This Chicken Fajita Layered Salad is a Mexican-inspired salad that's beautifully colorful and delicious, and can be tailored to your personal tastes and preferences with your favorite ingredients, if desired.
If you're a fan of fun and delicious mashup recipes, then you're in the right place because I have plenty to share with you. Recipes like my Corned Beef and Swiss Reuben Quesadillas, Chicken Alfredo Garlic Bread Pizza, Pepperoni Pizza Macaroni and Cheese, Big Mac Quiche, and of course, Scrambled Egg Rolls, just to name a few.
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Table of Contents Found Here
- The ingredient list:
- Kitchen tools and equipment:
- Add-in and substitution suggestions:
- Homemade or store-bought cornbread?
- Will this salad work for entertaining?
- Can this layered salad be made in advance?
- How to serve chicken fajita layered salad:
- Meal prep ideas and fun, unique serving suggestions:
- Additional Mexican-inspired recipes for you to enjoy:
- Printable Recipe Card
- Please comment if you've made this recipe.
The ingredient list:
*Please note that the exact measurements along with a "shop the recipe" feature from Instacart and Walmart is available inside the printable recipe card.
Kitchen tools and equipment:
- chef's knife
- cutting board
- paring knife
- can opener
- box grater (optional)
- strainer
- large skillet
- slotted spatula
- whisk
- large glass salad bowl (optional)
- salad dressing container or mason jar with lid (optional)
Add-in and substitution suggestions:
Add-ins:
If I'd had more room in my salad bowl, I may have added crushed tortilla or corn chips, so you may want to plan ahead for that if you're a fan.
Chopped green pepper strips, or jalapeno slices, would be delicious, especially if you like a little heat.
A layer of refried beans would add an additional creamy layer of deliciousness. If using refired beans, however, I would suggest thinning them a tiny bit with water (or avocado oil) so they'll spread easily over the other ingredients, but this is completely your call.
A layer of crumbled Mexican cotija cheese would be delicious and add additional ethnic flair to this Mexican-inspired layered salad.
Chopped fresh cilantro would be an excellent way to top this salad, with its bright, lively, citrusy flavor.
Substitution suggestions:
Not a fan of chicken, why not add beef? Thinly sliced, cooked, and seasoned flank or skirt steak would be an excellent substitution and still give off serious fajita vibes.
Don't want meat at all? No worries. Leave the meat out entirely and bump up the protein level by adding additional black beans or even pinto beans.
If you like, you can sprinkle some of the fajita seasoning over the beans to ensure the fajita flavor is still incorporated into the layered fajita salad.
Iceberg lettuce would be an excellent substitution for the romaine, and crushed corn chips would be a great substitution for the crumbled cornbread.
Not a fan of mayo? No worries. Using plain Greek yogurt in place of mayonnaise would be a perfect substitute for the salad dressing. And using almond milk or another milk alternative will work as a replacement for cow's milk if needed.
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Homemade or store-bought cornbread?
If you're looking for an excellent homemade cornbread to use for the cornbread crumble layer of this salad, check out my recipe for Corn and Onion Buttermilk Cornbread. That's what I used.
I had been keeping the leftover cornbread crumbles in my freezer for an occasion such as this, and I'm glad I did.
That said, you can also use store-bought cornbread, or, of course, easy-to-make cornbread from a box mix.
The choice is yours, and they'll all be delicious!
Will this salad work for entertaining?
You Bet!!
As written, this salad serves 8 as a main-course salad. However, if you're serving it as a side dish, it will serve plenty more.
Can this layered salad be made in advance?
Once the salad is beautifully layered, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before serving.
How to serve chicken fajita layered salad:
This salad is best served with salad tongs so each person can dig to the bottom of the bowl, ensuring they get every layer and won’t miss out on any of the deliciousness.
Meal prep ideas and fun, unique serving suggestions:
Instead of serving this salad as one large presentation, why not layer individual large glass mason jars (or even Chinese takeout containers) with the same ingredients for a lunchtime or travel-time meal-on-the-go?
