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This bold and creamy chipotle ranch chicken salad brings smoky heat and fresh crunch together in one satisfying bowl that's perfect for lunch or dinner.
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Watch how to make this
What makes this dish special
I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I make some tasty salads. I eat them regularly, so I have to make sure they're delicious enough for me to keep eating them. It can be difficult to come up with a new combination of ingredients every time. But when I do find the perfect match, I make sure to write it down and share it with you all. Some of my favorites so far include the classic BLT salad, seared ahi tuna nicoise salad, and cinnamon chile spiced steak kale salad, to name a few.
Today's chipotle ranch chicken salad is a flavorful, balanced salad with a myriad of textures. It's loaded with grilled chicken, sweet corn and green beans, creamy avocado, and even pickled pepperoncini. Finish the salad with a chipotle ranch dressing, and you have one winning meal.
Ingredients
- Greek yogurt: Serves as the creamy base for the dressing, providing tang and richness while keeping it lighter than traditional mayo-based ranch. The thick consistency helps the dressing cling to salad ingredients. You can substitute it with mayonnaise if desired.
- Buttermilk: Thins out the Greek yogurt to create the perfect pourable consistency for ranch dressing. It adds the classic tangy, slightly acidic flavor that's essential to ranch.
- Chipotle: Adds the smoky heat in the dressing that helps flavor the entire salad.
- Chicken: The main protein that makes this a complete, filling meal rather than just a side salad. When marinated in the chipotle ranch, it absorbs those flavors and becomes incredibly tender and flavorful.
- Pepperoncini: Adds bright acidity and a mild pickled bite that cuts through the richness of the creamy dressing and avocado.
- Corn: Brings natural sweetness that balances the heat from the chipotle. If fresh corn isn't available, use frozen or canned.
Substitutions and variations
- Protein: Try this salad with another protein such as salmon, shrimp, or steak.
- Vegetables: Feel free to add additional vegetables such as fresh chopped tomatoes, diced red onion, black beans, or chopped red bell peppers.
- Toppings: Crushed tortilla chips or strips, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, or pickled jalapenos are great extra toppings.
Recipe
Chipotle Ranch Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Chipotle ranch
- ¾ cup Greek yogurt plain
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ⅓ cup fresh dill
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley
- 1 canned chipotle pepper
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- juice of ½ lime
- salt and pepper
Remaining ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast or thighs skinless, boneless
- 6 ounces green beans trimmed
- 2 cups corn kernels
- 1 large romaine lettuce chopped
- 2 avocado pit removed, chopped
- 2 medium shallots thinly sliced
- ¼ cup sliced pepperoncini
- ½ cup crumbled cotija
Instructions
- Make chipotle ranch dressing. In a blender combine all ingredients for dressing including yogurt, buttermilk, dill, parsley, chipotle, garlic, onion powder, and lime juice. Puree until smooth. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Reserve half of the dressing and set aside.
- Pour remaining dressing over chicken, tossing to coat. Let sit for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare remaining salad ingredients. Fill a medium bowl with ice water and set aside.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add green beans and cook for 2 minutes. Add corn and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat and immediately shock green beans and corn in ice water. Drain and set aside.
- Heat grill to medium heat. Remove chicken from marinade and cook until juices run clear, about 5 minutes. Season chicken with salt and pepper and let sit for 10 minutes. Cut chicken into bite-size chunks.
- Portion chopped romaine into 4 bowls. Top with green beans, corn, avocado, sliced shallots, pepperoncini, and chicken. Sprinkle cotija on top and serve with reserved chipotle ranch dressing.
Notes
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Make salad dressing
A lot of the time, I feel like the salad dressing is what makes a salad delicious. It's what adds most of the flavor. But in this instance, with my chipotle ranch chicken salad, everything plays a role, and the dressing helps complement each component.
I'm not a big fan of mayo-based dressings, so to keep this ranch on the lighter side, I used yogurt as the base. You can use mayonnaise for a richer dressing, but I found that this version still did the job.
Blend together all of the ingredients, including plain Greek yogurt, buttermilk, fresh herbs, chipotle, garlic, onion powder, and lime juice. This dressing is fairly spicy with just one chipotle, but you can bump it up to 2 if you like. If you want a milder version, use 1 tablespoon of the canned adobo sauce instead of the actual chile.
Feel free to prepare the dressing the day before or up to 3 days in advance.
Step 2: Cook chicken
Now we're going to use half of the dressing to marinate the chicken and reserve the other half for the actual salad.
You can use chicken breast or thighs, just make sure that they're boneless and skinless. Shrimp, beef, pork tenderloin, salmon, and even tofu would all be great substitutes as well.
Since it's the summer, I chose to grill my chicken; however, you can use any cooking method you prefer.
Step 3: Prepare toppings
Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the chipotle ranch chicken salad ingredients. Blanch green beans for 2 minutes or until almost done. Then, add the corn and cook for another minute.
If fresh corn isn't available, use canned or frozen instead.
Chop fresh romaine lettuce, thinly slice pepperoncini and shallots, prepare the avocado, and crumble the cotija.
Assemble the salads by portioning the lettuce into 4 bowls and arranging the toppings on top. I prefer to chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces to make it easier to eat. Serve the salad with chipotle ranch and dig in!
I absolutely loved every bite of this chipotle ranch chicken salad. It's a simple salad, but the combination of ingredients is pure magic. Meal prep this salad at the beginning of the week, and you'll be happy to enjoy this all week long!
Make-ahead and storage
- Make-ahead: You can prepare the dressing up to 3 days in advance. You can also marinate the chicken for up to 4 hours and prepare the other salad toppings ahead of time.
- Store: You can prepare this salad for meal prep for up to 5 days, storing the salad dressing in a separate container.
Frequently asked questions
Absolutely. You can pan-sear the chicken in a skillet over medium-high heat, bake it at 375°F for 20-25 minutes, or use a grill pan. Just ensure it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
Yes, replace the chicken with grilled tofu, chickpeas, black beans, or your favorite plant-based protein. The chipotle ranch pairs well with these alternatives.
Mix ½ cup regular milk with ½ tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit for 5 minutes before using. You can also use regular milk or additional Greek yogurt thinned with a little water.
More summer salad recipes
Looking for more chicken salad ideas? Try these:
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