This flavorful chicken taco salad uses my quick and easy ground chicken taco meat recipe for a salad you can't wait to eat!
I don't know about you, but I love taco-themed anything. I could eat my healthy chicken tacos any night of the week. But, if I'm going to eat a salad, a healthy chicken taco salad is my first choice, especially for lunch!
Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- Versatile & Easy: Made with seasoned and juicy ground chicken, this salad delivers all your favorite taco flavors in under 30 minutes — no marinating or slow cooking required. You can even use this recipe for taco Tuesday, then use the leftovers for salads the rest of the week, like I did!
- High-Protein & Satisfying: Between the lean chicken, black beans (optional), and crunchy toppings, this salad keeps you full and fueled for hours.
- Great for Meal Prep: Prep the meat and toppings ahead, then assemble fresh all week for easy, healthy lunches. Or even meal prep ahead of time, I've got full instructions below on how to keep your salads fresh and delicious all week!
How to Make Chicken Taco Salads
There are about as many ways to make a taco salad as there are TV shows you could watch—a lot. I find I slightly vary my chicken taco salads by what I've got available in the fridge. I usually prefer ground chicken taco meat over shredded in my taco salads. More meat in every bite that way!
Then I add any of the following combinations of ingredients:
Chicken Taco Salad Base:
- The crunchier, the better. I prefer chopped romaine. I buy a pre-washed, pre-chopped romaine package and quickly chop it again so the pieces aren't gigantic. That being said, dark leafy greens can work like kale or spinach.
Chicken Taco Meat:
- For this recipe, I used my ground chicken taco meat recipe instead of the usual grilled chicken.
- But something like my Instant Pot Chipotle Chicken recipe or easy slow cooker salsa verde chicken, if you want to use boneless skinless chicken breast, would be delicious, too, if you prefer shredded.
- You could also be creative and use chopped-up leftover cheddar jalapeno turkey burgers, or jalapeno and cheddar stuffed salsa verde burgers. (Swap ground chicken for meat for chicken.)
- Or, use a pre-made taco skillet sauce as I do in my easy paleo taco salad recipe. (Again, swap ground chicken.)
Once you cook the chicken, you can assemble your salads pretty quickly!
Chicken Taco Salad Recipe
This flavorful chicken taco salad uses my quick and easy ground chicken taco meat recipe for a salad you can't wait to eat!
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 501kcal
Equipment
- large non-stick skillet with lid
- strainer
Ingredients
Chicken Taco Meat Recipe
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 jalapeno, deseeded, deveined diced
- 1 lb ground chicken
- ¼ cup taco seasoning
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 can black beans
- ½ lime juiced
Salad
- 12 cups romaine lettuce
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1.5 cups black beans
- ¾ cup cotija cheese
- 1 avocado or 1 cup guac
- ⅓ cup cilantro
- ⅓ cup green onions
- 1.5 cup salsa
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup guacamole
Instructions
Chicken Taco Meat Instructions
- Saute onions and jalapeno in oil on medium in a large non-stick skillet until translucent and tender, about 3-5 minutes.1 tablespoon avocado oil, 1 yellow onion, 1 jalapeno, deseeded, deveined
- Add chicken and taco seasoning, cook for 8-10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.1 lb ground chicken, ¼ cup taco seasoning
- Add diced tomatoes in and ¼ cup water. Stir well. Place the lid on and let simmer for at least 5 minutes. If meat sticks to the bottom of the pan, add more water.1 can diced tomatoes
- Rinse and drain black beans, stir into the meat and serve! Alternatively, you can keep the beans separate.1 can black beans
- Finish with a sprits of lime juice! About a teaspoon of lime juice or the juice of half of a lime.
Chicken Taco Salad
- Add 2 cups of romaine lettuce to a bowl. Top each salad with ⅙ chicken taco meat, ½ cup cherry tomatoes, ¼ cup beans, 2 tablespoons cotija cheese, ⅙ of avocado, 1 tablespoon cilantro, 1 tablespoon green onion, ¼ cup salsa, 2-3 tablespoons of sour cream, and guac.
Video
Notes
Meal Prep Tips
Layer in 32-ounce jars in the following order:
- 2T any dressing (I used jalapeño ranch) or use salsa, guac, and or sour cream. I was craving jalapeno ranch.
- Heaping ½ cup of cooled chicken taco meat recipe.
- ⅓ cup black beans (if you didn’t add to the chicken meat mixture)
- ½ cup cherry tomato halves
- Chopped romaine lettuce to the top of the jar.
- 2T green onion
- 2T Cotija cheese
- Store in fridge for up to 4 days. Top with tortilla strips or chips for garnish. I made my own, just buy them though.
Nutrition
Calories: 501kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 1630mg | Potassium: 1840mg | Fiber: 19g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 10203IU | Vitamin C: 48mg | Calcium: 220mg | Iron: 6mg
Tried this recipe?I'd love to see what you made! Tag me @hungryhobbyRD or tag #hungryhobby if you try this recipe!
Chicken Taco Salad Add-Ins:
- For a boost in fiber and protein, add in black or pinto beans.
- For a fresh, juicy crunch, any kind of chopped bell peppers is delicious.
- Always, more tomatoes! Cherry tomatoes or chopped tomatoes add a pop of color.
- Chicken meat is lean, so indulge in avocado, shredded cheese, and/or cotija cheese to increase the flavor and keep you fuller for longer.
- If you love spice, fresh or pickled diced jalapeños. Or if you love raw onions, thinly sliced red onions will hit the spot!
- If you have the time, homemade baked tortilla strips or air fryer tortilla strips are a fun addition; you can also buy them. Or substitute something like crunched-up plantain chips, sweet potato chips, or tortilla chips.
- Fresh herbs, which make a huge difference in making a homemade salad feel restaurant quality, like green onions and cilantro.
Toppings & Dressing Ideas
I honestly don't think that taco salad ever needs a special dressing. Once you put salsa, guac, and sour cream on it - it may not be pretty, but damn, it tastes delicious. You may, however, want to drizzle just a little bit of one of my Chipotle dressings on it!
- Homemade salsa or your favorite store-bought salsa
- Spicy guacamole or your favorite store-bought guac
- Sour cream (or I love Forager dairy-free sour cream)
Meal Prep Chicken Taco Salads
I recently turned these salads into a meal prep-friendly recipe, so I would stop skipping lunch!
Layer in 32-ounce jars in the following order:
- 2T any dressing (I used jalapeño ranch) or use salsa, guac, and or sour cream. I was craving jalapeno ranch.
- Heaping ½ cup of cooled chicken taco meat recipe.
- ⅓ cup black beans (if you didn’t add to the chicken meat mixture)
- ½ cup cherry tomato halves
- Chopped romaine lettuce to the top of the jar.
- 2T green onion
- 2T Cotija cheese
- Store in fridge for up to 4 days. Top with tortilla strips or chips for garnish. I made my own, just buy them though.
Why jars? The vertical stacking keeps things fresher and crispier for longer! But you could also do meal prep containers!
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