Please note that the individual salad servings, along with the dressing, still need to be kept cold, but that's easy enough to do in an insulated lunch bag or cooler.
You'll need to package the dressing separately to prevent the salad from getting soggy, and that's easy enough with these small storage containers.
Planning and making a little in advance will have you eating this fresh and colorful salad for several days, and you only have to spend 30 minutes in the kitchen to get it all done.
Additional Mexican-inspired recipes for you to enjoy:
These lime-marinated Mexican Pork Tenderloin Tacos don't take much longer to make than a standard ground beef taco, but the flavor is far superior.
Oven-Ready Turkey Taco Lasagna is a hearty and healthy meal that's quick and easy to prepare. It also freezes beautifully, making it wonderful for meal prep days.
Frozen Mango Strawberry Margaritas are a perfectly delicious way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo (or any day for that matter) in a big way!
This cheesy hot Mexican Street Corn Dip is my ramped-up take on a traditional Elote dip, but I've added extra cheese and roasted chiles to accelerate the flavor and be the life of any party!
When you make today's recipe (and I hope that you will), I'd appreciate it if you'd take the time to come back and give it a star rating along with a comment on why you rated as you did.
Search engines such as Google appreciate comments and ratings and, in turn, will show my recipes to more people. Please look for the pink star rating box within the printable recipe card. Thank you!!
Printable Recipe Card
Chicken Fajita Layered Salad
Equipment
- tall glass trifle/salad bowl optional
- chef's knife optional - for cutting vegetables
- nakiri knife optional - for cutting vegetables
- box grater optional - for shredding cheese
- glass measuring cup optional - for making the dressing
- salad tongs optional - for serving the salad
- salad dressing jars optional - for serving the dressing
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 2 each (5 ounce per) chicken breast, cut into bite-sized 1½" pieces
- 1 packet fajita seasoning mix set 1 tablespoon aside for the dressing
- 2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 ripe avocados peeled, pit removed, and diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 3 cups cornbread crumbles
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
- 1 jar (10 ounces) roasted red peppers, drained and chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 2 cups chopped scallions
- 1 can (3.8 ounces) black olive slices drained
- 1 medium red onion thinly sliced into bite-sized pieces
- 2 cups frozen corn kernels thawed
For the dressing:
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon fajita seasoning reserved from the packet
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Instructions
To make the salad:
- Heat the oil in the skillet over medium/high heat. Add the prepared chicken along with the fajita seasoning mix (reserving 1 tablespoon of the seasoning mix for the dressing). Cook the chicken with the seasoning mix, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is fully cooked and no longer pink in the center. Approximately 10-12 minutes.Cool.
- Meanwhile, add the diced avocados to a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice over the avocados and stir well. Doing this will prevent the avocados from oxidizing (turning brown). Set the avocados aside until ready to layer.
- Layer the prepared ingredients (lettuce on the bottom, and then no particular order for the remaining ingredients) into the salad/trifle bowl making sure to evenly layer the ingredients to the edge of the bowl so each colorful layer can be seen.Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
To make the dressing:
- Add all the salad dressing ingredients into a small bowl and whisk well until thoroughly combined. If needed, thin further with lime juice or an additional splash of milk. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
I sincerely hope you'll enjoy making, serving, and eating this amazingly colorful, crunchy, healthy, layered Mexican-inspired salad as much as I've enjoyed bringing it to you.
Should you have any questions or comments regarding anything you've seen on my site, please don't hesitate to reach out to contact me. It is always my distinct pleasure to get back with you just as soon as I possibly can!
Thank you so much for visiting me today in my Kudos Kitchen. I hope you found something you'll love and that you will come back and visit me often. Please know that there is always room for you around my kitchen table!
Until we eat again, I hope you have a delicious day!
Mark says
This salad tastes as good as it looks and it looks marvelous.
Renée says
Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed this colorful layered salad!!
Thanks for the 5-star rating also. I appreciate it.
Renee