When you’re craving Tex Mex, but need something a little lighter, look no further than this smoky Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad recipe.
There’s only one thing worse than Mondays, and that’s the day after vacation. You wake to an overflowing inbox, suitcases silently judging you for not unpacking them, and a laundry pile the size and shape of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
The Mr. and I spent the last week in Texas with his family. We enjoyed days filled with niece and nephew snuggles, rodeos, a late Christmas celebration, and plenty of shared family meals. We ended our trip with a short jaunt to Austin where we spent 48 hours eating our way through the city. It was a wonderful, relaxing, refreshing vacation, but today I find both my body and my stomach are in need of a rest.
The South isn’t exactly known for its healthy food. I’ll be sharing more of our eats over the next few weeks, but suffice it to say much of it included deep frying, bacon, syrup, and/or gravy. I loved every artery-clogging moment of it, but my stomach is ready for a big bowl of greens.
This Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad was actually one of the first posts on this blog. I found it in the excellent Cooking Light: Dinner Tonight Cookbook and it quickly became a favorite. I’ve made it often in our married life, and it’s always as satisfying, and refreshing as the time before. After making it again recently, I decided to rescue this forgotten recipe from the depths of my blog (and poor photography skills), and reintroduce it to all of you.
The salad requires only about 15-20 minutes of prep time if you’ve got some cooked chicken breasts or shredded rotisserie chicken on hand. It’s loaded with greens, tomatoes, avocado, red onion, and beans, and covered in a smoky chipotle lime sour cream sauce. It’s hearty and filling, but won’t leave you needing an after-dinner nap.
While I may not be ready to give up Tex-Mex food, today I’ll face my inbox and laundry pile with a lighter version of a southern favorite. I hope you love this dish just as much as we do!
Hint: If you don’t have any leftover cooked chicken to use for this recipe, first I recommend making some Homemade Chicken Seasoning, then make my Air Fryer Chicken Thighs, or this easy Italian Dressing Chicken.
This smoky chipotle chicken taco salad makes for a healthy and filling weeknight meal. Please note nutritional information for my recipes is calculated by a third party service and provided as a courtesy to my readers. For the most accurate calculation, I always recommend running the numbers yourself with the specific products you use.
Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad {Gluten Free}
Ingredients
For the sauce:
For the Salad:
Instructions
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 435Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 89mgSodium: 709mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 15gSugar: 7gProtein: 35g
Recipe adapted from Cooking Light Dinner Tonight Cookbook
Need more Mexcellent chicken goodness? Try my Mexican Chicken Marinade for the best grilled fajita chicken you’ll have this year. Or for the daring among you, give my Chipotle Spicy Chicken Marinade a try.
P.S. Just for fun, here’s a picture from the original post. It’s amazing what a little natural light and food styling can do!
After vacation, I ALWAYS feel like I need a huge salad week to make me feel like things are back to normal lol. And with tasty salads like this it’s not as much of a shock to the system!