This Mexican Avocado Chicken Salad with Honey Cilantro Dressing is loaded with a colorful and flavorful blend of avocado, veggies, corn, beans, and crunchy tortillas. Tossed with a homemade honey-cilantro dressing, this chopped salad is a total crowd-pleaser.
Adapted from Mandy’s Gourmet Salads: Recipes for Lettuce and Life cookbook, this Mexican chicken salad combines basic chicken salad with the robust flavors of Mexican cuisine to make the most amazing mayo-free chicken salad. If you’re looking for other mayo-free salads, check out my Chopped Chicken Salad — a crisp Mediterranean-inspired salad with lemon chicken, tarragon tahini dressing, and spiced chickpeas — or my Roasted Vegetable Chicken Salad — made with white balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard.
With so many vibrant textures and flavors, each bite of this salad is a fiesta in your mouth. The combination of healthy and vibrant ingredients makes it an impressive cold salad to serve at your next outdoor gathering.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- It is a great way to use leftover chicken, as well as clean out the fridge by using any fresh veggies you may have on hand.
- No mayo! For food safety purposes mayo-free chicken salads are a better option to serve at outdoor gatherings during warmer weather.
- Quick and easy!
- Plenty of serving options (tostadas, sandwiches, wraps, etc).
Tips & Tricks
- To speed things up, you can make the honey cilantro dressing up to 3 days in advance and then toss it with the Mexican chicken salad ingredients before serving.
- Start with a little dressing and add more only if necessary. If the salad has too much dressing it will wilt the lettuce.
- If you have the extra time, allow your Mexican chicken salad to chill in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. It gives the flavors time to fully develop and get acquainted.
Variations
- Add more greens to the salad, like baby spinach leaves or chopped kale.
- To add a layer of smoky grilled flavor, use grilled corn, chopped grilled peppers, and grilled chicken.
- Follow this recipe but use turkey instead of chicken. This is a great way to spice up leftover Thanksgiving turkey.
- Kick things up a notch by using fresh jalapenos instead of pickled jalapenos. You can also add a splash of the brine to add a spicy-tangy kick.
- Vegetarian Mexican “Chicken” Salad: For a meatless alternative, swap the chicken out with pressed, extra-firm cooked tofu. If a vegetarian salad is what you’re looking for, try my Grilled Peach and Avocado Salad.
Is Mexican chicken salad gluten-free?
To adapt this recipe for gluten-free diets, simply omit the tortilla chips unless they are certified gluten-free.
How To Store Mexican Avocado Chicken Salad
If the salad was just made, let it cool to room temperature (more the chicken than the other ingredients). Store in an airtight container and put it in the fridge where it should last for up to 5 days. It’s hoped you didn’t dress the entire salad so that you can store the dressing separately and only apply it when you’re about to eat the salad. The dressing should last for 3 days. To prevent the avocado from browning, squirt a bit of lemon juice on it.
Mexican Avocado Chicken Salad (with Honey Cilantro Dressing)
Ingredients
Salad
- 6 cups romaine lettuce chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 1 avocado diced
- 1/2 cup red pepper finely chopped
- 1/2 cup yellow pepper finely chopped
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1/4 cup red onion finely chopped
- 1/2 cup corn kernels
- 1/2 cup black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup tortilla chips crushed
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapenos finely chopped (optional)
- Grilled or cooked chicken or tofu cubed
- Half of a lime
- 1/2 cup Cilantro Cumin Dressing to taste
Honey Cilantro Dressing
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 cup cilantro leaves
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
- Make the dressing. In a blender, add garlic, vinegar, lime juice, cumin, honey, and cilantro. Blend on medium-high speed until the cilantro is chopped well and the mixture is fully combined. Then, while blending on low sleep, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the dressing is thick and emulsified (about 30 seconds). Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Mix all ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, add all of the ingredients, juice from half a lime, and 1/3 cup of the dressing. Gently toss with tongs until all of the ingredients are coated in dressing. Add more dressing as necessary and re-toss.
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