Santa Fe Chicken Salad with Tangy Lime Dressing

Santa Fe Chicken Salad with Tangy Lime Dressing is a vibrant, filling salad dressed with a tangy lime dressing and loaded with black beans, roasted corn, and tortilla strips.

I eat salad almost every day since it's the best way to have a variety of vegetables (and occasionally fruit!) in one meal.  When I go out to eat, I frequently choose for huge salads rather than a filling main. This is especially true when I order Mexican food.

I don't dislike enchiladas, tacos, or fajitas; I just don't enjoy feeling sluggish after eating.  I'm going to have this Santa Fe Chicken Salad with Tangy Lime Dressing if it's on the menu.

Everything I adore is in one spot in this salad.  And the final straw?  All of it is tossed in a light, zingy lime dressing, and tortilla chips are sprinkled on top for texture.

This salad is exactly my style!

This salad is my favorite since it's packed with my favorite Southwest tastes and will definitely stick to your ribs.

A bed of fresh lettuce serves as the base for this Santa Fe Chicken Salad, which is then topped with grilled chicken, black beans, corn, tomatoes, green onions, avocado, and crisp tortilla pieces.

You may certainly add cheese if you'd like, but I opted not to add grated cheese to mine.

The centerpiece is a chicken breast that has been expertly grilled and generously dusted with my Homemade Taco Seasoning.  The chicken is succulent, delicious, and a good source of protein.

Without substantial black beans, crisp tomatoes, creamy avocado, and corn, no Santa Fe salad would be complete.  When corn is in season, I enjoy taking it off the cob and cooking it alongside the chicken.

When I took the photos for this salad, corn wasn't in season, so I used thawed frozen corn in its place.

If you enjoy roasted corn but don't want to spend the time grilling your own, Trader Joe's Frozen Roasted Corn is a terrific alternative.

The tart lime dressing is the salad's best achievement, aside from those crunchy tortilla strips.  Fresh cilantro, maple syrup, salt, and freshly ground pepper are all added, as well as a generous amount of lime juice.

I added two limes' worth of juice to this dressing to give it some zest.  If the amount of lime is too much for you, feel free to reduce it a bit. To me, there is no such thing as too much lime.

Grill the chicken and corn in advance and store them until you're ready to construct your salad if you want to make salad preparation even simpler.  To make life even simpler, you can choose to use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken.

This Santa Fe Chicken Salad with Tangy Lime Dressing is a hit on Cinco de Mayo or any other day of the week.  It is tasty, zesty, and very fresh!

Santa Fe Chicken Salad with Tangy Lime Dressing Ingredients

• 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts about 1 – 1.5 pounds
• 3 teaspoons Homemade taco seasoning or your favorite store bought seasoning
• 4 cups romaine lettuce chopped
• 2 green onions white and green parts, sliced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
• ½ cup black beans rinsed and drained (use canned or my [Easy Instant Pot Black Beans])
• 1 large corn cob husks and silks removed (or about 1 cup of thawed frozen corn)
• 1 avocado seeded and diced
• Serve with grated cheese fresh cilantro, lime wedges, and tortilla strips if desired

For the dressing

• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup may substitute with honey
• 2 teaspoons freshly chopped cilantro
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions 

1. Add taco spice to the chicken breast after seasoning it with salt and pepper to taste.  For roughly an hour, let stand at room temperature.
2. Cook the chicken breast for 8 minutes on each side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, on a medium-hot grill.  Before slicing, remove from the heat, cover loosely with foil, and let stand for 10 minutes.
3. Place the corn on the grill and cook it until it is browned on all sides, flipping it every 3 to 4 minutes while the chicken cooks.  When the corn is cold enough to handle, remove from the fire and cut it from the cob.
4. In a big bowl, mix together the lettuce, cheddar cheese, black beans, roasted corn, green onions, cherry tomatoes, and avocado. Gently combine, then serve on plates. Chicken and tortilla strips should be added on top.

Get ready for dressing

1. In a small jar, combine all the salad ingredients before covering and shaking.  To dress the salad, drizzle the desired quantity of dressing over it and toss to combine.
2. Enjoy when serving with optional toppings!