Southwestern Chopped Salad is a party on a platter! Filling, fresh, and colorful, this entree salad recipe will liven up your dinner table.
“I made this salad tonight for a dinner party and everyone LOVED it! The ranch/salsa dressing really made the dish.”
My friends and I were regulars at all the chain restaurants in high school. TGI Fridays, Carlos o’Kelly’s, CHILI’S – nothing was safe!
I re-created Chili’s mouthwatering Chicken Tortilla Soup years ago, and am adding their Southwestern Chopped Salad (though they call theirs Sante Fe Chicken Salad) to the line up.
This salad is packed with all the same tasty ingredients as the restaurant’s, yet is quick, easy, and a fraction of the price to whip up at home.
Chili’s Copycat Salad Recipe
A base of shredded romaine lettuce is tossed with sweet corn kernels, creamy black beans and avocado, plus fresh pico de gallo and crushed blue corn tortilla chips – which not only add a fabulous color to the salad, but a salty, satisfying crunch, too.
While Chili’s drizzles their salad with ranch dressing plus a spicy santa fe sauce, to keep things simple and low-fuss, I dress my salad in Salsa-Ranch Dressing (aka salsa mixed with, you guessed it, ranch dressing)!
Savory, sweet, fresh, crunchy, creamy – this salad is SUCH a treat to eat! It’s incredibly filling on its own, though feel free to pump up each serving by adding grilled, baked, or Air Fried chicken, roast shrimp, or grilled steak.
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How to Make this Salad
Start by mixing up a batch of fresh Pico de Gallo, which calls for chopped tomatoes, white onion, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, and salt.
Simple ingredients – TONS of flavor!
Add your desired amount of pico de gallo to a big mixing bowl with shredded or chopped romaine lettuce, sweet corn kernels, plus canned black beans that have been rinsed and drained, then toss to combine.
Just before serving, add a diced avocado plus a handful of crushed blue corn tortilla chips then drizzle with Salsa Ranch Dressing and toss again to combine.
Scoop onto plates then dig in! I hope you enjoy this fresh and colorful summer feast!
More Plate-Busting Salads
- Italian Quinoa Salad
- Steak and Sweet Potato Bowls
- Italian Sub Salad
- Steak Salad with Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Chicken Caesar Salad Pasta
- Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Dressing
- Jennifer Aniston Salad
Ingredients
- 9 oz shredded or chopped romaine lettuce
- 2 ears sweet corn, kernels sliced from cobs
- 1/2 cup black beans
- 1 avocado, chopped
- Handful blue corn tortilla chips, crushed
- Ranch dressing
- Salsa
For the Pico de Gallo:
- 2 vine-ripened tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- 1/4 small white onion, minced
- 1/2 jalapeño, or more or less, seeded and minced
- 1/4 cup packed cilantro, chopped
- juice of 1/2 lime
- salt
Directions
- Combine ingredients for the Pico de Gallo in a small bowl then refrigerate until ready to serve. Can be made a day ahead of time.
- Stir together desired amounts of ranch dressing and salsa (I use ~50:50) in a small bowl to create the Salsa-Ranch Dressing then set aside.
- Add romaine, sweet corn, black beans, and desired amount of pico de gallo to a large bowl then toss to combine. Add avocado, crushed tortilla chips, and Salsa-Ranch dressing then toss again to combine. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Do you have suggestions for salsa and ranch brands that work well here?
I personally prefer my homemade salsa or if you’re local Graddy’s is amazing. Otherwise, in terms of canned, I like Clint’s. For ranch dressing, again I love my own recipe. For bottled I like Tessemae’s, or Ken’s ranch!
https://iowagirleats.com/restaurant-style-salsa/
https://iowagirleats.com/homemade-ranch-dressing-recipe/
Is the corn cut fresh off the cob and not cooked?
Yes, it’s raw! Though you can grill or steam the corn first if you prefer.
I grilled the fresh corn first then cut it off the cob. Was wonderful! A little lime squeeze for a dash of zing was great! It was wonderful!
Great ideas, Paula! Iām so glad you loved it!
That salad looks so awesome
How is ranch dressing dairy free? Not asking sarcastically. I want to make/find it for real.
Hi Tamara! I love Tessemae’s Creamy Ranch or Paleo Kitchen’s ranch dressings, which are both DF!
Wow it really looks great
This is super similar to my favorite salad at my local mexican joint! Except they add freshly shredded gouda….its sooo good!
Ća a l’air dĆ©licieux! Looks delicious!
Can I use sweet vidalias instead of the white onion? I’d rather not have to go to the store in this heat :)
Definitely! Stay cool!
Carlos O’Kellys!! Add that to the list of foods I miss from Iowa: Hy-Vee, Maid-Rite, pork tenderloins, A&E French Onion dip, bucket loads of morels…
One of the saddest moments of my life (being slightly dramatic here,) was when I realized AE dips aren’t gluten-free. Sosososososososo amazing.
I made this salad tonight for a dinner party and everyone LOVED it! The ranch/salsa dressing really made the dish. I also love that your trips to the South have rubbed off on you. We love our low country boils! Glad to see you had a good birthday (besides your cold).
Oh I’m so glad to hear it, Elizabeth!! Thanks so much for the feedback! :)
I’ve made this so many times since first seeing it on your blog. Such good flavors and the crunch from chips and fresh corn! Yum! I’ve always made my own dressing but will try the ranch/salsa dressing.
Happy Belated Birthday. Sorry about the cold. (I was bragging I didn’t get my usual upper respiratory infection this winter…Karma bite me in the butt….Have had if 3 weeks now) I second the motion about posting the crab boil recipe. Pretty please, with sugar on top – could you share your recipe for home made Old Bay Seasoning. Would LOVE to have it. Thanks!!