SALAD:
DRESSING:
1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 c. light sour cream
1 1/2 + tsp. adobo sauce from canned chipotle chilies
1 tsp. chili powder
4 tsp. fresh lime juice
¼ tsp. salt
OPTIONAL:
Make sure all salad ingredients that need to be washed or rinsed have been. I rinse the beans and corn together; no reason not to! Heck, throw the tomatoes in while you’re at it if you want!
Combine lettuce, chicken, beans, corn, onion, and tomatoes in a large bowl and gently mix with your hands (which you have obviously and thoroughly washed, of course! 🙂 ). Set aside.
oops, totally forgot the red onions in this picture…
Mix dressing ingredients. I say to start with 1 1/2 tsp. of adobo sauce and then go from there, probably 1/4-1/2 tsp. at a time. If you’re serving this for a crowd, it’s probably better to err on the side of not spicy enough rather than too spicy, but if you’re just making it for your family and you have taste buds of steel, have at it. You could even chop up one of the chilies and toss it in there if you’re feeling super-brave. Then taste the dressing and you’ll know what heaven tastes like. Set dressing aside.
If you’re making tortilla strips, fry those puppies up now. I didn’t make them here because I’m trying my darndest not to be naughty nutritionally, but if I make this salad for some kind of festivity, I always make the tortilla strips. Allow them to cool.
When you’re ready to serve, add avocado, tortilla strips, and dressing. Gently combine and serve.
Makes 4-6 meal-sized servings and 6-8 side-dish or party-sized servings.
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Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 meal-sized salads
Description
A classic, filling taco salad with a fresh, creamy chili-lime dressing.
Ingredients
4 cup chopped Romaine Lettuce
DRESSING
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 cup light sour cream
1 1/2 + teaspoon adobo sauce from canned chipotle chilies
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 teaspoon fresh lime juice
¼ teaspoon salt
OPTIONAL
Tortilla Strips
Instructions
Make sure all salad ingredients that need to be washed or rinsed have been. I rinse the beans and corn together; no reason not to! Heck, throw the tomatoes in while you’re at it if you want!
Combine lettuce, chicken, beans, corn, onion, and tomatoes in a large bowl and gently mix with clean hands.
Mix dressing ingredients. Start with 1 1/2 teaspoons of adobo sauce and then go from there, probably 1/4-1/2 teaspoons at a time. If you’re serving this for a crowd, it’s probably better to err on the side of not spicy enough rather than too spicy. If you like things spicy, you can chop up one of the chilies and toss it in as well. Set dressing aside.
If you’re making tortilla strips, fry those puppies up now. Allow them to cool.
When you’re ready to serve, add avocado, tortilla strips, and dressing. Gently combine and serve.
Makes 4-6 meal-sized servings and 6-8 side-dish or party-sized servings.
Keywords: taco, salad, Mexican, Latin
This looks delish…and springy and yummy. Have you ever tried freezing what is left of the peppers and sauce? Or, are there any other recipes that you can suggest to help use some of the rest of the can? I just hate opening a can and then wasting most of it 🙂
@aubri…i throw the leftover peppers into a food processor, separate them into tablespoonfuls on a plate and freeze them. when they are frozen, i throw them all into a ziplock bag. perfect for soups or for making a delicious salad like this one! hope this helps! 🙂
This looks great, looking forward to making this dish!
Recently was told about your website and tried this recipe. It was EXCELLENT! I'm sharing it with friends. Thanks!
You can’t never go wrong with chipotle. I love how this dish turned out and the pictures are making me hungry!
DAMN thank you for introducing me to what will be my new favorite salad… I see a new addiction coming on!!
Totally reminds me of the Santa Fe salad (I think that was its name) that Wendy’s used to offer before it replaced it with a taco salad. I LOVED it and was super sad they discontinued it, so “thanks” to you for posting this!
Yummo Kate, you’re the WOman. I’m glad to know the secret of getting the flavor without the fire. I had a great recipe for Chipotle Sweetpotatoes that was so good until the burn hit… Then I could feel the fire coming out of my ear, nose, eyes you name it. Now I’ll try just using the sauce. Great trick!
BIG hit at my house!!
All 3 of my kids loved it. My youngest who has weany taste buds opted for her with homemade ranch, my middle wanted the chipotle dressing but found it too hot, so he added some ranch (a pretty good combo)and my oldest and I braved the spice. Super yummy!!!
That is one tasty looking taco salad!
That looks delicious! I love all recipes with the word “taco” in them, so this is perfect for me! 🙂
What a delicious salad!
Now this is my kind of salad – it looks GREAT.
I always use a fork and knife to cut up chipotle chilis. Wouldn’t think of touching that stuff with my hands!
I also cut them on my ceramic plates instead of a cutting board because the sauce stains my plastic cutting boards.
But I’m all for adding the chilis!
Thanks for reposting this recipe–I’m definitely making this! (Unfortunately, I’ll have to wait until I return to the US in July since I can’t find black beans anywhere in France!)
It’s 7:00 in the morning here and I am already craving dinner! Yum.
yum, yum, yum!This sounds awesome! It’s like my favorite Black bean salsa with a creamy dressing and LETTUCE! I would have never thought of that!
I LOVE Cooking Light’s site and mag, and saw it online the other night and made it for dinner, without realizing you had already posted it! I chopped up a chili though to add spice, but it wasn’t spicy at all. I was worried that one chili would be too much!!!
I am so making this some time this week! I looks so yummy and Ned is always wanting to make salads (I know, weird man). Oh yeah, FYI – This is Camille. 🙂
This looks delicious. I make something similar, and add mangoes.
Yum! I’m actually supposed to bring a salad for a baby shower next week. I think I may try this!
Oh, this looks so good. I love good salads (you know, the kind that’s not super healthy). I’ll be making this for Sunday. Thanks, Kate for keeping up with this during your super busy week 🙂
This is one of my (and my husband’s) all time favorite salads!
This looks like it could be a new favorite. I love chipotle and am excited to have a recipe for chipotle dressing now! Love your blog….
I can’t wait to try this! It looks absolutely delicious!
This looks so good!
I’m so glad I found this recipe. This will be great to serve at my son’s birthday party! 🙂 Love your recipes!
You’re welcome, Marcie! I hope it was good for you guys! And Nat, I’m glad you loved it and that you found everything you’re looking for. This a full-service cooking site, including giving shopping lists over the phone while you’re at the grocery store! 🙂
I made this tonight. Loved it! 🙂
As always, thanks! This is what we are having for dinner tonight.
This looks so good, I’m goint to try it.