Southwest Quinoa Salad with Rotisserie Chicken and Creamy Lime Dressing

Let’s be honest: sometimes, you just want a dinner that feels like a fiesta without making your kitchen look like one. Enter this Southwest Quinoa Salad with Rotisserie Chicken—aka your new favorite weeknight hero. 

It’s colorful, hearty, full of texture, and tossed with a creamy lime dressing that brings the whole bowl together like a mariachi band playing their heart out in a subway car. 

Best part? It’s easy to prep this baby ahead of time, so you can toss it together for a work-from-home lunch or an easy dinner prep.

Why You’ll Love This Salad

This isn’t your average lettuce-based situation. Between fluffy quinoa, sweet corn, juicy bell peppers, hearty black beans, and creamy avocado, every bite hits a little different. Rotisserie chicken makes it ultra-fast (no need to fire up the stove!), and the homemade creamy lime dressing adds a tangy, zippy flavor that ties it all together.

You can prep nearly every component in advance, and the leftovers hold up beautifully. Meal prep? Check. Dinner shortcut? Check. A salad your kids might actually eat? Cross your fingers, but yes—check!

Tips for Prep Ahead Ease

• Quinoa shortcut: Cook a big batch over the weekend and keep it in the fridge. It stays fluffy and ready to go for up to a week. And you can season it however you want! (I’m partial to dried ranch seasoning, but go wild)
  
• Dressing done right: Whisk up the dressing while your quinoa cools. It holds up in the fridge for about five days and works great on other salads or even drizzled over tacos.
  
• Rotisserie chicken magic: Buy it pre-shredded if your grocery store offers it. Or shred it while it’s still warm—it pulls apart easier.
  

Ingredient Swaps & Additions

• No quinoa? Try cooked farro, brown rice, or even couscous for a different texture.
  
• Vegan version: Skip the chicken and sub in extra black beans or grilled tofu. Use a dairy-free yogurt for the dressing.
  
• Spice it up: Add pickled jalapeños or a dash of hot sauce to the dressing if you want more heat.
  
• Add crunch: Crushed tortilla chips or roasted pepitas on top make for a crunchy contrast.

Serving Suggestions

This salad is a full meal on its own, but it also works great alongside a quesadilla, a cup of tomato soup, or even as a filling for lettuce wraps. 

If you’re packing lunches, layer it into mason jars (dressing on the bottom!) and shake when ready to eat.

Make-Ahead Tips for Busy Nights

If you’ve got a busy week coming up, do yourself a favor and prep the quinoa and dressing in advance. Then all that’s left to do is chop, toss, and drizzle when dinnertime hits. You’ll be high-fiving yourself when you realize dinner came together in under 10 minutes.

And that’s dinner—no sweat, no stress, just a big, bright bowl of goodness. Whether you’re eating it straight from the mixing bowl (no judgment!) or packing it up for tomorrow’s lunch, this salad delivers every time.

Southwest Quinoa Salad with Rotisserie Chicken and Creamy Lime Dressing

Ruthy Kirwan

This Southwest Quinoa Salad is one of those "toss it all in a bowl and go" kind of meals that somehow still feels fresh, balanced, and put together. It’s perfect for busy weeknights when you want something hearty but not heavy, and it makes excellent leftovers (if there are any!). The creamy lime dressing pulls everything together with a bright, tangy zip, and using rotisserie chicken keeps things extra easy. Great for meal prep, family dinners, or even picnics!

No ratings yet

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Add to Your Prep Sesh Go to Prep Sesh

What’s a Prep Sesh?Click HERE for details!

Get Recipe Ingredients

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Lunch, Salad

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the salad:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa and your choice of seasoning
• 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 10 ounces cooked black beans
• 1 ½ cup cooked corn
• 1 red bell pepper diced
• 2 heads romaine lettuce chopped
• 1 small red onion diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 avocado sliced

For the dressing:

• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon ground garlic
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

 

Prep Ahead:

• Rinse quinoa under cold water.
• In a pot, combine quinoa and your choice of seasonings with 2 cups water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for ~15 minutes or until fluffy.
• Let cool, then transfer to a sealed container and store for up to one week.
• In a small bowl or jar, whisk together Greek yogurt, mayo, lime juice and zest, olive oil, honey, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper.
• Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
• Transfer to a sealed container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Prepare From Prepped:

• In a large bowl, combine cooked quinoa, shredded chicken, black beans, corn, red bell pepper, red onion, cherry tomatoes, avocado, and cilantro.
• Drizzle with the Creamy Lime Dressing and serve

Make From Fresh:

• Make the quinoa by following Steps 1-2 in “Prep Ahead”
• Make the dressing by following Steps 4-5 in “Prep Ahead”
• In a large bowl, combine cooked quinoa, shredded chicken, black beans, corn, red bell pepper, red onion, cherry tomatoes, avocado, and cilantro.
• Drizzle with the Creamy Lime Dressing and serve

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!