5th

Cowboy Chicken Salad

Post by My Store Admin

Mar 29 2025

If your meal plan looks like the Wild West, it’s time to wrangle it into shape. With a rotisserie chicken from the deli and a few pantry staples, you can make a chicken salad that works for lunch or dinner and takes just a few minutes to put together. Every recipe for chicken salad has one ingredient that sets it apart. Sometimes grapes are stirred in to add a sweet burst of flavor, while celery seeds are a must-have for tearoom-style chicken salad. Inspired by the smoky Southwest flavors that any cowboy on the ranch would love, my new go-to is this cowboy chicken salad. It starts with smoky flavors and has hearty beans and briny, spicy heat from pickled jalapeños for the very best chicken salad.

Why You’ll Love It

So good, you’ll eat it straight from the bowl. This chicken salad is packed with smoky, citrus-y flavor and hearty, colorful mix-ins that keep you coming back for more.
Pickled jalapeños are the star. These pickled peppers add a briny bite that sets this chicken salad apart from any other you’ve tried.

Bacon Wrapped Brussel Sprouts

Key Ingredients in Cowboy Chicken Salad

Chicken: You’ll need 1 pound (or about 3 cups) of shredded, cooked chicken. This is the same amount of meat that you can get from a rotisserie chicken, or you can use chicken breasts or thighs that you cook yourself.
Pickled jalapeños: The ingredient that gives this chicken salad its yee-haw!
Black beans: Drain and rinse canned black beans before adding to the bowl.
Corn: Set 1 cup of frozen corn kernels out on the counter to thaw while you prep the rest of the ingredients, or toss them into the strainer with the black beans and rinse with cool water until thawed.
Seasonings: Smoked paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, and ground cumin give this chicken salad smoky flavor, while freshly squeezed lime juice adds bright citrus flavor.