This simple Mexican salad recipe is made with crisp Romaine lettuce, fresh veggies, cooked chicken and the best cilantro lime dressing!
Ready for more salad recipes to try? Don’t miss my Panzanella Salad, Thai Salad with Peanut Dressing, and Mediterranean Couscous Salad.
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Easy Mexican Salad Recipe
I love making this easy Mexican salad as either a fresh side dish to our Mexican night or even as lunch or dinner itself when I’m craving a light meal. It gives me all my favorite Mexican food flavors but something different we I don’t always want something loaded with cheese or creamy sauces.
It’s made with romaine lettuce, leftover grilled chicken or rotisserie chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, and corn, and a simple homemade dressing to drizzle overtop.
It’s a healthy and delicious salad for Taco Tuesday, Cinco de Mayo, and hot summer nights when you don’t feel like turning on the oven!
Ingredients Needed
Below is a list of the ingredients you'll need to gather to make this great recipe. Scroll down to the full recipe card with amounts.
- Romaine lettuce: Washed, dried, and chopped.
- Chicken: You’ll need about 2 cups of any cooked chicken. I love grilled or rotisserie but baked chicken or pan-seared are perfect too.
- Veggies: Sliced cherry tomatoes, diced cucumbers, and canned sweet corn drained. Feel free to use fresh corn off a cob if you’d like.
- Beans: I use kidney beans but you can use black beans (or your favorite kind).
- Red onion: Chopped for added crunch and flavor.
- For the cilantro dressing: Olive oil, finely chopped fresh cilantro, fresh lime juice, minced garlic, salt, and pepper.
Variations/ Substitutions
1. Cilantro and lime is a popular flavor duo, if you only have lemon juice on hand, use that instead.
2. Swap red onions for green onions.
3. Add more fresh vegetables like red bell peppers or creamy avocado.
4. Top with with chopped corn tortillas or crispy tortilla chips for a yummy crunch like a taco salad.
5. Sometimes I like to add crumbled feta cheese or cotija cheese if I have some.
6. Use any favorite salad dressing if you’d like! Whether it’s a tangy lime dressing, honey lime dressing, or a creamy cilantro lime dressing made with a couple of tablespoons of sour cream or Greek yogurt.
How to Make this Salad Recipe
This salad recipe comes together in minutes and is perfect for when you want something light, fresh, and flavorful to eat!
Step 1 – Whip up the simple dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
Step 2 – In large salad bowl or salad platter, layer all the ingredients starting with a base of lettuce.
Step 3 – Drizzle the dressing over the salad. You can either toss it or leave it layered until you’re ready to serve it. You can also just add the dressing as you serve it.
Keep it in the refrigerator if you’re not serving it immediately.
Tips
- I use cherry tomatoes because they are juicy and sweet, but grape tomatoes can be used instead. You’ll know the difference by their shape. Grape tomatoes are usually oblong rather than round.
- There’s no need to peel your cucumber if you are using an English cucumber. However, if they’re from your garden, you may find the skin thicker and more bitter, in which case I recommend peeling.
- If you are not planning on serving the salad right away, you can assemble it ahead of time and dress it just before serving.
- For extra Mexican flavors, marinate your chicken with a cilantro lime chicken marinade.
How to Store Leftovers
The longer the salad sits, the soggier it gets, but the flavors will be even better! Keep leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
What are some other Mexican recipes to complete my Mexican meal?
Serve this salad on the side of a Mexican chicken casserole, Mexican mac and cheese, or Mexican zucchini chicken skillet. You can also have the salad as your main and serve it with a side of Mexican cauliflower rice casserole.
FAQ’s
Since this dressing contains no dairy and it’s a simple oil and lime juice base, it’ll keep for days in the fridge. You can make more than you need and bottle some up for later or make it ahead and keep it for when you’re ready to toss your salad.
Store it in an airtight container or mason jar with a lid for up to 1 week.
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Easy Mexican Salad
Ingredients
Salad ingredients
- 4 cups romaine lettuce
- ½ pound cooked chicken approximately 2 cups
- 1 cup cherry tomato sliced
- ½ cup cucumber diced
- ½ cup sweet corn
- ½ cup kidney beans or black beans
- 1 small red onion chopped
Cilantro dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 bunch cilantro finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon lime juice freshly squeezed
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the salad:
- In a large bowl, add all salad ingredients.4 cups romaine lettuce, ½ pound cooked chicken, 1 cup cherry tomato, ½ cup cucumber, ½ cup sweet corn, ½ cup kidney beans or black beans, 1 small red onion
- Make the cilantro dressing:
- In a small bowl, combine dressing ingredients. Pour on salad.¼ cup olive oil, 1 bunch cilantro, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 2 garlic cloves, Salt and pepper
- Serve or store in the refrigerator until ready.
- Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclosure
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.
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