Mexican Chopped Salad with Creamy Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

This Mexican Chopped Salad recipe was created in partnership with Hidden Valley Ranch. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make ¡Hola! Jalapeño possible.

Between holiday plans and busy weeknights, I reach for quick, vegetable-forward dinners. Even in colder months, a crunchy Mexican chopped salad hits the spot — filled with ripe avocado, crisp jicama, peppery arugula, and smoky chipotle-lime chicken. Finish it with a creamy buttermilk Ranch and you’ve got a satisfying, easy meal that feels restaurant-quality at home.

The Secret to Restaurant-Style Ranch Dressing

Restaurant-style Ranch has a distinct creaminess and tang that’s hard to replicate from a bottle. The trick is balancing mayonnaise, sour cream, and buttermilk, then seasoning with a packet of restaurant-style ranch mix. Add minced garlic and chives for freshness, and a pinch of paprika for color and a hint of warmth. This dressing works wonderfully over the chopped salad or as a dip for vegetables, wings, or fries.

Essential Mexican Ingredients in This Chopped Salad

A chopped salad means everything is cut into bite-size pieces so each forkful has a mix of flavors and textures. This version blends Mexican flavors with familiar salad elements. Key components include:

• Chipotle-lime chicken
  • Use rotisserie chicken as a shortcut, but the chipotle-lime seasoning gives the salad its smoky, citrusy backbone.
  • Vegetarian option: use the same chipotle-lime marinade on roasted sweet potatoes.
• Fresh cilantro leaves
  • Whole cilantro leaves add a bright, herbaceous lift combined with romaine and arugula.
• Julienned jicama
  • Jicama brings a crisp, refreshing crunch that contrasts nicely with creamy elements.
• Ripe avocado
  • Chunks of avocado add creaminess and richness to every bite.

What You Need

This is an easy, mostly no-cook recipe. If you make the chicken, you’ll need just a few tools:

• Large frying pan for sautéing the chicken
• Sharp chef’s knife for chopping vegetables
• Small whisk and bowl for mixing the dressing
• Large salad bowl or platter for tossing and serving

How to Make This Happen on a Weeknight

This recipe takes about 30–40 minutes total, depending on chopping speed. The time-consuming part is prepping the vegetables; you can save time by preparing components ahead. Make the chicken and dressing the night before and store them in the refrigerator. Other shortcuts include buying pre-washed lettuce, pre-cut jicama sticks, or bagged slaw.

Mexican Salad Recipes — Perfect for Dinner

A hearty salad can be a warm-weather staple, but it also brightens cold winter nights. If you enjoy this chopped salad, try other robust Mexican-style salads that function as main courses and pack bold flavors and textures.

Ready to Dig In?

A large bowl of crunchy salad can be exactly the lighter meal you want after a holiday feast or during a busy week. Try this Mexican Chopped Salad with Buttermilk Ranch and enjoy the mix of smoky chicken, crisp vegetables, and creamy dressing. If you make it, snap a photo and tag @holajalapeno on Instagram — I’d love to see your version. Buen provecho!

Mexican Chopped Salad with Buttermilk Ranch

Yield:
4 servings

Prep Time:
30 minutes

Cook Time:
8 minutes

Total Time:
38 minutes

An incredibly satisfying Mexican Chopped Salad filled with chipotle-lime chicken, jicama, romaine, and lots of veggies dressed with creamy buttermilk ranch.

Dressing recipe from Hidden Valley Ranch

Ingredients

For the Salad:

• zest and juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 2 cups baby arugula
• 4 radishes, thinly sliced
• 1 cup cilantro leaves
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
• 1/2 small jicama, peeled and julienned
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
• 1/2 large English cucumber, quartered and sliced
• 1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, quartered, and sliced
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 red cabbage, thinly sliced

For the Dressing:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 packet Hidden Valley Restaurant Style Ranch
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced chives
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika (optional)

Instructions

For the Salad:

Sprinkle lime zest, lime juice, kosher salt, and chipotle chili powder over the chicken. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sauté until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Remove from the pan, let cool slightly, and slice.

In a large bowl or on a serving platter, combine the romaine, arugula, radishes, cilantro, bell pepper, jicama, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, garbanzo beans, avocado, red onion, and red cabbage. Add the sliced chicken on top.

For the Dressing:

Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, the ranch seasoning packet, minced garlic, minced chives, and paprika (if using) until smooth and well combined. Drizzle over the salad and toss to coat, or serve the dressing on the side.

Did you make this recipe?

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