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This chipotle ranch chicken salad is smoky, fresh, and delicious. The perfect summer salad!

close-up of bowl of grilled chicken salad with chipotle ranch dressing and vegetables

The BBQ’d chicken pairs perfectly with the smokiness of the dressing. Yes, I love this dressing and have used it in various recipes 🙂 It’s definitely repeatable. Over and over. Another recipe using this dressing maaaay be rearing its head shortly. If you don’t like the dressing, I apologize in advance.

Grilled corn is just awesome and adds an extra little something special to this salad. Little tomatoes, avocado, and scallions add even more color and flavor.

I never know what to do with the rest of the chipotle chilis in adobo sauce once I’ve used some of it for the dressing. It’s the tiniest little can, but it really seems like it contains a lot. I decided to put some in the marinade (genius, right? :P). Anyway, it doesn’t make the chicken too spicy or anything.

If you do want your chicken to be spicier, add more than the 2 tablespoons in. The rest of the chipotle chilis are sitting in my fridge as I type this. I’m really hoping my spice-loving husband is going to finish them soon!

I really don’t have anything else to say about this recipe. How much can you really say about salad? All you really need to know is that it’s fresh, easy to make, and full of flavor – everything a summer salad should be!

bowl with grilled chicken salad with corn, avocado, little tomatoes, and a chipotle ranch dressing

Let me know if you’ve made this chipotle ranch chicken salad!

This grilled chicken salad with chipotle cilantro lime ranch dressing is smoky, fresh, and delicious.
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Chipotle Ranch Chicken Salad

A tasty grilled chicken salad with an amazing chipotle cilantro lime ranch dressing!
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Marinade time: 30 minutes
Total: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients 

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 5 ounces salad greens and/or spinach or one head of lettuce (I used butter leaf)
  • 1 cob corn
  • 2 scallions (green parts) chopped
  • 1 avocado sliced
  • Little tomatoes (I used multi-colored ones)
  • Chipotle lime ranch to taste

Chicken marinade:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 2 tablespoons adobo sauce
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions 

  • Prepare chicken by slicing the chicken breasts lengthwise (I butterfly then cut in half) so you have four thinner cutlets.
  • Add chicken and marinade ingredients to a large ZipLoc bag and mix it all together. Place in fridge for at least 30 minutes, up to two hours.
  • Meanwhile, make the dressing (see recipe here). Refrigerate it until it's needed.
  • Heat BBQ/grill to medium-high heat.
  • While grill is heating up, prepare the other salad ingredients and place in a large bowl.
  • Grill corn for a few minutes on each side (for about 10-12 minutes total). Using a knife, cut the corn off the cob once it's cooled down a bit.
  • Grill the chicken for approximately 5 minutes per side, or until it's cooked through. You may grill the corn and the chicken at the same time if you're using a BBQ and have enough room.
  • Toss salad ingredients together with dressing.
  • Once chicken is cooked, you can either slice all the pieces into strips and mix it in with the dressing, or simply place each chicken piece on top of each person's salad. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • I used a gas BBQ to make this recipe. Keep in mind that these directions are only a guideline as every BBQ or grill is different so adjust cooking time accordingly.

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Hi! I’m Natasha.

Salt & Lavender is a recipe blog with a focus on delicious comfort food using everyday ingredients. Beat the weekday grind with hundreds of easy-to-follow and hassle-free recipes!

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12 Comments

  1. This sounds fantastic! Just reading it made me want to go make it RIGHT NOW! Yumm yumm! I am actually working on a round-up for salads/dressings right now and would love to add this one in! I would link back with a photo, and think my readers would love it!