This is about the time of year when people start thinking about summer beach bodies. It’s my experience that if you focus too much on losing weight or eating better, you can end up going off the rails. That’s why I try to make healthy-ish dinners like this Chicken Taco Salad with Crispy Tortilla Strips! 

It’s relatively healthy with lean seasoned chicken, a few crunchy tortilla strips, and piled high with fresh, crunchy veggies. You could add some cheese (like cotija would be good), but it honestly doesn’t need it.

I absolutely loved this taco salad and the nice thing is that you can make all the parts in advance so it can be tossed together in just a few minutes!

  • This post was updated March 26, 2019 to include new images and update descriptions.

Chicken Tortilla Salad

Chicken Taco Salad
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3.70 from 13 votes
Author: Nick Evans
Servings: 4 Servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
A healthy and delicious Tex-Mex salad with seasoned chicken, crunchy flour tortilla strips, and loads of fresh veggies with an avocado vinaigrette!

Equipment

Ingredients 

  • 1 ½ pounds chicken breasts, sliced thin
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 packet Old El Paso® Taco or Chicken Seasoning
  • ⅓ cup water
  • 1 cup sweet corn
  • 1 red pepper, sliced thin
  • 1 green pepper, sliced thin
  • ½ red onion, sliced thin
  • Green lettuce

Crispy Flour Tortilla Strips:

  • 2 medium flour tortillas, sliced thin
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon Old El Paso® Taco Seasoning

Avocado Vinaigrette:

  • 1 ripe avocado
  • ⅓ cup olive oil
  • ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
  • Pinch of salt and pepper

Instructions

  • For vinaigrette, combine ingredients in a small food processor and pulse until smooth. Taste and adjust to your liking. Season with salt and pepper. Dressing should be pourable, but thick. If it’s very thick, add more water.
  • For the crispy tortilla strips, preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easier clean up. Slice tortilla strips and toss them with olive oil and Old El Paso® Taco Seasoning. Spread out on baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until they are lightly browned and turning crispy. Remove and let cool.
  • For chicken, heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and chicken strips. Cook chicken until it’s just cooked through, maybe 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. When chicken is done, add Old El Paso® Chicken or Taco seasoning and water. Stir to combine and cook for a few minutes to thicken sauce.
  • To make a salad, add a few handfuls of green lettuce to a plate and top with an assortment of peppers, corn, and red onions. Pile chicken in the center and top with tortilla strips. Drizzle with dressing and serve immediately.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 Salad | Calories: 634kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 27g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 387mg | Potassium: 1127mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1363IU | Vitamin C: 73mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 2mg
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Tex-Mex

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Chicken Taco Salad Dressing

Before we get to the salad part, I want to talk about the dressing. I came up with this dressing because I wanted something creamy to counteract the spicy/savory flavors on the chicken and avocado was an obvious choice.

The ingredient that might seem odd is apple cider vinegar but it gives the dressing a subtle sweetness and tang that’s really nice!

Starting dress - Chicken Taco Salad
Dressing time.

Just pulse everything together until it’s creamy and smooth. You can add water until you get the consistency you like. I liked mine on the thick side.

Dressing Done - Chicken Taco Salad
Creamy!

Making Crispy Tortilla Strips

I always like something crunchy in my salads whether it’s nuts or croutons. For this chicken tortilla salad, I tossed some strips of flour tortillas with olive oil and taco seasoning!

Making Crispy Tortilla Strips
YES.

These crisp up beautifully in a 350 degree F. oven and after 10 minutes or so you’ll have these wonderful things. Try not to eat them all before you finish the salads!

Crispy Tortilla Strips - Chicken Taco Salad
Love these.

Finishing the Chicken Taco Salad

Before assembling, I also recommend slicing all your veggies so people can make their own salads!

All the Veggies - Chicken Taco Salad
Other fixings.

The last piece is the chicken! I left mine in pretty big chunks and just cooked it with a little olive oil over medium heat. Once the chicken was cooked through, I added my taco seasoning and some water to make a nice sauce.

Cooking Chicken - Chicken Taco Salad
Easy and delicious.

Layer everything on some lettuce with a handful of fresh cilantro and a drizzle of dressing and you’re in business!

I loved this Chicken Taco Salad so much! Just don’t forget the crispy tortilla strips!

If you need some healthy flavor in your life (who doesn’t?!), then give this a shot!

Chicken Taco Salad recipe

Here are a few other great Weeknight Chicken Dinners!