Southwest Salad with Chipotle-Ranch Dressing
Crunchy greens, chicken, beans, corn, bell pepper, pomegranate seeds, and pumpkin seeds — all tossed in the most amazing, creamy/fiery chipotle-ranch dressing.
The balance of taste and texture is perfect here — Crunchy Romaine and pumpkin seeds partner with soft red lettuce and spinach, sweet Mexican-style corn revs up with tart pomegranate, mild chicken gets a boost with spicy chipotle and seasoned black beans, and it’s all gently tossed in a creamy smooth, herby/zippy ranch dressing.
This is one phenomenal bowl of flavor and color! And it’s customize the ingredients to suit your needs. For example, if you don’t have pomegranate seeds, dried cranberries would make a great substitution. If you don’t have pumpkin seeds, you can use pepitos or nuts, like pine nuts and almonds. I recommend giving a nuts a quick toast for added flavor!
Colorful, crunchy greens, topped with a copious amount of amazing ingredients! This salad is so much fun. And really easy to put together. If you have any leftover dressing, save it for another salad or dipping sauce for chicken, seafood, shellfish, and steak.
Southwest Salad with Chipotle-Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 2 cups chopped romaine or crisp lettuce of choice
- 2 cups chopped red lettuce
- 1 cup baby spinach leaves
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups cubed cooked chicken
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 cup chopped cucumber
- 1/2 cup canned seasoned black beans
- 1/2 cup canned Mexicorn, Mexican-style corn with red and green bell peppers
- 1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
For the Chipotle Ranch Dressing
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
- 1/2 cup loosely packed parsley leaves
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- 2 teaspoons minced chipotle chilies in adobo
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the romaine lettuce, red lettuce and spinach. Season with salt and pepper and toss gently. Add the chicken, bell pepper, cucumber, black beans, and corn and toss gently.
- To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Spoon 1/2 cup of the dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat everything evenly.
- Transfer the salad to individual plates and top with the pumpkin seeds, pomegranate seeds, and green onions.
- Serve immediately. Refrigerate extra dressing for up to 5 days (it also makes a great dip).