
- ¾ cup corn, drained (fresh or frozen)
- 1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 Avocado, peeled and diced
- 1 cup shredded cheese
- 1½ cup tortilla chips, crushed (crush in hand)
- Cilantro Lime Dressing:
- 1 avocado, pitted
- 1 cup loosely packed cilantro
- ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt or Sour Cream
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Juice of 1 lime
- ½ teaspoon of salt (more to taste)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (more to thin out)
- In a medium to large skillet, over medium high heat, add olive oil, diced chicken and taco seasoning ( add as much to your liking). Cook for 5-6 minutes until cooked through, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Set aside.
- Prepare the dressing:Pulse all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth. Thin out with more olive oil if desired and add more salt to taste! Set aside
- In a large bowl, add the lettuce, chicken, tomatoes, corn,black beans, avocado. cheese and tortilla chips. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss(make sure to slowly do this to your dressing liking). Serve and enjoy! I like to top mine with more tortilla chips and avocado.
- Or prepare these salads individually to save the leftovers.
I want to dive right into this!! Looks so fresh and yummy 🙂 I did the same thing when i was a kid.. taco salad had a little bit of lettuce and lots of chips! lol!
Hahaha your teenage taco salad sounds exactly like my husband’s favorite meal to this day. Literally, he just ate it 2 nights ago, Doritos and all! Your adult version looks so much better! I love that you included corn and black beans. Yum!
Maybe he will try the adult version then. 🙂