Chicken Taco Salad with Spinach, Tomatoes, Bell Pepper, Tortilla Chips, and Cheddar Cheese. For dressing use Ranch dressing or Greek yogurt mixed with the taco seasoning and fresh cilantro.
I love chicken salads, and one of my most favorite ones is a chicken taco salad with lots of vegetables, crushed tortilla chips, creamy Ranch dressing (or a healthier, Greek yogurt based dressing), served with sour cream and salsa on the side!
This salad has everything: protein, carbs, veggies, fiber - it's a complete dinner meal which will leave you happy and satisfied!
How to cook chicken
I like to roll and liberally coat the chicken in a taco seasoning and sear it in olive oil on medium-high heat for only about 3 minutes on each side. Then, remove the chicken from heat but still keep it covered for about 15 more minutes to allow it to cook through until it's no longer pink inside but not dry either.
Alternatively, you can bake the chicken at 375 Fahrenheit in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes and then let it sit covered on the counter until the chicken is cooked through and ready to be diced into cubes.
How to assemble the salad
Just mix all chicken taco salad ingredients together (adding tortilla chips last), and serve the salad with the dressing on the side, just like this:
Or, you can drizzle the dressing over the chicken taco salad right before serving, like this. Either way, the salad is delicious, flavorful, just a pure comfort food.
What salad dressing to use for chicken taco salad
For a salad dressing, you can use either store-bought Ranch dressing, or, for a healthier version, mix some Greek yogurt with the taco seasoning and chopped fresh cilantro!
Chicken Taco Salad with Spinach, Tomatoes, and Cheddar
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable Oil
- 1 lb chicken breasts , skinless, boneless
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
Salad:
- 6 cups spinach fresh, shredded
- 3 tomatoes , diced
- 4 green onions , chopped
- ¼ cup red onion , chopped
- 1 red bell pepper , thinly sliced
- ½ cup cheddar cheese , shredded
- ½ cup tortilla chips , crushed
Salad dressing (option 1):
- ½ cup Ranch salad dressing
Salad dressing (healthier option 2):
- ½ cup Greek yogurt mixed with the taco seasoning and chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
Chicken:
- Season the chicken breasts with taco seasoning on both sides. Heat the skillet on medium-high heat, add oil, then sear chicken about 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and keep the skillet covered to allow chicken to continue cooking off heat until no longer pink in the middle. Cool the breasts then slice them into small cubes
Salad:
- Layer all salad ingredients (spinach, tomatoes, green onions, red onion, red bell pepper, grated sharp cheddar cheese, and crushed tortilla chips) and cubed chicken in a large salad bowl or on a large serving platter. Drizzle with the desired amount of Ranch dressing and serve.
- Or, instead of layering the salad ingredients, just toss them all together, without any layering, with the desired amount of Ranch dressing and serve the salad already tossed and mixed. In this case, add crushed tortilla chips only after you tossed and mixed all other salad ingredients, to make sure tortilla chips don't get soggy.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This looks SO good, and so pretty with all the bright colors! I'm especially loving the idea for dressing option 2!
What a lively salad! Not just nutritious and delicious, but it give us a happy vibe. 🙂 The chicken with taco seasonings will add nice flavor and this sounds like a great lunch salad!
What a gorgeous salad! I can't wait to try it - looks like something everyone in my family will love.
I'm ready to make this recipe and it's not even 10 in the morning! The bright flavors and crunch are just fantastic!
Julia, I shared this on FB the other day - just now added to my Ziplist Recipe box and it's going on my shopping list for this week!
Love this salad!
I want this for dinner Julia! It looks wonderful.
This is absolutely my kind of salad! It's so bright and colorful ... and the flavors are just downright awesome. Plus I can never turn down anything with tortilla chips : )
That is one appetizing salad. It is a totally satisfying dish. Love all the healthy colors!
Yum!
Just looking at the vibrant colors makes my mouth water.
Thank you for sharing this Julia, it's like springtime on a plate 🙂
Wow, this looks so delicious and simple to put together! I'm definitely adding this to one of my upcoming meal plans.
This salad looks so yummy! I wish I could get my photographs of salad to look half this crisp, fresh and colorful!
This salad would also be great to make with leftovers from a fajita night!
How nice.. Spring is around the corner.. I see this on the patio with a nice glass of chilled wine this summer Julia.
wow look at the vibrant bright colour! I am smitten!
I agree, this salad has everything I like. Those crushed tortillas is a fabulous idea! 🙂 ela