If you aren’t familiar with Chopt Salad, you are in for a treat! It is hands down our favorite salad restaurant, and serves as the inspiration for this epic Santa Fe salad. No wimpy salads that leave you hungry an hour later. They are filling them up with high quality, fresh ingredients, then tossing with homemade dressings that are super flavorful. And their Santa Fe salad is my go-to every single time. We’re just gonna say it: our copycat Santa Fe salad is every bit as delicious!
Here’s why we love it so much:
- Chopped salads are the best! There is something so satisfying about a chopped salad. Each bite has a little bit of everything!
- Crispy shallots! Salty, crunchy, and insanely flavorful. You can use store-bought fried onions if you prefer, but they’re so easy to make at home!
- Sweet corn! You get a sweetness from the corn alongside the spicy pepperjack cheese and it just works!
- Creamy avocado!
- Cilantro lime dressing! Nothing beats the combo of cilantro and lime — you’ll want to add this dressing to everything from salads to grilled chicken to rice!
- Filling! Trust us, this is one salad that will fill you up without weighing you down.
This is truly the best Santa Fe salad ever, and we cannot wait for you to try it at home!
Ingredients For Santa Fe Salad
- