Mexican Chicken Salad

This Mexican Chicken Salad is a fun all-in-one salad with cubed chicken, bell peppers, and onions, coated in a spicy homemade chipotle mayo, and served in avocado halves, lettuce wraps or tortilla chips. You will love this for a quick lunch, a side dish at a summer BBQ, or for Cinco de Mayo.

If you know me, you know that I love Mexican food and will find a way to turn just about any recipe into a Mexican-inspired dish. Chicken salad has always been a weakness of mine; there is something about the creamy dressing and crunchy textures that I can’t seem to get enough of. So when you combine my love of Mexican food with chicken salad and then stuff it all in an avocado or scoop it with your favorite tortilla chips, I don’t think it can get much better than that. This easy dish is not your typical chicken salad, and one I think you’ll make over and over. 

Why You Will Love This Mexican Chicken Salad Recipe

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• Don’t limit yourself to just one way to enjoy this incredibly versatile salad. Serve it with tortilla chips, in a lettuce wrap, avocado half, as a sandwich or in a tortilla! 
• This is a healthy recipe that’s great for meal prep and can be used all week long. 
• It is such a crowd pleaser that you can serve for any gathering, any day of the week.
• It’s a great recipe for using up leftover chicken and comes together in a matter of miunutes
• Whether you’re a dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, Paleo, Keto, Whole30, or Specific Carbohydrate Diet follower, this is for you!

Ingredients You Will Need 

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• Chicken: Chopped or shredded chicken breast will work best. This is a great recipe to use up your leftover rotisserie chicken.
• Corn: Use fresh sweet corn on the cob, frozen corn, or canned corn (drained and rinsed); you can’t go wrong 
• Avocados: Choosing a ripe avocado is key. You can find some tips and tricks for avocados below.
• Fresh Vegetables: Fresh jalapeno, red bell pepper, red onion, and green onion is what I prefer, but you can use any bell pepper and use yellow onion.
• Fresh Cilantro: Cilantro isn’t for everyone, so you can use half or remove it entirely. 
• Black beans: Use dried black beans or canned black beans (drained and rinsed). Kidney beans would be a good substitute. 
• Mayo: I love to use my homemade mayonnaise, but store-bought mayo will also work wonderfully.
• Lime: Fresh lime juice and a little bit of lime zest are a classic addition to Mexican chicken salad.
• Seasonings: Cumin, paprika, salt, and chipotle powder give so much incredible flavor. You can adjust measurements according to your taste.

(You can find the printable recipe card below for full measurements)

Kitchen Tools You Will Need

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• Nutribullet, Immersion Blender, or Whisk
• Cutting Board
• Sharp Knife
• Small Bowl
• Medium Bowl

How to Make This Mexican Chicken Salad

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1. Mix all of the ingredients for the mayo until completely smooth. Set aside. 
2. In a bowl, combine the chicken, red onion, red pepper, green onions, jalapeño, black beans, and 2 tbsp of the cilantro.
3. Pour the chipotle mayo over the top and toss until well combined. 

 

How to Modify

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• This would also be delicious eaten in salad cups, with romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, or butter lettuce. 
• Use other peppers instead of jalapeno. Try Serrano peppers or Fresno peppers.
• If you can have dairy, doing half mayonnaise and half sour cream or plain Greek yogurt would be great for the sauce.
• Play around with the spices and add some garlic powder or onion powder, or cayenne pepper or black pepper for kick. You could also use taco seasoning, like I use for my taco meat.
• Add cotija cheese, feta cheese or your favorite Mexican blend as a great addition.

Dietary Customizations

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Leave out the corn and beans out if Paleo, Whole30 or Specific Carbohydrate Diet legal and the results will still be incredible. 

Pro Tips on Avocados

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• Is it ripe? A dark green to black outer skin is what you’re looking for in a ripe avocado; Pull off the little stem at the top. If the color underneath is bright green, it’s ready. If it’s brown, that avocado is likely overripe. If it has a slight give when given a little squeeze, it’s ripe. Avoid too firm or an extra mushy feeling.
• Help it ripen: If you place the avocado in a brown paper bag with an onion for a day or two, the onion releases gases that help speed up the ripening process. 
• Slow down the ripening: Pop it in the fridge once your avocado reaches peak ripeness. Putting it in the fridge to hit the “pause” button on its ripening will allow it to stay fresh for up to a week. 

Serving Suggestions

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• Serve this delicious Mexican chicken salad with your favorite crackers, gluten-free crackers or  tortilla chips. You could also serve it in a tortilla, atop a tostada, or a bed of your favorite lettuce. 
• If you want to do a Mexican recipe theme, this Mexican Street Corn Dip is a great idea! And I really love these Mexican Couscous Salad or Mexican Taco Cups, too.

 

Meal-prep and Storing Leftovers 

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Meal-prepping: This Mexican salad will last up to 4 days in the fridge when stored in an airtight container, so it really is an easy meal prep idea. Make a batch and then stuff it in avocado halves over a few days for lunch or as a healthy snack.

Leftovers: I wouldn’t recommend leaving this out at room temperature for more than 2 hours, if you’re serving it at a party. If you have any leftovers they will last up to 4 days when stored in the fridge properly. Be sure to give it a good stir before enjoying again.

More Mexican-Inspired Recipes You Will Love:

• Mexican Beef Taco Salad
• Mexican Street Corn Dip
• Mexican Cauliflower Rice
• Mexican Chicken Soup
• Mexican Cauliflower Rice & Chicken Stuffed Peppers

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If you make this Mexican Chicken Salad recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think, or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!

This post was originally published on April 9, 2018 and updated with new copy and photos on May 2, 2025.