Southwest Chicken Salad Recipe

By: Rachel GurkPosted: 09/26/2016Updated: 11/30/2023

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Mix up your lunch routine with this fun southwest chicken salad recipe. Prep it on the weekend for a quick, easy, and incredibly filling lunch.

Chicken salad in tortilla boats garnished with sliced green onions.

This post is brought to you in partnership with Old El Paso.

I love chicken salad. There’s just something about chicken coated in mayo and mixed with crunchy vegetables (and sometimes fruit) that makes for a perfect lunch served with a tortilla, chips, crackers, or lettuce. But chicken salad doesn’t have to be the same every time you have it. It’s always good to have a little fun with your food and this chicken salad is exactly that — fun.

PS: If you’re looking for a more classic recipe, this healthy chicken salad is one of my favorites! You might also like my curried chicken salad or dill chicken salad.

Overhead displaying green chile chicken salad ingredients.

This salad is easy to make. Once you’ve chopped the veggies, you can put everything into a bowl and mix it up. You’ll get excited just dumping ingredients into the bowl — chicken, Old El Paso Green Chiles, mayo and Greek yogurt, celery, green onion, radishes, fresh corn, lime juice, and cumin. Doesn’t it look great?

Overhead of green chile chicken salad ingredients in shallow white bowl.

Once you mix it all together, you won’t be able to resist diving right into the bowl of southwest chicken salad with a fork. Consider it a taste test — the perfect time to season with salt and pepper, as needed.

Overhead of green chile chicken salad ingredients, mixed together in shallow white bowl.

The only thing left to do is pile it into an Old El Paso Whole Wheat Taco Boat, and garnish with some crispy green lettuce. Add a few radish slices and slivers of green onion if you’re feeling fancy.

Make it your own

Feel free to play around with the vegetables to suit your tastes and what is in your fridge. Red or green bell peppers are a good substitute for the chopped radish. Add minced jalapeño peppers if you like it a little heat. Use frozen corn, thawed, instead of the fresh corn. Use chopped sweet onion instead of the green onions, or skip the onions altogether.

Serve the salad on lettuce instead of in the tortilla boats. A wrap is perfect, too.

Meal prep ideas

Make the chicken salad ahead. It will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Put the salad in a tightly covered bowl. Fill the tortilla boats right before serving so you don’t have a soggy taco boat.

You can easily pack this chicken salad in lunches: a small container of this southwest chicken salad, plus a taco boat in a bag. Assemble it wherever you may be eating lunch.

Closeup of salad in tortilla boat, on black background.

More Lunch Ideas

Looking for more lunch ideas? Try:

Bean Sandwich with Rosemary, Apples and Parmesan
Collard Wrap with Black Beans, Chicken and Avocado
Farro Salad with Butternut Squash, Bacon and Cranberries
Thai Freekeh Salad with Peanut Ginger Dressing
Southwestern Chopped Salad in a Mason Jar
Taco Lettuce Boats by The Tasty Bite (the lettuce is the boat!)
Taco Zucchini Boats by Cooking Classy

Disclosure: I’m excited to partner with Old El Paso this year to bring you fresh and flavorful recipes. Thank you for supporting Rachel Cooks by reading about brands we love and use in our own home.