Southwest Salad Meal Prep
Southwest Chicken Salad in a jar is a healthy meal-prep salad packed with fresh vegetables, seasoned chicken and tons of flavor. The salad is topped with a creamy chipotle lime dressing that gives the salad some zest and spicy kick.
Why is it that Southwest Chicken Salad is one of those salads we just order at restaurants? It’s actually quite easy to make at home.
With this simple mason jar southwest chicken salad recipe, you can enjoy a fresh salad in a jar every day.
And it has all the bold southwestern flavors we love, from adobo seasoning to black beans and roasted corn.
I don’t know about you, but meal-prepping keeps me on track with my healthy eating goals. I mean, grabbing an already chopped salad out of the fridge is just so convenient!
Southwest Chicken Salad Recipe
This recipe makes four meal-portioned salads that fit in four quart size mason jars.
Salad Ingredients
Salad Greens – Romaine is my go-to lettuce for salad in a jar recipes. It stays fresh and crisp for days.
Red Onion – Red onion gives southwest salad a nice bite. It’s a little sweet, but not over-powering.
Tomato – Halve some grape or cherry tomatoes. Their small size is ideal for mason jar salads.
Beans – Black beans give the salad texture and a lot of protein, and are practically a must for southwest salad. Substitute with pinto beans, if preferred.
Corn – Use drained, canned corn. To amp up the southwest flavor, char the corn by roasting it in a pan on the stove for a minute. Leftover grilled corn on the cob works great, too.
Cheese – My favorite is a combination of cheddar and Monterey, but feel free to use any kind of Tex-Mex cheese. For the best flavor, get block cheese and shred it yourself. (It isn’t coated like pre-shredded cheese in a bag.)
Chicken – Grill some chicken with adobo or taco seasoning and cut into chunks for this jar salad. You can also shred a rotisserie chicken for convenience.
Avocado – I love the creaminess avocado adds to salads. It’s also a great source of healthy fats. For southwest salad in a jar, it’s best to dice a ripe avocado just before eating.
Tortilla Strips – For the finishing touch, include some tortilla strips. They’re optional but add a nice crunch and a little salt.
Dressing Ingredients
Homemade Creamy Chipotle Lime Dressing is incredibly easy to make. Just put everything in a blender and in a minute you have a smoky flavored dressing, perfect for topping southwest salad.
Warning–the dressing leans toward the hot and spicy side (not mild)!
Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream – For the healthiest southwest salad dressing, I make it with Greek yogurt. If you use sour cream, the light kind shaves off a few calories if that matters to you.
Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce – These marinated peppers and sauce are what give the dressing a classic smoky southwestern flavor. You can find them in the Mexican food section of your store.
Lime – The juice and zest from fresh limes is a must. It loosens up the yogurt or sour cream base and really brightens up the dressing.
Garlic – For the best flavor, use freshly minced garlic cloves. I like to mince it before adding to the blender so no big pieces remain.
How to Make Southwest Chicken Salad Packed in Jars
- Blend the Creamy Chipotle Lime Dressing. Mince garlic then put all the dressing ingredients in a small blender and blend until smooth. Thin it out with a little more lime juice or water until it’s salad dressing consistency. Set aside in refrigerator until ready to assemble salad jars.
- Grill the chicken. Season chicken with adobo or taco seasoning. Grill over medium-high heat in a pan coated in olive oil. Flip chicken half-way through cooking. Bring meat to at least 165 °F. Let rest for 10 minutes before chopping. Otherwise, shred a rotisserie chicken.
- Roast the corn (optional). Drain the corn, then blot it dry with a paper towel. Pre-heat a pan on the stove (or use same pan as grilled chicken) and char corn in it for about a minute. Set aside to cool.
- Prep the greens and salad components. Wash, dry and chop the lettuce and vegetables. Use a salad spinner to get all the water out. Drain and rinse beans and corn (if not grilling); shred the cheese. Do not dice optional avocado until ready to eat the salad.
- Layer Southwest Salad in mason jars. Divide each salad component into 4 equal portions and add to jar beginning with dressing and ending with lettuce and chips.
