Southwest Chicken Salad Recipe – with video
Mix up your lunch routine with this fun southwest chicken salad recipe. You can prep it on the weekend for a quick, easy, and incredibly filling lunch.
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.
I was already getting excited 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.
Once I mixed it all together, I couldn’t resist diving right into the bowl of southwest chicken salad with a fork to taste test (also the perfect time to season with salt and pepper). Would you be able to resist?
The only thing left to do was pile it into an Old El Paso Whole Wheat Taco Boat, garnish with some crispy green lettuce and devour. If you’re planning to make these ahead during a meal prep day (which you definitely should!), make sure to leave the chicken salad out of the taco boat until just before you’re ready to eat so you’re not left with a soggy taco boat.
You could even easily pack this in lunches: a small container of this southwest chicken salad, plus a taco boat in a bag. You can assemble it wherever you may be eating lunch.
Needed for this recipe: Green chiles, large mixing bowl.
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
Southwestern Chicken Salad
Mix up your routine with a southwestern twist on a classic chicken salad recipe. You can prep it on the weekend – it’s quick, easy, and incredibly filling.
Ingredients
- 4 cups cubed cooked boneless chicken breast
- 1 can (4.5 ounce) Old El Paso mild green chiles
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 cup finely diced celery (2-3 stalks)
- 1/4 cup diced green onion (about 2)
- 1/3 cup finely diced radishes
- 1/2 cup fresh corn kernels (about one ear)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 package (6.7 ounce) Old El Paso Whole Wheat Taco Boats (8 boats)
- Lettuce to serve
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together chicken, Old El Paso green chiles, Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, cumin, and lime juice. Mix well.
- Add celery, green onion, radishes, and corn. Gently stir until all ingredients are coated and mixed. Taste, and add salt and pepper, as desired.
- Immediately before eating, divide evenly into Old El Paso Whole Wheat Taco boats and garnish with lettuce and additional radishes and green onions, if desired. Store extra chicken salad in a covered container in the refrigerator.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1/8 of recipeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 296Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 231mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 4gSugar: 2gProtein: 29g
RachelCooks.com sometimes provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as they are not calculated by a registered dietitian. Please consult a medical professional for any specific nutrition, diet, or allergy advice.
Husband’s take: Truthfully, he’s not a huge chicken salad fan AND he’s a total traditionalist but much to my surprise, he LOVED this! I think he may have eaten more than I did. I wasn’t sure he would try it so I asked him to at least try it once for lunch one day, because I wouldn’t be able to eat it all. He ate it and even said it was “really good.” And I could tell he wasn’t lying.
Changes I would make: None are necessary but feel free to play around with the vegetables to suit your tastes and what is in your fridge. You could try using red bell peppers instead of chopped radish or adding in some jalapeño if you like it a little hotter.
Difficulty: Easy.
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.
27 Comments on “Southwest Chicken Salad Recipe – with video”
This looks delicious!! :) I love chicken salad!
Thank you!
This sounds incredible!
This sounds so flavorful!
Thank you!
Such a cute idea!
My kids are OBSESSED with these taco boats – I love that you filled them with chicken salad!
This looks just lovely!
I think it’s jicama that gives this seemingly standard recipe a goodness. I will prep it on the weekend for my family. Thx for sharing amazing recipe!
Thank you so much for your comment!
Your spin on chicken salad is just great! I love changing recipes up to create new and exciting ways to enjoy them!
Thank you!
best chicken salad idea ever!
Thank you!
Love that taco boats, perfect for this great recipe!
Thanks! They make them so easy to hold and eat.
What a fun and delicious twist on chicken salad!
Thank you!
I make the same ol’ chicken salad over and over. It’s time to shake things up a bit—yours looks wonderful!
I love all things Southwest-flavored!
This looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it soon!
Thank you! Hope you love it!
Love the Southwestern take on this chicken salad. Yum!
These would be so much fun for my boys to eat!! So cute and flavorful!
The taco boats make this yummy chicken salad even more fun to eat, especially for the kids!
Sounds yummy! It would be good with a little jicama too. Do you eat them with a fork or just pick the boats up and take a bite?
Love the idea of adding jicama! You pick up the boats and take a bite – they’re much easier to handle than flat tortillas and are great for kids.