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

Verdict: I absolutely loved this southwest chicken salad recipe. I’m all about the traditional chicken salad recipe but this one has a special place in my heart – it’s so full of flavor and so crunchy, thanks to the radishes, corn, and celery.
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.