Without a doubt, Chick-Fil-A’s Southwestern Salad is my absolute favorite salad. I have wanted to make this at home for quite some time now, as it can get expensive to eat this as often as I would like, so when I came across this recipe from Savor the Flavour, you can bet that I was excited! This is another wonderful blog, run by the mother-daughter team Brooke and Emma, and you can learn more about them here.
They have quite a few copycat recipes, and I hope to try a few more. One thing I added to this recipe was our Chili Lime Rub. It’s a favorite in our house, and made the pepitas taste exactly like the ones from Chick-Fil-A. Let’s jump right in
Ingredients
For the Spicy Chicken
- ½ cup dill pickle juice
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 2 large chicken breasts, boneless skinless
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon Ancho Chile powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing
- 2 ripe Haas avocados
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup juice of pressed lime
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¾ teaspoon dried dill
- ½ teaspoon sugar (optional – can remove if following keto)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
For the Southwestern Salad
- 4 cups Romaine lettuce
- 4 cups Spring Mix (can sub 4 additional cups Romaine)
- ½ cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
- ½ cup grated Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- ½ cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup roasted corn kernels
- ½ red bell pepper
- 1 poblano pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (for peppers)
- 16 grape tomatoes
- ½ cup pepitas
- ½ teaspoon Chili Lime Rub (for the pepitas)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil (for the pepitas)
- ½ cup tortilla strips
- 2 Spicy Chicken breasts, thinly sliced
Instructions
Place 2 chicken breasts in reusable bag OR on cutting board, cover with plastic wrap. Flatten with Meat Tenderizer. Combine ½ cup pickle juice and ¼ cup milk, pour over chicken. Marinate 4-24 hours.
Toast ½ cup pepitas over medium heat with 1 teaspoon olive oil and 12-1 teaspoon Chili Lime Rub @ 3 minutes, remove from skillet. In same pan, char ½ cup corn, @ 6-7 minutes.
Brush 1 poblano and ½ red bell pepper with 1 tbsp olive oil. Bake at 425⁰ F 20-24 minutes, turning halfway, until roasted. Let cool, then chop.
Grate ½ cup EACH Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses.
Make the Spicy Chicken Rub:
Combine 2 tbsp powdered sugar, 1 tsp Cayenne pepper, ½ tsp EACH salt, pepper, Ancho Chile powder, ¼ tsp EACH paprika, onion powder and garlic powder.
Remove chicken from marinade, pat dry. Place rub all over chicken, and, well, rub it in!!
Cook chicken in 2 tbsp oil in Cast Iron Skillet over medium-high heat @3-4 minutes per side, until internal temperature reaches 165⁰ F. Remove from pan, rest meat 10 minutes, then thinly slice.
Make the Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing
Combine 2 ripe Haas avocados, ½ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup EACH distilled white vinegar, buttermilk and lime juice, 1 tsp EACH garlic powder, onion powder and cumin, ¾ tsp dill, ½ tsp sugar, ¼ tsp EACH salt and pepper and 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
SALAD
Add lettuce, Cheese, black beans, corn, peppers, tomatoes, pepitas, chicken and tortilla strips if desired.
Serve with Avocado Lime Ranch dressing. All finished!
While there are a lot of moving parts to this recipe, it is SO worth it, and was FABULOUS. In addition, you could easily prep chicken for future salads by marinating a bunch, cooking and slicing, then freezing for the future. Same with the pepitas, and again, it is a fantastic salad worth the prep. I am so happy to have found this recipe, and I do hope that you will head on over to visit Brooke and Emma over at Savor the Flavour, and tell them I said hello!
EARN DOUBLE $$ for your organization in MAY:
FREE GIFT WITH PURCHASE: Check out the items below that we have on sale for the month of April, and scan the link below to shop!
NOTE: If you love any or ALL of the products that I’ve shared with you, but don’t want to pay full price, I am now scheduling virtual and in-home parties for May, where you can see our newest spring products and as a host have the opportunity to get some Free and at 60% off! Contact me today to schedule your party. Let’s make great food together!!
Copycat Chick-Fil-A Southwest Salad With Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup dillpickle juice
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp Ancho Chile powder
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For the Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing
- 2 ripe Haas Avocados
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup fresh pressed lime juice
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ¾ tsp dried dill
- ½ tsp sugar optional, remove for keto diet
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
For the Southwest Salad
- 4 cups Romaine lettuce
- 4 cups Spring Mix Lettuce can substitute Romaine
- ½ cup Monterey Jack Cheese
- ½ cup Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- ½ cup canned beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup roasted corn kernels
- ½ red bell pepper
- 1 poblano pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil for pepper
- 16 grape tomatoes
- ½ cup pepitas
- 1/2-1 tsp Chili Lime Rub for the pepitas
- 1 tsp olive oil for the pepitas
- ½ cup tortilla strips
- 2 thinly sliced spicy chicken breasts
Instructions
- Place 2 chicken breasts in reusable bag OR on cutting board, cover with plastic wrap. Flatten with Meat Tenderizer. Combine ½ cup pickle juice and ¼ cup milk, pour over chicken. Marinate 4-24 hours.
- Toast ½ cup pepitas over medium heat with 1teaspoon olive oil and 12-1 teaspoon Chili Lime Rub @ 3 minutes, remove from skillet. In same pan, char ½ cup corn, @ 6-7 minutes.
- Brush 1 poblano and ½ red bell pepper with 1 tbsp olive oil. Bake at 425⁰ F 20-24 minutes, turning halfway, until roasted. Let cool, then chop.
- Grate ½ cup EACH Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses.
- Combine 2 tbsp powdered sugar, 1 tsp Cayenne pepper, ½tsp EACH salt, pepper, Ancho Chile powder, ¼ tsp EACH paprika, onion powder and garlic powder.
- Remove chicken from marinade, pat dry. Place rub all over chicken, and, well, rub it in!!
- Cook chicken in 2 tbsp oil in Cast Iron Skillet over medium-high heat @3-4 minutes per side, until internal temperature reaches 165⁰ F. Remove from pan, rest meat 10 minutes, then thinly slice.
Make the Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing
- Combine 2 ripe Haas avocados, ½ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup EACH distilled white vinegar, buttermilk and lime juice, 1 tsp EACH garlic powder, onion powder and cumin, ¾ tsp dill, ½ tsp sugar, ¼ tsp EACH salt and pepper and 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
For the Salad
- Add lettuce, Cheese, black beans, corn,peppers, tomatoes, pepitas, chicken and tortilla strips if desired. Serve with Avocado Lime Ranch dressing.
Published by