Homemade Spicy Southwest Salad
This homemade spicy southwest salad features marinated chicken, fresh vegetables, and a zesty ranch dressing.
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Grill or Skillet
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 1 lime juiced and zested
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
Spicy Ranch Dressing
- ½ cup ranch dressing
- 2–3 tablespoon hot sauce of choice Chipotle Cholula used here
For the Salad
- 1 head green leaf lettuce, chopped
- 2 tomatoes diced
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 2 avocado sliced
- 1 cup corn
- ½ red onion sliced
- ½ cup tortilla strips
Garnish
- Cilantro for garnish
- lime wedges
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine lime juice and zest, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, salt, honey, and avocado oil to create the marinade.
- Marinate the chicken breasts in the mixture for at least 15 minutes.
- Grill or cook the marinated chicken until fully cooked, about 6-7 minutes per side.
- In a large bowl, combine chopped lettuce, diced tomatoes, black beans, sliced red bell pepper, sliced avocado, corn, and sliced red onion.
- Slice the grilled chicken and add it to the salad mixture.
- In a small bowl, mix ranch dressing with hot sauce.
- Drizzle the spicy ranch dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
- Top with tortilla strips, cilantro, and lime wedges before serving.
Notes
You can adjust the level of spiciness by adding more or less hot sauce. Feel free to add your favorite ingredients to the salad.