Mason Jar Southwest Chicken Salad Layers
- Southwest Salad Dressing (bottom of jar)
- Red Onion
- Tomatoes
- Black Beans
- Corn
- Cheese
- Chicken
- Romaine Lettuce
- Tortilla Chips (top of jar)
Detailed recipe and instructions are in recipe card at bottom of post.
Recipe Notes
- Completely cool grilled chicken and roasted corn (optional) before adding to jar.
- Use your favorite bottled salad dressing for southwest salad in place of homemade recipe, if desired.
- Do not add avocado to salad jars (it will brown). Instead, dice when ready to eat.
- Tortilla chips can be portioned out in small bags if you don’t have enough space in salad jar.
- For greens that stays super crisp in meal-prep mason jars, I recommend using a sturdy lettuce like Romaine or Iceberg that’s been washed and dried with a salad spinner. It gets a ton of water out!
My Favorite Salad Spinner
I absolutely love my Oxo salad spinner. It’s been a game-changer for meal-prepping salads. All you do is give it a pump or two and it spins on its own. I can wash and spin dry lots of lettuce at once and it stays crisp for days!
Best Size Jar for Southwest Chicken Salad
Southwest salad with chicken is a meal in a jar, which calls for a big jar to fit it all in.
For lunch and dinner portions, layer the salad in four wide-mouth, quart-size mason jars. I love these reusable Ball leakproof lids.
For smaller salads, use eight pint-size mason jars.
If you need more space, pack the tortilla strips in separate jars or plastic bags so the salad is 100% grab-and-go.
How to Eat this Salad in a Jar
Mason jar salad is not really meant to be eaten from the jar.
Glass jars are used for meal-prep and tall mason jars keep the layers separated, allowing it to stay crisp for days.
When you’re ready to enjoy a southwest jar salad, simply pour it out onto a large plate. The greens will be on the bottom and dressing will pour over top. (You may need to scoop out the creamy dressing.)
Then, dice an avocado and add it to the salad. If you packed the optional tortilla chips separately, sprinkle them on top.
More Mason Jar Salad Recipes
- Taco Salad in a Jar
- Easy Greek Mason Jar Salad with Chicken
- Copycat Portillo’s Chopped Salad Recipe (with Meal Prep Tips)
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Southwest Chicken Salad (Meal Prep in Jars)
This easy Southwest Chicken Salad recipe is spicy, crunchy and perfect for mealtime. Prep it in jars for a healthy grab-n-go lunch or serve it to your family for dinner. This Southwest Salad has lots of chicken, beans and a chipotle yogurt dressing, making it a protein-packed meal.
Ingredients
Southwest Salad
- 1 pound chicken, cooked
- 8 cups lettuce, chopped
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 cups canned corn
- 2 cups canned black beans
- 4 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 4 ounces Monterey Cheese, shredded
- 2 cups tortilla salad strips
Southwest Chipotle Salad Dressing
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 2 limes
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobe sauce
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from can with peppers)
Instructions
- Make Dressing. Mince garlic then put all the dressing ingredients in a small blender and blend until smooth. Thin it out with a little more lime juice or water until it's salad dressing consistency. Set aside in refrigerator until ready to assemble salad jars.
- Grill chicken. Season chicken with adobo or taco seasoning. Grill over medium-high heat in a pan coated in olive oil. Flip chicken half-way through cooking. Bring meat to at least 165 °F. Let rest for 10 minutes before chopping. Otherwise, shred a rotisserie chicken.
- Roast corn (optional). Drain the corn, then blot it dry with a paper towel. Pre-heat a pan on the stove (or use same pan as grilled chicken) and char corn in it for about a minute. Set aside to cool.
- Prep greens and salad components. Wash, dry and chop the lettuce and vegetables. Use a salad spinner to get all the water out. Drain and rinse beans and corn (if not grilling); shred the cheese. Do not dice optional avocado until ready to eat the salad.
- Layer Southwest Salad in mason jars. Divide each salad component into 4 equal portions and add to jar in this order: dressing, red onion, tomatoes, black beans, corn, cheeses, chicken and lettuce. Top with tortilla strips or pack in separate container.
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