Sometimes Caesar salad can sound bland; but why not spice it up a notch by making this Mexican Caesar Salad – it’s a fiesta in your mouth! With salsa, caesar dressing, summer grilled corn on the cob, tender, juicy chicken, crunchy tortilla chips, this salad does NOT lack in flavor.
About this Salad
Did you know Caesar Salad is actually from Mexico originally?! So the story goes, an Italian immigrant who ran restaurants in Mexico was serving up this salad when the kitchen’s ingredient supply was running low. The result: a simple, easy, and well loved salad by many.
However, I set out to take that simple salad up a notch with this Mexican Salad.
How to give a classic Caesar Salad a Mexican twist: add tortilla strips instead of croutons, extra veggies for flavor and texture, marinated and juicy pollo asada! This Mexican Caesar Salad combines a variety of flavors that I wouldn’t usually pair together but it blew my mind how great it was.
The dressing too, is something I’ll be making again to use not just on this salad. Combining condiments, in this case salsa and Caesar dressing, is one of my favorite ways to add new flavors into a dish. Check out this Easy Hummus Dressing Recipe for a similar method!
And if you’re into Mexican flavors, also check out my Cheesy Mexican Chicken Skillet, this Mexican Spaghetti, these Crockpot Chicken Tacos, or these Mexican Brussel Sprouts!
Recipe Ingredients
- Pollo Asada Chicken Breasts – I got these pre-seasoned from Trader Joe’s. You could also use regular chicken breast seasoned with taco or chili seasoning.
- Corn on the Cobb – We will grill the corn for a nice char on the outside.
- Cheese – I used cotija crumbly cheese to keep with the Mexican theme, but you could also use parmesan cheese as a more classic Caesar topping.
- Salsa – We will mix this with the Caesar dressing to make it a MEXICAN Caesar dressing.
- Tortilla Chips – Adds the perfect amount of crunch to this salad and serves as the croutons for this Mexican Caesar Salad. You can also make homemade tortilla strips. To do so cut corn tortillas up into small strips. Then fry tortilla strips in some oil over high heat until crispy. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel to drain excess oil and you’re good to go.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
Add-ins: Customize to your liking! Add black beans (great to make vegetarian in place of the chicken), creamy avocado or guac for extra healthy fats, crunchy pepitas (aka pumpkin seeds) and queso cheese too! If you like things creamy, add a dollop of sour cream or greek yogurt on top.
Dressing: If you don’t like the sound of the salsa + caesar dressing mixture (don’t knock it till you try it), another option is a Cilantro Lime Caesar Dressing. To make Cilantro Lime Caesar Salad Dressing just add the juice from one lime, a teaspoon of chili flakes, and a tablespoon of finely chopped fresh cilantro to 1/3 cup Caesar dressing. This dressing also goes fabulous drizzled on your favorite protein like chicken, shrimp, or salmon.
How to Make This Recipe
There are a few moving parts to making this Mexican Caesar Salad before assembling.
cook the chicken
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray and add the pre-seasoned Pollo Asada to the pan.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Cut the chicken into strips.
grill the corn
- Shuck the corn and remove all excessive strings left from the husk.
- Then, lather each ear of corn with butter and Everything but the Elote Seasoning.
- Add the corn to a heated grill (I use a Ninja Foodi Indoor Grill but a regular grill will also work, or see below for non-grill options). Grill until tender, about 15- 20 minutes.
- Once the corn is done, remove it from the cob. Stand the ear up right on your cutting board and slide a knife downward to remove the kernels. Watch this video if you’d like a visual on removing corn kernels from the cob.
assemble the mexican caesar salad
- While the chicken and corn are cooking, wash and dice the other ingredients: crisp romaine lettuce, onion, jalapeño, and bell peppers. Then add to a large bowl.
- Then, to make the Mexican Caesar Dressing grab a mason jar and combine the dressing ingredients (salsa, fresh lime juice, and Caesar dressing). Cap the jar and shake until combined (don’t underestimate the dynamic duo of two incredible condiments!).
- Toss the creamy dressing with lettuce, chopped vegetables, and cotija cheese, then add the grilled corn and grilled chicken strips. Crush up your tortilla strips and sprinkle over top of the salad. Think of the bite-size pieces of chips as the croutons to your Mexican Caesar Salad!
