Southwest Chicken Salad

If you love a good chicken salad but want something with a little more flavor, this Southwest Chicken Salad is about to become a new favorite. It's creamy, fresh, and loaded with rotisserie chicken, black beans, corn, Rotel, and cilantro, all tossed in a smoky lime dressing that's just the right balance of tangy and savory.

Why You'll Love this Southwest Chicken Salad:

• A fun twist on classic chicken salad
• Great for meal prep and easy lunches
• Packed with protein and plenty of flavor
• Ready in about 15 minutes
• Delicious on sandwiches, wraps, salads, or with tortilla chips

Ingredient Notes:

• Rotisserie Chicken: My favorite shortcut. It adds great flavor and makes this recipe come together in minutes.
• Black Beans & Corn: Add texture, color, and make the salad a little more filling.
• Rotel: Gives the salad a little zip without making it spicy.
• Fresh Cilantro: Brightens everything up and adds that classic Southwest flavor.
• Dressing: A blend of mayo, sour cream, lime juice, cumin, paprika, and chili powder.

Dietary Swaps:

• Gluten-Free: Naturally gluten-free. Just check your Rotel and seasonings.
• Lower Fat: Swap some or all of the mayo for plain Greek yogurt.
• Dairy-Free: Skip the sour cream and use dairy-free mayo.
• Low-Carb: Leave out the corn and black beans for a lower-carb version.

Recipe Variations:

• Add diced avocado just before serving.
• Stir in diced jalapeños if you like a little heat.
• Mix in shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese.
• Add diced red bell pepper for extra crunch.
• Serve over chopped romaine for an easy lunch salad. Turn it into wraps with tortillas or lettuce leaves.

Tips & Recipe Notes:

• Pulse the chicken just until it's finely shredded, you want texture, not chicken paste.
• Drain the beans, corn, and Rotel really well so the chicken salad doesn't get watery.
• Start with about half of the dressing, then add more until it's just how you like it.
• This tastes even better after chilling for an hour or two.

More Salad Recipes You Will Love:

• Pepperoncini Chicken Salad
• Cajun Chicken Salad
• Cucumber Chicken Salad
• Chicken Salad with Cranberries & Pecans
• Dill Pickle Chicken Macaroni Salad
• Italian Chicken Salad
• Macaroni Chicken Pasta Salad

Recipe

Southwest Chicken Salad

Made with rotisserie chicken, black beans, corn, rotel, and a zesty dressing.

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Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Salad

Servings 6

Calories 330 kcal

Ingredients

  

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For the Chicken Salad

• Meat from 1 rotisserie chicken
• ½ cup black beans drained and rinsed
• ½ cup corn drained
• ½ cup Rotel well drained
• A few tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

For the Dressing

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoon sour cream
• 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon chili powder
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Add the rotisserie chicken to a food processor and pulse a few times until finely shredded. Be careful not to over-process.
• Transfer the chicken to a large mixing bowl. Add the black beans, corn, Rotel, and cilantro.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, cumin, paprika, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
• Pour about half of the dressing over the chicken mixture and gently fold everything together. Add more dressing as needed until the salad reaches your preferred consistency.
• Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes before serving for the best flavor.

Notes

• Gluten-Free: Naturally gluten-free. Just check your Rotel and seasonings.
• Dairy-Free: Skip the sour cream and use dairy-free mayo.
• Pulse the chicken just until it's finely shredded, you want texture, not chicken paste.
• Drain the beans, corn, and Rotel really well so the chicken salad doesn't get watery.
• Start with about half of the dressing, then add more until it's just how you like it.
• This tastes even better after chilling for an hour or two.

Nutrition

Calories: 330kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 29gFat: 20gFiber: 2gSugar: 2g

Keyword southwest chicken salad

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