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This chipotle chicken salad is my go-to quick lunch – shredded chicken, celery, red onion, cilantro, and green onion tossed in a smoky, blended chipotle dressing. It takes about 15 minutes, and I pile it on tostadas or just scoop it straight from the bowl with tortilla chips.
A Note from Isabel
Chicken salad isn’t something I usually crave. The classic version can be kind of plain, so I gave it the flavors I actually want at lunch: smoky chipotle, lime, and a big handful of fresh herbs.
The dressing is mayo and sour cream blended with a chipotle pepper in adobo, garlic, and lime until it’s completely smooth. That means no little bits of chopped pepper or raw garlic, just a creamy sauce that coats every piece of chicken.
It’s a lunch just for me since my kids want nothing to do with chipotles. Whenever there’s a rotisserie chicken or some shredded chicken in the fridge, I mix up a batch and pile it on tostadas. And I’m a total tortilla chip fanatic, so you’ll definitely catch me scooping it straight out of the bowl. Sorry, not sorry.
If you love easy lunches like this one, my ensalada de pollo, Mexican tuna salad, and avocado egg salad are all worth a try, too.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s what goes into this chipotle chicken salad. You’ll find the full amounts in the recipe card below.
- Shredded chicken: I shred a rotisserie chicken to keep this quick, but any leftover cooked chicken or my homemade shredded chicken works too.
- Celery and red onion: These give the salad its crunch. Red onion adds a bright, sharp bite, and white onion works if you want something more mellow.
- Cilantro and green onion: I go heavy on the cilantro here, a full ¼ cup. The green onion adds a pop of freshness that really finishes the whole thing.
- Mayo and sour cream: Together they make the dressing extra creamy with just a slight tang. Plain Greek yogurt works if you want to lighten it up, but I find it adds too much tang and the sauce isn’t as satisfying.
- Chipotle pepper in adobo: You’ll need one pepper plus 2 tablespoons of the adobo sauce from the can. The extra sauce adds more smoky flavor without adding much more heat.
- Garlic and lime juice: The garlic gets blended right into the dressing so you don’t bite into any raw pieces, and fresh lime juice brightens everything up.
- Dry seasonings: Smoked paprika and chipotle powder add a little extra smoke without a ton of heat, plus salt and pepper. Regular paprika works in a pinch, and if you don’t have chipotle powder, you can add a little more adobo sauce instead.
How to Make Chipotle Chicken Salad
Once your chicken is shredded, this is just a little chopping and a quick blend.
- Add the shredded chicken, celery, red onion, cilantro, and green onion to a large bowl.
- Blend the mayo, sour cream, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, garlic, lime juice, and seasonings in a small blender.
- Pour the chipotle dressing over the chicken and stir until everything is well coated.
Tips and Variations
As written, this chipotle chicken salad lands at medium on the heat scale. Here are a few easy ways to change it up:
- Make it mild. Leave out the chipotle pepper and chipotle powder and use just 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce. You’ll still get the smoky flavor with only a touch of heat.
- Make it spicier. If you like more heat, blend 1 or 2 extra chipotle peppers into the dressing.
- Make it extra creamy. Add ¼ cup of Mexican crema to the dressing.
- Add more veggies. Diced bell peppers or jalapeños add extra crunch and flavor.
How to Serve It
My favorite way to eat this is piled high on a crunchy tostada shell for a quick lunch. It’s also great with tortilla chips or crackers for scooping, wrapped up in lettuce cups, or stuffed into a sandwich.
Chipotle Chicken Salad FAQs
No, you can eat it right away. Since the dressing is blended, the flavors come together really well even without time in the fridge. It does get a little better as it sits, though.
I haven’t tried it with canned chicken, but I think it would work. Just make sure to drain it really well so the salad doesn’t get watery.
Yes, it makes great leftovers and meal prep. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
Chipotle Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken, homemade or rotisserie
- 2 celery stalks, finely sliced
- ¼ red onion, finely diced
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup chopped green onion
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup light mayonnaise
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 chipotle pepper + 2 tablespoons adobo sauce
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 medium lime)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper,
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle powder
Instructions
- Add the shredded chicken, celery, red onion, cilantro, and green onion to a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a small blender, blend together the sour cream, mayo, garlic, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, lime juice, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and chipotle powder until smooth.
- Pour the chipotle sauce into the salad bowl and stir until well coated.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve or serve immediately with tortilla chips, tostadas, crackers, lettuce cups, or in a sandwich.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Photography by Ashley McLaughlin.
