Avocado and Grilled Chicken Chopped Salad with Skinny Chipotle-Lime Ranch
Are you guys getting tired of all the grilled chicken salads I share yet? I know I’m not because I could live on them, especially this one! My husband and I couldn’t get over how delicious this salad is even though it’s a simple salad. The secret is in the sauce, or dressing in this case. Even though I made it to be light it is still unbelievably tasty. It has the perfect zip from the heat of the chipotle peppers, and it’s perfectly creamy from the Greek yogurt and light mayo. And you still have all those classic ranch herbs and spices, like parsley, dill, chives, and onion powder. And let’s not forget about the lime, it brightens up the dressing and offers plenty of fresh flavor. Lean into whatever vegetables are in season for this southwest chicken salad recipe. Canned corn and black beans are a shortcut but reach for cilantro, red onion, red peppers, and celery for flavor and crunch. Sprinkle the top with crushed tortilla chips or tortilla strips in lieu of croutons. Keeping your ingredients prepped but not tossed makes this a super easy meal prep that you can enjoy throughout the week—making a quick salad or wrap for lunch or dinner. Even my kids loved this despite the fact it has some heat. I myself was surprised, I thought they’d be asking for “leaves” without dressing but instead, they were asking for more.
If you are lucky enough to have any dressing left over you can serve it the next day with chicken for dipping. That’s what we had for lunch and it turned a drab, boring piece of chicken into something amazing! This is going to be one of my go-to dressing recipes from now on. I love it! And of course, I’ll make this salad time and time again, it is the perfect summer salad with so much bright freshness and contrast. It may look so basically basic (thank you Jimmy Fallon) but it’s full of flavor!
