If you want a salad that’s easy, full of flavor, and actually keeps you full for hours—this one’s for you. Our creamy Southwestern chicken salad recipe is high in protein, easy to meal prep, and tossed with a smoky cumin-lime dressing that’s light and creamy.
This protein chicken salad is super simple!
We're combing high protein Greek yogurt and low fat mayo with the bold flavors of lime, cumin, and chili powder to bring you literally the best healthy Southwestern dressing you'll want to eat from the spoon. Each serving is only 318 calories and 39 grams of protein, which gives you extra calories for toppings.
We show you how to make simple swaps whether you’re looking to increase the protein even more, lower fat, or make it lower carb. Plus it all comes together in 30 minutes when you're using rotisserie chicken or have defrosted meal prep chicken on hand.
Love meal prep chicken salads? ❤️ So do we. Add our Mediterranean chicken salad, Greek chicken salad bowls, strawberry spinach chicken salad, and Thai chopped chicken salad to your healthy lunch rotation!
✨ Grab your free printable list of high protein foods to help plan more macro-friendly meals like this!
👉 Click here to get the list
Key ingredients
Here's an overview of what you'll need to make our easy Southwest chicken salad. The full recipe is down in the printable recipe card.
- Shredded Chicken – Use cooked breasts, cooked chicken tenderloins, or a store-bought rotisserie chicken.
- Canned Black Beans – Pinto beans would also be a great choice.
- Corn – Roasted frozen corn adds a sweet, smoky flavor, we used the frozen Trader Joe's roasted corn. Canned or fresh corn work too.
- Grape Tomatoes – You can use cherry tomatoes or diced Roma tomatoes.
- Red Onion – For crunch and a sharp bite. Green onions or pickled onions are milder options.
- Pumpkin Seeds (Pepitas) – Adds crunch and healthy fats. Sub with sunflower seeds or skip for a lower fat (or cheaper) version.
- Nonfat Greek Yogurt + Light Mayo – These make a creamy base that’s lighter than traditional dressings. Use all yogurt or swap for dairy-free alternatives if needed. You can even use a blended cottage cheese in place of the Greek yogurt.
- Lime Juice - We highly recommend using fresh lime juice and not concentrate.
- Spices (cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and paprika)– Brings a zesty kick and classic Southwestern flavor. Smoked paprika is a great option for extra smokey flavor.
- Optional - you can add a little heat by adding diced jalapenos.
- Garnish ideas - Add toppings like avocado, cilantro, or cotija cheese
Adjusting macros
As written, the chicken salad is macro friendly, meaning it's a good balance of protein, carbs, and fats. If you need to adjust any of those for your personal preferences and health plan, here's how:
You can make this higher protein by increasing the amount of chicken.
Reduce the carbs by swapping the corn and beans for chopped bell peppers and cucumbers
Lower the fat by skipping the pepitas, or make them a garnish (by using a lesser amount)
How to make a Southwest chicken salad
Step 1.
Make the dressing
Whisk together the Greek yogurt, mayo, lime juice, and spices in a small bowl or jar.
Step 2.
Add the salad ingredients
In a large bowl, add the chicken, black beans, corn, tomatoes, red onion, and seeds.
Step 3.
Toss it all together
Pour the dressing over the salad and mix until evenly coated.
Step 4.
Serve and enjoy!
Serve over chopped romaine, in a wrap, on lettuce cups, or with tortilla chips for a quick protein-packed lunch.
Meal prep tips
You could also make this a jar salad by not mixing the salad dressing in the with other ingredients. You'll be dividing the ingredients between 4 (32 oz) size mason jars. You'd first add the dressing to the bottom of the jars, then add any firmer veggies, the chicken and beans, then the softer veggies, the pumpkin seeds, and then top each with 1-2 cups of shredded lettuce.
It stays fresh in the fridge for 3–4 days, making it a great high protein meal prep salad for work lunches.
You can even make this a party dip by finely shredding the chicken. Using a hand-mixer or stand mixer is great for that task.
More high protein lunches
- BBQ chicken sweet potato bowls
- Healthy edamame bean salad - when served with cottage cheese
- Protein snack boxes
- Meal prep chicken fajitas
- Mexican corn and chicken salad
We hope you love our healthy chicken salad recipe!
They’re a Whole Lotta Yum!
– Jen & Madi
📌 Save to Pinterest for later ⬇️
Want more easy high protein meals?
Get my free High Protein Food List—with 90+ macro-friendly foods and portion tips to make meal planning simple.
If you loved our recipe, please leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review and leave us a comment too! Connect with us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube!
Recipe
Southwestern Chicken Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb cooked shredded chicken - about 2-3 breasts (400g) about 1.2 lb raw weight before cooking. Or use rotisserie chicken
- 1 15.5 oz can black beans (190g) rinsed and drained
- 1 cup corn, frozen (150g) and defrosted. We used roasted Trader Joes corn.
- ¾ cup grape tomatoes, quartered
- ½ cup red onion chopped (70g)
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas) (35g) or sunflower seeds
Dressing
- ⅓ cup nonfat Greek yogurt 70g we used Fage brand
- ⅓ cup light Mayo 60g we used Best Foods (Hellmans)
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice (62mL) about 2 large limes
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon paprika use smoked paprika for a smokier taste
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl or jar, combine the Greek yogurt, light mayo, freshly squeezed lime, chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, toss the shredded chicken, black beans, corn, diced tomatoes, diced red onion, and cilantro.
- Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and stir well to combine.
- Serve the salad on a bed of lettuce, with chips, or on lettuce leaves. Enjoy!
Notes
- The whole salad weighs 1160g and serves 4.
- The main salad calories are lower which means you can add extra toppings like cotjia cheese (highly recommend!), avocado, and more cilantro. Or serve with tortilla chips on the side.
- To reduce the fat: you can leave the pumpkin seeds out of the salad or use them as garnish on top of each serving.
- Inspired by With Sweet Honey, recipe made lighter and macro friendly
Leave a Reply