- Serve and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Yes! This Mexican Caesar Salad is great for meal prep. Just keep the dressing and tortilla chips separate you’re ready to enjoy to avoid soggy ingredients! The salad will last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
I like to add the chips to a zip top baggie, and seal it with as little excess air as possible (removing with a straw works great!). Then I use my hands or a wine bottle to gently crumble the tortilla chips into pieces.
If you don’t have a ninja foodi and/or you don’t want to fire up the grill, you can also cook your corn stove top. I suggest removing the kernels from the cob first (or using frozen corn). Then heat a large saute pan to medium-high heat. Add some extra-virgin olive oil or butter to the pan. Once warmed add the corn. Let the corn cook for ~5 minutes before stiring and letting cook for another five minutes. Minimal stirring will give the best char.
Serving suggestions
Go for a soup and salad combo and pair this Mexican Caesar Salad recipe with this Fiesta Chicken Tortilla Soup. Whip up some Mexican Brussel Sprouts or this Avocado Crack Dip as a tasty side dish.
Make a Skinny Spicy Margarita, too, to complete your Mexican night.
More Recipes You’ll Love
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating and comment in the recipe card below. Thanks for visiting!
Mexican Caesar Salad
Equipment
- Ninja Foodi Grill (regular grill/oven alternatively)
- Baking sheet
- Salad bowl
- Mason jar
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Salad tongs
Ingredients
- 4 cups romaine lettuce, shredded
- 2 Pollo Asada Chicken Breasts, purchased from Trader Joe's
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp Everything but the Elote Seasoning, Trader Joe's
- 3 ears summer corn on the cob
- 1 cup bell pepper, diced
- 1/4 cup red onion, diced
- 1/4 cup jalapeño, diced
- 1/2 cup cotija cheese
- 1 lime
- 1/3 cup salsa
- 1/3 cup Caesar dressing
- 1 cup tortilla chips, crumbled
Instructions
Cook the chicken:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray and add the pre-seasoned Pollo Asada to the pan.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Cut the chicken into strips.
Grill the corn:
- Shuck the corn and remove all excessive strings left from the husk.
- Then, lather each ear of corn with butter and Everything but the Elote Seasoning.
- Add the corn to a heated grill (I use a Ninja Foodi Indoor Grill but a regular grill will also work, or see above for non-grill options). Grill until tender, about 15-20 minutes.
- Once the corn is done, remove it from the cob. Stand the ear up right on your cutting board and slide a knife downward to remove the kernels.
Assemble the salad:
- While the chicken and corn are cooking, wash and dice the other ingredients: romaine lettuce, onion, jalapeño, and bell pepper.
- Then, to make the Mexican Caesar Dressing grab a mason jar and combine the salsa, juice from one lime, and Caesar dressing. Cap the jar and shake until combined.
- Toss dressing with lettuce, chopped vegetables, and cotija cheese, then add the grilled corn and grilled chicken strips. Crush up your tortilla strips and sprinkle over top. Think of the chips as the croutons to your Mexican Caesar Salad!
- Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Notes
Looking for this in MyFitnessPal?
If you’re using MyFitnessPal, search ‘A Paige Of Positivity’ and find MEXICAN CAESAR SALAD calories and nutrition facts. Disclaimer: for most accurate macronutrients and caloric breakdown, it is recommended that you input each ingredient into your MyFitnessPal food diary.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved or just say hi!
Taco Tuesdays are usually a staple in our household, but this salad has taken over the top spot. Perfect balance, super easy to put together, and you know it’s good when the boyfriend enjoys salad! Thanks Courtney 🙂
pairing two condiments together is just double the flavor!! SO GOOD!
The BEST salad I have ever made. Will be making this every single week on repeat for the foreseeable future 🤩
Been eating this all week for lunches! So easy to meal prep and satisfies all the Mexican cravings!
LOVE!
Nothing I love more than a good hearty salad and this didn’t disappoint. The combo of salsa and Cesar dressing is going to become a staple at my house! I didn’t have chicken so I made it with grilled salmon. Delicious!
i’ve been LOVING this salad lately. I use frozen corn that i char stove top instead of on the grill, and it works great!
I love a great caesar salad and this one looks amazing!
Last night it was 70 degrees in chicago in FEBRUARY and I had friends over and made this Mexican caesar + courtney’s rose spritz.. YUM to both, everyone loved <3
The Caesar salad, is already Mexican. It was invented in 1924, in Tijuana, Mexico, by a man named Caesar Cardini.