This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This Mexican chicken salad features tender chicken, fire-roasted corn, mixed vegetables, avocado, cheese, and fresh cilantro all tossed in a creamy dressing. It's an elote-inspired dish filled with flavor and a super easy recipe to make!
What Makes This Mexican Chicken Salad Great
Summer is almost here and when I think of my favorite seasonal recipes for this time of year, I always think of chicken salad. There's nothing better than a cold chicken salad on hot days- simple ingredients like shredded chicken, fresh vegetables, and a creamy sauce make such an easy meal, side dish, or make-ahead crowd pleaser for any gathering or BBQ.
Thinking about how much I love a good classic chicken salad recipe, combined with my love for southwestern and Mexican flavors, this Street Corn Mexican Chicken Salad Recipe was born. After this recipe went viral on Instagram 2 weeks ago, I knew I needed to add it to my site! Tossed in a cilantro lime crema, it's the perfect easy lunch recipe to serve on crackers, with tortilla chips, atop lettuce, and more!
My favorite part of this salad is that it's such a quick meal (only 10 minutes of prep time!) and is easy to make ahead when you don't have much time. It's gluten-free and can be made dairy-free with a couple of simple swaps. Make a big batch of this easy salad for your next gathering or for lunches any day of the week!
Ingredient Notes
Chicken Salad Ingredients
- cooked chicken breast: Leftover shredded chicken or Rotisserie chicken works well. Alternatively, you can boil and shred boneless skinless chicken breasts.
- fire-roasted corn: Cooked to package instructions.
- red bell pepper: You can use green, yellow, orange, or red peppers.
- red onion
- avocado
- jalapeño
- fresh cilantro
- cotija cheese
- salt and black pepper to taste
Cilantro Lime Crema
- plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- avocado oil mayonnaise
- fresh lime juice
- sea salt
- chili powder
- cumin
- paprika
How To Make Mexican Chicken Salad
Step 1
Add the chicken, cooked fire-roasted corn, bell pepper, red onion, avocado, jalapeño, cilantro, and cotija cheese to a large bowl.
Step 2
Add the Greek yogurt, mayo, lime juice, salt, chili powder, ground cumin, and paprika to a small mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.
Step 3
Pour over the contents of the bowl and toss to combine. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Feel free to add additional ingredients to this salad as you see fit. Cherry tomatoes, black beans, and diced cucumbers would all make great additions.
- To spice things up, feel free to add a little jalapeño juice to the cilantro lime crema.
- If you're dairy-free, use all vegan mayonnaise in this recipe and omit the Greek yogurt.
Serving Tips
Serve this delicious Mexican chicken salad with your favorite gluten-free crackers, tortilla chips, and veggies, atop a tostada or bed of romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, fresh greens, and more!
Storage Tips
This recipe is perfect for meal prepping. Store the leftover chicken salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Give the leftovers a good stir and serve it your favorite way!
Street Corn Mexican Chicken Salad
Equipment
- mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 2 cups chicken breast
- 12 oz fire roasted corn, cooked according to package directions
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- ½ red onion, diced
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
- ⅓ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- ¾ cup cotija cheese, omit for dairy free
Cilantro Lime Crema
- ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt, sub all mayo for dairy free
- ⅓ cup avocado oil mayo
- 1 lime, juiced
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp paprika
Instructions
- Add the chicken, cooked fire roasted corn, bell pepper, red onion, avocado, jalapeño, cilantro, and cotija cheese to a large bowl.
- Add the Greek yogurt, mayo, lime juice, salt, chili powder, cumin and paprika to a bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Pour over the contents of the bowl and toss to combine. Enjoy!
Notes
Expert Tips
- Feel free to add additional ingredients to this salad as you see fit. Cherry tomatoes, black beans, and diced cucumbers would all make great additions.
- To spice things up, feel free to add a little jalapeño juice to the cilantro lime crema.
- If you're dairy-free, use all vegan mayonnaise in this recipe and omit the Greek yogurt.
Serving Tips
Serve this delicious Mexican chicken salad with your favorite gluten-free crackers, tortilla chips, and veggies, atop a tostada or bed of romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, mixed greens, and more!Storage Tips
This recipe is perfect for meal prepping. Store the leftover chicken salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Give the leftovers a good stir and serve it your favorite way!Nutrition
All nutrition facts are an estimate and automatically calculated. While I fact check them using My Fitness Pal, please note that they may not always be 100% accurate and depend on ingredients used. Weigh your total and divide by the number of servings for the most accurate grams per serving size.
Made this last night as part of my meal prep for work lunches this week. YUM! I am allergic to onions so left those out, but it was so delicious. It was also easy to make and it actually makes a lot. Definitely will make it again!
This is fantastic!!!
It was a hit with the entire family. Age 7- 41. Thanks for this delicious recipe.
Is the 481 calories for the whole recipe …or for each serving? TIA.
Amazing! I used 4 fresh corn cobs husked and grilled.
I’m always on the hunt for new recipes for lunches. This one came out great. Followed to a T but subbed cottage cheese for the mayo. Super impressed with how it turned out. (I can’t do the texture of cottage cheese so I puréed it in the food processor). Oh, I also added the TJ’s Elote seasoning.
I added black beans and tomatoes to this. It is super yummy! Perfect dip for my tortilla chips!
This salad is so fresh and versatile. I was able to customize it for even my picky eaters.
I’ve made it several times. Delicious!
Thanks Tiffany!