This salad, inspired by the Mexican Caesar Salad at Chopt Creative Salad Company, is best served freshly made. Easy to make, this salad has crunchy jalapeño peppers and crushed tortilla chips. Make it without the chicken for a vegetarian salad.
Super fresh chopped romaine lettuce is the key to this delicious salad. Chopped jalapenos with the seeds removed give the salad crunch without being too spicy.
Use either oven-roasted, rotisserie, or thicker premium deli chicken breast in this salad. Throw in a few hand-crushed tortilla chips. Then use finely shredded or larger chunks of cotija cheese – whichever suits your taste.
The salad dressing is super easy to make. Put everything into a jar with a lid, shake, and then add to the salad and mix to coat. Serve right away so the crushed chips are crunchy. Also, note that this recipe uses white balsamic vinegar which is not as sweet as aged balsamic vinegar. Do not substitute regular sweet balsamic. Instead, if you need to substitute, use rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar.
Try serving your salad in a beverage glass (below) or another non-traditional serving bowl.
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 0 |
| Passive Time | 0 |
| Servings |
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- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 head leaf lettuce or romaine
- 3 medium jalapenos
- 5 slices deli chicken
- Large handful tortilla chips, crushed
- 2-3 tablespoons cotija cheese, crumbled
Ingredients
White Balsamic Salad Dressing Ingredients
Chopped Mexican Caesar Salad Ingredients
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- Combine the olive oil, vinegar, pepper, salt, sugar, and cayenne in a jar with a lid. Shake container to thoroughly mix the dressing. Store in the refrigerator.
- Wash and separate the lettuce leaves. Using a chopping knife, chop the lettuce into small pieces. Place in a large mixing bowl.
- Cut the stem off the peppers, split them lengthwise and remove the seeds and discard. Chop the jalapeños into small pieces and place in the lettuce bowl.
- Chop the chicken into small pieces and place in the lettuce bowl. Using your hands, crush the tortilla chips and place them in the lettuce bowl. Crumble the cheese and place in the lettuce bowl.
- Reshake the salad dressing and pour the desired amount into the lettuce bowl. Stir the salad to mix the ingredients and coat with salad dressing. Serve immediately.
If you are preparing this salad ahead of time, keep all ingredients in separate containers until you are ready to mix and serve. This salad is best if eaten immediately after mixing it together.
This recipe was updated May 30th, 2020 to include a cayenne pepper option to the salad dressing.