This light and healthy shredded Mexican chicken salad with homemade green goddess dressing is my version of fast food! It’s super easy, is gluten-free (and can be made dairy-free), and takes just 15 minutes to make. It’s perfect for lunch or light dinner.
Mexican Chicken Salad
This shredded Mexican chicken salad is made with romaine lettuce, corn (fresh or frozen), ripe tomatoes, black beans, and ripe avocado. It’s then tossed in a super tasty, easy-to-make homemade green goddess dressing. It’s gluten-free and can also be dairy-free.
How to Make Shredded Chicken
And this Mexican chicken salad is also so easy to make! I usually make shredded chicken in the Instant Pot (see recipe below). But you could also use store-bought rotisserie chicken.
Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
To make shredded chicken in an Instant Pot, all you need to do is:
- Season your chicken breast with salt and pepper.
- Then add them chicken breasts to your Instant Pot along with 1/2 cup water or chicken broth.
- Seal your Instant Pot to make sure the steam release is closed.
- And then cook your chicken on high for 20 minutes.
- When the chicken is done cooking, let the pressure release naturally for at least 15 minutes, then open the steam release valve to release any additional pressure. Once it is fully released, remove the lid and transfer the chicken to a bowl.
- Shred the chicken with two forks and then set aside until you’re ready to make the Mexican chicken salad.
A Few More Recipe Tips
- THE CORN: You can use fresh or frozen corn. I often use frozen corn. Just let it defrost before adding it to the salad.
- TO MAKE DAIRY-FREE: If you’d like to make this salad dairy-free, just use non-dairy mayonnaise (veganaise) in the dressing.
- HATE CILANTRO?: If you can’t stand the taste of cilantro, just leave it out or sub with Italian parsley.
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Mexican Chicken Salad
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This light and healthy shredded Mexican chicken salad with homemade green goddess dressing is my version of fast food! It’s super easy to make in under 15 minutes making it the perfect salad for busy nights.
Ingredients
For Salad:
- 2 fresh ears of corn, shucked, cooked, and kernels sliced off (or buy the organic frozen from Trader Joe’s)
- Hearts of romaine, finely shredded to about 5 cups of lettuce
- 1/2 cup cooked black beans (or about half of a drained and rinsed can)
- 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes, or halved cherry tomatoes
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 to 2 ripe avocado, diced
- 1/4 cup (or less) roughly chopped cilantro
- 2–3 cooked and shredded chicken breasts
For Green Goddess Dressing:
- 2/3 cup yogurt or Vegenaise
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 2 scallions, white and light green parts only, rough chop
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (I used 2 very juicy limes)
- 1/2 green jalapeno, rough chopped (or use more or less, whatever you prefer)
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1 tablespoon honey
- A few chopped basil leaves, optional
Instructions
For Salad:
- MAKE THE SALAD: Add all the salad ingredients to a bowl.
- DRESS AND SERVE: Toss ingredients with dressing and serve immediately.
For Dressing:
- MAKE THE DRESSING: Combine all ingredients in a powerful blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth.
- STORAGE: Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Salad