Traditional tacos salads with a twist- chock full of veggies, topped with grilled chicken, and drizzled with the most amazing spicy cilantro lime dressing!
This salad? Woah. And I mean that in the best way possible. In this particular instance woah = oh my gosh this is the most amazing salad I’ve ever eaten and I can’t imagine ever living without it ever again for as long as I live please marry me.
Except for the marrying part, that was a little weird. You guys it’s late. I really should not write late at night. Apparently I get the late night munchies and profess my endless love for taco salads.
This dressing though is no joke ah-MAZING. I love cilantro lime dressing straight up, but when you add some spiciness to the mix?? Heaven in my mouth.
This salad is wayyyyyyyy too easy. The whole thing start to finish is maybe 30 minutes tops. It’s basically 3 really quick steps.
1) grill the chicken
2) toss everything together
3) dump a gallon of this dressing on top
the end.
I really love jalapeños (really, I eat them from the jar) so I like to toss a bunch on top of this salad but if you’re a little more sensitive to heat, leave them off. Also? I sort of left the tortilla strips off of this salad when I was taking pictures because….. I forgot them. I’m sorry! But you really should throw some tortilla strips on top if you’ve got them, I mean it is taco salad after all, it really should have the tortilla element. Just pretend like there is a lovely little heap of tortilla strips nestled on top of this perfect salad.
Ahhhhh. That’s better.
- 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 6-8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup chopped white or red onion
- 2 large avocados, diced
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes
- optional: tortilla strips and sliced jalapeños
- dressing
- 1 cup cilantro loosely packed cilantro leaves
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt (or plain greek yogurt)
- 2 teaspoons garlic
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 6 tablespoons mayo (I used reduced fat)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- juice of 1 lime
- 3 tablespoons pickled jalapeños, diced
- Add all dressing ingredients to blender and pulse until smooth. Cover and chill until ready to use.
- Whisk together taco seasoning, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. Rub the seasoning into the chicken breasts, coating both sides. Grill over medium heat 4-5 minutes on each side until cooked through. Chop into bite-sized pieces.
- Toss together lettuce, black beans, onions, avocados, tomatoes, and grilled chicken. Drizzle with dressing. Optional: top with additional cilantro, jalapeños, and tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips.
Tiffany your images are just gorgeous! Seriously, so beautiful! Pinned of course!
Thank you Averie! 🙂 🙂
Looks amazing Tiff.. perfectly light for the summer and I am all about TexMex flavors.
Finally, another TexMex fan, I could eat it every day! If you like a little spice, you’ve gotta try this dressing – it’s a new fav at our house!! Thanks Krista!! 🙂
This has to be the best salad ever!
I have just been working on our “menu” for next week when we have company coming….this looks like a perfect lunch or light dinner meal! Thanks!!
Looks super tasty! Love the sound of the dressing too!
New post up tomorrow, but for now check out my last #recipe >> #Healthy Chickpea Stew: http://wp.me/p3PwV3-fN via @addalittlefood