Make a meal out of this hearty honey lime salad with chicken. It has chili lime-flavored chicken and a honey lime vinaigrette that can be made in advance.
A Favorite Salad
This is one of my favorite salads! It has a sweet and tangy honey-lime dressing and rotisserie chicken flavored with chili and lime. It is like a taco salad without the edible tortilla bowl, heavy cheese, or sour cream. Instead, it is flavored with honey, lime, and chili powder. It is a healthy, tasty, and beautiful salad.
Rotisserie Chicken for Honey Lime Salad
This recipe uses pulled rotisserie chicken as a shortcut–however, you can cook your chicken another way if desired. Prepare cooked chicken by placing some into a nonstick skillet. Then, add fresh lime juice and chili powder. I also use an optional chili-lime seasoning blend that I shake onto the chicken. Similar chili-lime blends are made and sold by different brands. If you don’t have a chili-lime salt blend, compensate by adding salt, extra chili powder, and more lime juice to the chicken.
Use Fresh or Frozen Corn for Honey Lime Salad
For the best taste, use fresh or frozen corn for this salad. Only use canned corn if you are in a pinch. Heat the corn in a nonstick skillet with a small amount of olive oil, stirring until cooked, three or four minutes.
Rinse the Black Beans
Use canned black beans for this salad. Drain and rinse them before adding them to the salad. Did you know that by rinsing the beans, you rinse away excess salt used in the canning process?
Honey-Lime Salad Dressing
This salad has a tangy lime dressing made primarily with honey, fresh lime juice, zest, and olive oil. Easy to mix up, it is ready in minutes!
Baby Lettuce for Honey Lime Salad
I used baby leaf lettuce leaves in this salad, but it is delicious with other types of lettuce, such as iceberg or romaine.
Add More Toppings
If you prefer more toppings on this salad, consider avocado, chopped onions, bell peppers, a few tortilla strips, or a different cheese. You can also change the salad dressing. Serve it in a small bowl on the side if you want to eat less, or test it before pouring it over your salad. Enjoy!
Other Salads You Might Enjoy
Click on each name or photo to link to the recipe.
Honey Lime Salad with Chicken
Ingredients
Salad
- 4 cups baby leaf lettuce
- ⅓ cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- ⅔ cup fresh corn, stir-fried
- 6 grape tomatoes, chopped or sliced
- 2 tablespoons cheddar cheese
- ½ cup rotisserie chicken, shredded
- Generous sprinkling chili powder
- Pinch garlic powder
- Pinch cumin
- ½ small lime, juiced
- 1/8-1/4 teaspoon Chili-Lime Seasoning Blend (optional)
Honey-Lime Vinaigrette
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- ½ lime zested
- ½ tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1/16 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
Salad
- Place the lettuce into a bowl. Add the black beans, corn, tomatoes, and cheddar cheese in groups around the bowl.
- Add the chicken to a nonstick skillet. Add the lime juice, a generous sprinkling of chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, and the chili-lime seasoning blend. (If not using the seasoning blend, sprinkle extra chili powder and add a sprinkling of salt.) Heat and stir until the chicken is coated with the spice and is hot. Add the chicken to the salad.
Honey-Lime Vinaigrette
- Add all the vinaigrette ingredients to a food processor (or place them into a canning jar with a lid). Blend all of the ingredients to emulsify the dressing. If using a canning jar to blend the ingredients, add a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously until the vinaigrette is emulsified.
Notes
Multiple Servings Vinaigrette Recipe
Use the recipe below to make multiple servings of salad dressing. Store it in the refrigerator for use later. Let it come to room temperature and reblend it after refrigeration. Honey Lime Vinaigrette- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 lime zested
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup olive oil