Rooster Taco Salad with Cilantro-Lime French dressing

All of the flavors and toppings that you recognize and love from a traditional taco salad, however lightened up a bit for one thing contemporary and scrumptious. It’s loaded with all the great things and that cilantro-lime French dressing? You’ll need to maintain a jar of it in your fridge always.

In search of extra daring salads? Strive our Chicken Fajita Salad or Mojo Chicken Salad.

Why Our Recipe

Deliciously seasoned hen that makes use of primary pantry spices.
A do-it-yourself cilantro-lime French dressing you’ll need to drizzle on every part.
Full of beans, avocado, tomatoes, purple onion, corn, and olives.

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette being poured over Chicken Taco Salad.

Whereas tacos are a standard Mexican meals, taco salad is definitely an American invention. This dish was created by the Fritos firm within the Nineteen Sixties. Though the founding father of Fritos was Mexican, he designed taco salad as a intelligent approach to make use of Fritos chips as a bowl. We’re at all times okay with the unique model as a result of it’s completely scrumptious. Our model is a superb choice for these wanting one thing a bit lighter with out the Fritos.

Ingredient Notes

Ingredients for Chicken Taco Salad with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette.

Rooster Tenders: Excellent for fast cooking and so handy for a salad. You would additionally use hen breasts or thighs. They’ll simply require an extended cooking time.
Lime Juice: Contemporary lime juice is at all times going to have the very best taste. Bottled lime juice can be used. There are about 2 tablespoons of lime juice in 1 lime, however that may range.
Spices: We use a mix of chili powder, floor cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper, or use 2 1/2 teaspoons of taco seasoning.
Olive Oil: Retains the hen from sticking to the pan whereas cooking. Use any impartial cooking oil like avocado, canola, or vegetable.
Contemporary Cilantro: Attempt to miss many of the stems and measure the leaves loosely packed.
Additional Virgin Olive Oil: Since this can be a dressing, you’ll style the oil so that you need to use the great things with additional virgin olive oil. Typically individuals may also use avocado oil for dressings as a result of it has a buttery taste which additionally works in a dressing.
Purple Wine Vinegar: White wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar can be utilized as an alternative in the identical quantity.
Combined Greens: That spring salad combine is one in all our favourite blends, however you possibly can actually use any mix you’d like. Chopped romaine works nice and so does spinach.

Extra Topping Concepts

The wonderful thing about salads is that you could combine and match toppings to your coronary heart’s content material! For our taco salad, we use kidney beans, corn (frozen, although contemporary or canned can be used), purple onion, sliced black olives, diced tomatoes, and avocado.

Black beans instead of the kidney beans. You would additionally load it up with crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese, pickled jalapenos, pickled red onions, and even toss on these tortilla strips.

A forkful of Chicken Taco Salad with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette hovering over a bowl of salad.

Meal Prep & Storage Directions

Pre-Prepare dinner Rooster: Prepare dinner the hen forward of time and refrigerate.
Meeting: Assemble the salad with out the dressing and retailer it within the fridge. Add the dressing and avocado simply earlier than serving.

You’ll be able to retailer undressed salad in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as two days, however salad that already has dressing on it doesn’t maintain lengthy within the fridge and can get soggy rapidly.