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.
Table of Contents
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 Caesar.
How to give a Caesar Salad a Mexican twist: add tortilla strips instead of croutons, added vegetables for flavor, 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 to keep with the Mexican theme, but you could also use parmesan 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.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
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: 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 (don’t underestimate the dynamic duo of two incredible condiments!).
- 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!
You can also watch the Mexican Caesar Salad Web Story here.
Serve this salad with this Fiesta Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe!
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 a Tupperware in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Customize to your liking! Add black beans (great to make vegetarian in place of the chicken), fresh avocado or guac, and queso cheese too!
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 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 ⅓ cup Caesar dressing. This dressing also goes fabulous drizzled on your favorite protein like chicken, shrimp, or salmon.
More Recipes You'll Love
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Recipe
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
- ¼ cup red onion, diced
- ¼ cup jalapeño, diced
- ½ cup cotija cheese
- 1 lime
- ⅓ cup salsa
- ⅓ 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!
Sarah says
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 🙂
Courtney Paige says
pairing two condiments together is just double the flavor!! SO GOOD!
Khloe says
The BEST salad I have ever made. Will be making this every single week on repeat for the foreseeable future 🤩
Rebecca says
Been eating this all week for lunches! So easy to meal prep and satisfies all the Mexican cravings!
Kailen says
LOVE!
Nicole says
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!
Sydney Van Acker says
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!
Alyse says
I love a great caesar salad and this one looks amazing!