This taco chicken salad recipe is loaded with delicious vegetables, cooked chicken, black beans, cheddar cheese and crunchy tortilla chips. It’s topped with a creamy taco salad dressing. This recipe is easy to put together and something the whole family will love.
We love easy salad recipes like our burger salad and mason jar salads, and of course this delicious chicken taco salad recipe!
Chicken Taco Salad
This easy chicken taco salad is loaded with good stuff. Filled to the brim with beautiful colors and delicious flavors. Although this salad might look fancy, it’s actually super simple.
This recipe uses cooked chicken. The chicken can be seasoned with our homemade chicken taco seasoning or you can use a store-bought version. You can use baked chicken, air fryer chicken and shred it using our easy shredded chicken recipe.
It only takes 20-30 minutes to cook (depending on the size) and can be diced or shredded for the salad while it’s still warm. I did the same thing for my chicken taco soup recipe.
BUT if you’re in a pinch for time, just grab a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from the store and shred it yourself using our shredded chicken method.
Recipe Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chicken breasts – shredded or cubed. A rotisserie chicken works great for this recipe or make our taco-seasoned chicken recipe and shred it yourself using our favorite method.
- 2 cups romaine lettuce heads – chopped into strips (about 10 cups worth)
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes – sliced in half
- 1 cup corn – canned or frozen
- ¼ cup sliced red onion
- 4 green onions – chopped small (about 1 cup)
- 1 ½ cups canned black beans – rinsed and drained
- ½ cup cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro (optional)
- ½ freshly squeezed lime
- 1 cup tortilla strips – or crushed tortilla chips
Salad Dressing:
- 1 cup ranch dressing – or make your own homemade ranch dressing here
- 2 Tbsp taco seasoning – or make your own EASILY here
How To Make This Chicken Taco Salad Recipe
This salad has lots of delicious flavors! Everything comes together in a few simple steps. You’ll have the salad done and ready to serve in 30 minutes!
Full ingredients and instructions are also in the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post.
STEP ONE: Add the 1 cup ranch dressing and 2 tbsp taco seasoning to a medium bowl. Mix together until it’s smooth and creamy.
STEP TWO: Wash, chop and prep all the ingredients: 2 cups romaine lettuce (chopped into strips), 2 cups sliced cherry tomatoes, 1 cup canned corn, ¼ cup sliced red onion, 4 chopped green onions, 1 ½ cups canned black beans, ½ cup cheddar cheese, and ¼ cup chopped cilantro (optional). Add everything to a large bowl.
STEP THREE: Drizzle the salad dressing overtop and toss all the ingredients together until they’re evenly mixed.
STEP FOUR: Sprinkle the tortilla strips and drizzle lime wedges. Serve immediately.
Recipe Tips
- The salad dressing uses a mix of ranch dressing (make your own homemade ranch dressing here) and taco seasoning (you can easily make your own here) to create the best flavor.
- You’ll need two cups of chicken breasts that can be shredded or cubed. You can also use a store-bought rotisserie chicken. Use a rotisserie chicken to help save time. This can be shredded up with two forks and added straight to the salad bowl.
- To make your own tortilla strips, purchase a pack of corn tortillas and cut them into strips. Coat a large baking sheet with extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil making sure to spread evenly and line it with the tortilla strips. Pop that in the oven at 350ºC until you have crispy tortilla strips.
Can You Store Leftovers?
Serve this salad immediately. This salad is best served fresh. Over time the lettuce and tortilla strips will begin to turn soggy as they soak up the dressing ingredients.
It is better to make this recipe and serve it right away. If you want to store leftovers, keep the dressing separate from the other ingredients and store them in an airtight container in the fridge. Once you’re ready to serve, toss the salad with the dressing.
Ingredient Variations
- GROUND BEEF – Swap shredded chicken with ground beef like our ground beef taco salad recipe.
- AVOCADO – Slice a ripe avocado and add it to the salad just before serving.
- BELL PEPPER – Add chopped bell peppers for more crunch.
- SOUR CREAM – Add a dollop on top of the salad.
- HOT SAUCE – Drizzle Franks hot sauce or your other favorite sauce on top of the salad.
- SWEET POTATO – Roast some vegetables like our sweet potato taco bowl then add them straight to the salad.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links) – Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- Never Dull Premium Knife Set – This knife set has premium sharp blades and a build in sharpener. Perfect for chopping and slicing.
- Magnetic Measuring Spoons – I love these magnetic ones which stay nice and organized together when storing them
- Wood Salad Serving Spoons – Beautiful wood salad spoons that are perfect for scooping up the salad and adding to serving plates.
- Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls – These are lightweight and perfect for mixing large salad ingredients.
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Tried This Recipe?
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Taco Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chicken breasts - shredded or cubed
- 2 cups romaine lettuce heads - chopped into strips (about 10 cups worth)
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes - sliced in half
- 1 cup corn - canned or thawed frozen
- ¼ cup sliced red onion
- 4 green onions - chopped small (about 1 cup)
- 1 ½ cups canned black beans - rinsed and drained
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro - optional
- ½ freshly squeezed lime
- 1 cup tortilla strips - or crushed tortilla chips
Salad Dressing:
- 1 cup ranch dressing - (see notes)
- 2 Tbsp taco seasoning - you can make your own (see notes)
Instructions
Make The Taco Dressing:
- Add the 1 cup ranch dressing and 2 tbsp taco seasoning to a medium bowl. Mix together until it's smooth and creamy.
Assemble The Salad:
- Wash, chop and prep all the ingredients: 2 cups romaine lettuce (chopped into strips), 2 cups sliced cherry tomatoes, 1 cup canned corn, ¼ cup sliced red onion, 4 chopped green onions, 1 ½ cups canned black beans, ½ cup cheddar cheese, and ¼ cup chopped cilantro (optional). Add everything to a large bowl.
- Drizzle the salad dressing overtop and toss all the ingredients together until they're evenly mixed.
- Sprinkle the tortilla strips and drizzle lime wedges. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes:
- This salad is best served fresh. Over time the lettuce and tortilla strips will begin to turn soggy as they soak up the dressing ingredients.
- The salad dressing uses a mix of ranch dressing (make your own homemade ranch dressing here) and taco seasoning (you can easily make your own here) to create the best flavor.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving.