A simple roasted chipotle chicken salad topped with sweet potatoes and the most addicting Jalapeño Vinaigrette, along with an easy guacamole. Serve this salad with a side of chips for scooping and you’ll have the perfect, healthy Mexican salad that’s both delicious and fun!

Chipotle Lime Chicken and Sweet Potato Salad with Jalapeno Vinaigrette | halfbakedharvest.com #mexcian #salad #healthy #chicken

And plenty of avocado too, because let’s be honest, no salad is really ever complete without avocado.

For the past week or so I’ve been on a huge salad kick. Normally I’m not one for salads, they tend to bore me. Wait, let me rephrase that, salads with iceberg lettuce, a few carrots, and a lame dressing bore me. Like who wants that?

Probably not you, and definitely not me.

Which is why whenever I share a salad it’s big and loaded with not only leafy greens, but a mix of vegetables, fruits, plenty of avocado, cheese, and of course, a delicious sauce/vinaigrette/dressing. I have a few salads that I tend to make on repeat, but this week has been different. I’ve been in salad GO mode and I have what feels like a million new ideas for fun salads. It’s so weird, I seem to go through phases of having fun salad ideas and then zero salad ideas. I don’t know why this is, but on Monday, I made this chipotle chicken salad and it was so good that I knew I had to share it immediately.

This is a salad that I will be making weekly. It’s packed with flavor, loaded with veggies, and sits atop a bed of avocado. Yes, yes, yes, a bed of avocado. YUM.

It’s delicious and pretty, plus so quick and easy, I love it.

Obviously.

Chipotle Lime Chicken and Sweet Potato Salad with Jalapeno Vinaigrette | halfbakedharvest.com #mexcian #salad #healthy #chicken Chipotle Lime Chicken and Sweet Potato Salad with Jalapeno Vinaigrette | halfbakedharvest.com #mexcian #salad #healthy #chicken

Let’s talk about the details.

This salad starts with the chipotle chicken. If you guys didn’t already know, I love Chipotle. Like the spice, not the restaurant. Well I don’t dislike the restaurant. I’ve only ever eaten at Chipotle once, and it was just a side order of rice (and I stole it from Asher, along with her guacamole). Which is kind of crazy, because my brothers are literally obsessed with Chipotle and eat it several times a week.

Fun fact? My younger brother Red has free Chipotle anywhere he goes since winning gold at the Olympics. Not even joking. Free Chipotle. Red mentioned just how much he loves Chipotle in an interview, they heard him, and the next minute Chipotle offers to rain free burritos on Red…87 of them to be exact! Then Red keeps talking about Chipotle…because he really does love them…and they give him a custom Red Gerard Free Chipotle card. Wow, I guess that’s life for an Olympic gold medalist!

And moving right along…

So the chicken, it gets tossed with chipotle peppers, honey, and other seasonings, then roasted up in the oven. I debated back and forth about whether to roast or grill the chicken, but in the end, I decided that since I was already baking the sweet potatoes in the oven it just made sense to cook the chicken in there too. Kind of like killing two birds with one stone, you know?

Also, that’s a really weird saying, killing two birds with one stone? Why would I want to kill two birds? And why would I do it with a stone?

That’s just cruel.

Chipotle Lime Chicken and Sweet Potato Salad with Jalapeno Vinaigrette | halfbakedharvest.com #mexcian #salad #healthy #chicken Chipotle Lime Chicken and Sweet Potato Salad with Jalapeno Vinaigrette | halfbakedharvest.com #mexcian #salad #healthy #chicken

Again, moving right along…

The chicken and sweet potatoes cook for the same amount of time, which makes this a pretty quick cooking salad. Of course, if the weather is nice and you feel like grilling, I’m sure the chicken would be equally delicious on the grill too.

While the chicken and potatoes are cooking, you should prepare the rest of the salad and the vinaigrette. For the salad, I used a good amount of greens, bell peppers, some fresh mango, and feta cheese. I kept things on the simpler side because there is so much flavor and heartiness in the chicken and sweet potatoes. Lastly, I piled my salad on top of some lightly mashed avocado, which almost makes this like a guacamole salad…

Hint, hint. You should add a side of chips for scooping. Just a suggestion.

What I love about this salad is the variety of textures and bold flavors. It’s crunchy and creamy, sweet and spicy, and all things perfect. If you wanted to really make things fun you could even add a side margarita.

Which I think you should totally do, because sometimes Wednesdays need a little bit of a pick me up…

Chipotle Lime Chicken and Sweet Potato Salad with Jalapeno Vinaigrette | halfbakedharvest.com #mexcian #salad #healthy #chicken
Chipotle Lime Chicken and Sweet Potato Salad with Jalapeno Vinaigrette | halfbakedharvest.com #mexcian #salad #healthy #chicken
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4.55 from 61 votes

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

The Recipe

Chipotle Lime Chicken and Sweet Potato Salad with Jalapeño Vinaigrette

By halfbakedharvest

Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chipotle chicken, spicy, sweet potato

What I love about this salad is the variety of textures and bold flavors. It's crunchy and creamy, sweet and spicy, and all things perfect. If you wanted to really make things fun you could even add a side margarita!

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 927 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 pound boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 2 limes
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
  • kosher salt and pepper
  • 2 sweet potatoes, cut into matchsticks
  • 2 avocados, lightly mashed
  • 3 heads romaine lettuce chopped
  • 1 mango, diced
  • 8 ounces feta, crumbled

Jalapeño Vinaigrette

  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
  • 1 jalapeño, halved and seeded if desired
  • kosher salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

    2. On a rimmed baking sheet, combine the chicken, 2 tablespoons olive oil, chipotle, honey, cumin, juice and zest of 1 lime, garlic and a large pinch of both salt and pepper. Toss well to evenly coat the chicken. 

    3. On a separate baking sheet, toss together the sweet potatoes and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus a pinch of both salt and pepper. Roast both the chicken and potatoes for 25-30 minutes, tossing halfway through cooking until the chicken is cooked throughout and the potatoes tender. 

    4. In a medium bowl, stir together the avocados, remaining lime juice and a pinch of salt. 

    5. In a large salad bowl, toss together the lettuce, mango, feta, fries, and chicken. Dollop the avocado over the salad. Drizzle with vinaigrette (recipe follows). 

  2. 1. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. The vinaigrette can be made a few days in advance and kept in the fridge.

Chipotle Lime Chicken and Sweet Potato Salad with Jalapeno Vinaigrette | halfbakedharvest.com #mexcian #salad #healthy #chicken

Never another boring desk salad. No. Never. Not around here.