Chicken Taco Salad
with Pickled Onion, Fajita Veggies & Creamy Chipotle Vinaigrette
- Sesame
- Eggs
- Milk
Let's taco-bout the beauty of a taco salad. It’s filled with all the textures: crisp lettuce, meaty protein, tender veggies, creamy dressing, and crunchy chips. Well, this one won’t disappoint. Romaine is topped with seared chicken, spiced bell pepper and onion, fresh tomato, tangy pickled onion, and then sprinkled with crushed tortilla chips. That’s all drizzled with a creamy chipotle vinaigrette. This is one spec-taco-lar salad.
Ingredients
1 unit
Green Bell Pepper
1 unit
Baby Lettuce
1 unit
Red Onion
1 teaspoon
Chipotle Powder
4 tablespoon
Sour Cream
1.5 ounce
Blue Corn Tortilla Chips
(Contains: Sesame)
1 unit
Tomato
1 unit
Lime
10 ounce
Chicken Cutlets
1.5 ounce
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
(Contains: Eggs, Milk)
1 tablespoon
Southwest Spice Blend
Not included in your delivery
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Sugar
2 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Wash and dry all produce. • Halve, peel, and thinly slice onion. Zest and quarter lime (for 4 servings, zest one lime and quarter both). Core, deseed, and thinly slice bell pepper. Trim and discard root end from lettuce; chop leaves into bite-size pieces until you have 4 cups (8 cups for 4). Finely dice tomato. • In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine ¼ of the onion, juice from half the lime, ½ tsp sugar, 1 TBSP water, and salt. (For 4 servings, use 1 tsp sugar and 2 TBSP water.) Stir until sugar and salt are mostly dissolved. Microwave for 30 seconds. Set aside to pickle, stirring occasionally, until ready to serve.
• Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, 2-3 minutes. • Add remaining onion; season with half the Southwest Spice (you’ll use the rest in the next step), salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly tender, 4-5 minutes.
• While veggies cook, pat chicken* dry with paper towels. Season all over with remaining Southwest Spice, salt, and pepper. • Once onion is slightly tender, push veggies to one side of pan. Add another drizzle of oil to empty side, then add chicken; cook until browned and cooked through, 3-5 minutes per side. Remove pan from heat. • Transfer chicken to a cutting board to rest.
• In a second small bowl, whisk together sour cream, ranch dressing, a squeeze of lime juice, ¼ tsp sugar (½ tsp for 4 servings), a pinch of chipotle powder to taste, and a pinch of lime zest to taste. Add water 1 tsp at a time until mixture reaches a drizzling consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• In a large bowl, toss together chopped lettuce, tomato, and half the dressing (save the rest for serving). Season with a big pinch of salt and pepper.
• Thinly slice chicken crosswise. (Alternatively, dice into 1-inch pieces.) • Divide salad between plates or large bowls; top with fajita veggies, chicken, and as much pickled onion (draining first) as you like. Drizzle with remaining dressing to taste. Crush tortilla chips and garnish with as many crushed tortilla chips as you like. TIP: Drizzle bowls with hot sauce from your pantry if you want a spicy kick!
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the combination of flavors, especially the pickled onions and fajita veggies, though some found it bland.
- Ease of prep: Quick and easy for most, but a few felt it had more steps than expected for a salad.
- Suggestions: Consider adding black beans, corn, or cheese for extra flavor and substance; some preferred raw veggies over cooked.
- Leftovers: Several enjoyed it as leftovers, though some noted the lettuce wilts when mixed with warm ingredients.
- Portions: Some found it filling, while others wanted more chicken or lettuce for a satisfying meal.
Reviews from our home cooks
My first time adding roasted veggies to a salad and pickling onions. It was so tasty! And the onions are so pretty, adding to the whole experience-especially when I got to enjoy leftovers for lunch the next day
I really enjoyed this salad especially the fajita veggies and the pickled onion. I might look again at another recipe like this one. It was good to eat and cook something cool in the hot temperatures.
Very tasty with the "fajita" vegetables added to the top of the salad beneath the chicken. And then adding the pickled onions on top with the crema. Yum!
This worked better with 2 of us. Husband cooked fajita veggies and chicken while I finished veg prep, made dressing, and tossed the salad. Totally worth the effort!
Don't be fooled by the green appearance-- this salad is so packed with taco goodness that it felt like an indulgence. So crunchy and juicy and tart and spicy and creamy all at once. Yum!
This was pretty good. I wouldn't say it's an all-time favorite, but I'd order it again. I thought the chips gave the salad a really nice crunch, and I enjoyed the mix of sautéed veggies and the "pickled" red onion.
This is the tastiest taco salad I've ever eaten. I can't wait to make it again.
Great quick salad to make! I loved all the flavors with the chicken. Grilled or roasted corn mixed in would taste great with it too.
Loved it! Was actually better the next day after everything was cooled. Cooked the veggies after the chicken and didn't cook them the time recommended. Instead left a little crunch which helped the texture of the salad
I'd rather use chicken strips or cut it up before i put it on the salad. Loved the pickled onion and the flavor of everything was great. Just a lot of unnecesaary steps in this one.
