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This Mexican chicken salad with orzo recipe is fresh, filling, and bursting with delicious Tex-Mex flavors! It’s quick and easy and ready in only 30 minutes.
Try my Cajun Chicken Orzo or Chicken Bacon Ranch Orzo next.
Why you’ll love it
Southwest and Mexican-inspired ingredients are my favorite. In this hearty salad we’ve got boldly seasoned pan-fried chicken along with black beans, corn, jalapenos, and cheese. Orzo pasta makes it a satisfying meal, and a kiss of lime juice ties it all together!
This Mexican chicken pasta salad is great for meal prep (much like my Southwest Sweet Potato Meal Prep Bowls). It’s one of those lunches that’s on the healthy side, but you’ll look forward to eating it! No fancy ingredients are needed, and it’s ready in no time.
What you’ll need
- Orzo – find this rice-shaped pasta in the dry pasta aisle
- Chicken – we’re using chicken breasts
- Olive oil – for pan frying
- Seasoning – my savory blend has ground cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder (standard ones are mild), and garlic powder
- Black beans and corn – use canned for convenience
- Red onion – they’re less sharp than other varieties, so great raw
- Tomatoes – use grape or cherry
- Avocado – the added creaminess is delicious
- Cilantro – it’s a staple in Mexican cuisine for a pop of freshness and flavor
- Cheese – we’re using shredded Mexican blend
- Jalapeños – for a little kick
- Dressing – it’s just olive oil and freshly squeezed lime juice
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I use these glass prep bowls for making tons of salads, and this is the skillet I use for pan-frying the chicken.
- For opening up the canned goods, this is my trusty can opener that’s been going strong for years!
- Serve this one up with these scissor salad tongs for ease.
How to make Mexican orzo salad
This is an overview, and full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Cook the orzo. Meanwhile, prep the other ingredients. Drain and cool the cooked orzo, and add to a large salad bowl. Set aside.
- In a skillet, pan-fry the chicken in the olive oil along with the seasoning blend until it’s cooked through. Add the other salad ingredients to the bowl.
- Transfer the chicken to the bowl, and toss with the olive oil and lime juice to taste. Season with salt & pepper as needed.
Substitutions and variations
- If you don’t want the spiciness from jalapenos or extra calories from cheese, simply leave ’em out. Omit any ingredient, or use up what you’ve got in the fridge.
- You can swap a store-bought taco seasoning if you prefer. If you do love my spice blend, I have a standalone Simple Taco Seasoning Recipe with a bigger batch to use in other recipes!
- Orzo makes this a full meal, but it would be equally good with rice instead.
What to serve with this Mexican chicken salad
- This Tex-Mex chicken pasta salad would be great for potlucks, picnics, or any summer gathering. Serve it alongside other BBQ favorites like my Best Ground Chicken Burgers and Jalapeno Slaw and Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad.
- For Mexican night at home, serve it up with some homemade Guac, chips, and a Frozen Margarita.
Leftovers and storage
- For work lunches, I suggest that if you’re going the meal prep route, leave out the avocado altogether or add it in right before serving so that it doesn’t brown.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days. I like using individually portioned containers.
- The orzo will soak up some of the dressing, so give it a squeeze of lime to perk it up.
More Mexican-inspired recipes
Hope you enjoy this Mexican chicken salad bowl! If you made it, please leave a star rating and review below. You can also tag me on Instagram.
Mexican Chicken Salad with Orzo
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked orzo
- 2 large chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 (14 fluid ounce) can black beans drained & rinsed
- 1 (12 fluid ounce) can corn drained
- 2 tablespoons red onion chopped
- 1 cup little tomatoes (grape, cherry, etc.)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 avocado chopped
- 1/2 cup Mexican shredded cheese blend (optional)
- 1 small jalapeno pepper sliced (optional)
- Salt & pepper to taste
Dressing:
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Cook orzo al dente according to package directions. Once it’s done cooking, drain it and rinse it under cool water. Drain thoroughly and add it to a large bowl. I like to stir in a tiny bit of olive oil to stop it from sticking together. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, prep your chicken and add it to a skillet along with 1 tbsp of olive oil, the cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, and garlic powder. Give it a stir to coat and cook it over medium-high heat for about 7 minutes (or until it’s cooked), stirring often. You may need to add more olive oil if the pan gets too dry.
- Meanwhile, prep the other ingredients and add them to the bowl with the orzo.
- Once the chicken is done cooking, add it to the salad and then add the dressing ingredients. I suggest starting with 1 tbsp olive oil and adding more if needed. Play with the dressing until you like the taste. Toss. Add salt & pepper if needed.
Notes
- This recipe makes great leftovers or meal prep for work lunches, for example. It can be made ahead, but I suggest waiting to add the avocado until you’re close to serving it so it doesn’t brown.
- This can easily serve more than 4 depending on how much people eat.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This is often requested by my partner. We eat this at least fortnightly. So tasty, so easy and always tastes so fresh!
Bonus of having leftovers for lunch the next day!
I love that!
This was quite flavorful. I made it with rotisserie chicken to save time and I made it a one-skillet meal. I added more lime juice and a bit more salt and topped it with sour cream (optional) and the chopped avocados on top. Really good! Thank you!
It looks so yummy! I am making this as soon as I can get out of this snow and over to the grocery store!
Enjoy! And stay warm!
Love the spin you put on one of my all time favs!
Thanks so much, Matt!
I’m all about those Tex-Mex flavors! This is great lunch meal prep! I like your idea of using rice in this too!
Thanks, Lindsay! I’m all about the easy options haha.
Actually obsessed 🙂
🙂
This does look like the perfect dish for a picnic! Loving the flavors in this!
Thank you! 🙂
Love this for meal prepping for the week Natasha! Great flavors!
Thanks so much!
love love love this mexican chicken salad!!!! and I love the orzo! yum!!!
Thanks, Alice!! 🙂