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Chicken taco salad bowl with lime wedges, avocado, red onion and tortilla chips

High-Protein Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

5 from 3 votes
This high-protein taco salad takes everything you love about the classic and puts a chipotle spin on things with crispy diced chipotle chicken thighs and a chipotle honey vinaigrette.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings : 4 servings

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Ingredients

For the Chipotle Chicken
  • 1½ lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, finely diced
  • 2 chipotle peppers in adobo
  • 1 tbsp adobo sauce, from the chipotle pepper can
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp lime juice or apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • salt to taste
For the Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo
  • 1 tbsp adobo sauce, from the chipotle pepper can
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • salt to taste
For the Salad
  • 8 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup corn, fresh, frozen, or canned
  • 3 roma tomatoes
  • 1 avocado
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 cup crushed tortilla chips
  • ¼ cup pickled red onions
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges
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Start Cooking

Instructions
 

Make the Chipotle Chicken
  1. Dice and season the chicken
    Dice up 1½ lb boneless skinless chicken thighs into small pieces. Add them to a bowl with 2 chipotle peppers in adobo (finely chopped), 1 tbsp adobo sauce, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp lime juice or apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp smoked paprika, and 1 tsp garlic powder, and mix until evenly coated. Season with salt to taste. Let it sit for 15 minutes if you have time, or cook right away.
    Diced chicken thighs tossed in chipotle adobo marinade in a bronze bowl
    2. Don't feel like dicing chicken? Swap for ground chicken and add the same seasonings while cooking.
  2. Cook until crispy
    Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Spread the chicken out in a single layer and let it sear undisturbed for 4 to 5 minutes so the moisture cooks off and the edges crisp. Toss and keep cooking until browned and cooked through, another 5 to 6 minutes. Take it off the heat.
    Crispy diced chipotle chicken cooking in a stainless steel skillet
    3. You'll want to use medium-high heat to get a good crisp which means the seasoning will start to stick to the botton of the pan. Don't worry too much about this, it's part of the process. However, if it seems like its starting to burn onto the bottom of the pan, you can deglaze with a bit of water then continue on.
Make the Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette
  1. Blend the dressing
    Add ¼ cup olive oil, ¼ cup red wine vinegar, 2 tbsp honey, 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, 1 tbsp adobo sauce, 1 tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp ground cumin, and ½ tsp garlic powder to a blender. Blend until smooth and season with salt to taste.
    Chipotle honey vinaigrette in a glass jar beside a spoon
    2. For extra flavor, you can throw in some of the cilantro stems and blend with the rest of the dressing ingredients. They have the same flavor as the leaves and are tender enough to blend well into the dressing.
Assemble the Salad
  1. Layer your base
    Add 8 cups shredded iceberg lettuce to a big bowl, or divide it across 4 plates. Top with the chipotle chicken, 1 can black beans (drained & rinsed), 1 cup corn, 3 roma tomatoes (diced), and 1 avocado (diced).
    Taco salad ingredients in a metal bowl with chipotle chicken, black beans, avocado, corn and tomatoes
  2. Dress & add the toppings
    Add your chipotle honey dressing and toss until combined. Scatter 1 cup crushed tortilla chips and ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro , and ¼ cup pickled red onions over the top. Finish with a fresh squeeze of lime.
    High-protein taco salad in a metal bowl with chipotle chicken, black beans, avocado, corn and crushed tortilla chips

Nutrition

Calories: 589kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 33gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 108mgSodium: 191mgPotassium: 1113mgFiber: 14gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 1622IUVitamin C: 22mgCalcium: 89mgIron: 5mg

Notes

  • Make it ahead: Store the vinaigrette, chicken, and chopped veggies separately for up to 4 days. Add the tortilla chips and dressing only to the portion you're eating right away so nothing goes soggy.
  • Swaps: Diced chicken breast works if you want it leaner, just watch it closely so it doesn't dry out. Ground chicken or turkey also works.
  • Heat level: The chipotle in both the chicken and the dressing brings real smoky heat. Use 1 pepper in the chicken instead of 2, or just the adobo sauce, for a milder version.
  • Quick-pickled red onions: Soak thinly sliced red onion in equal parts warm water and vinegar with a pinch of sugar and salt for 15 minutes while everything else comes together.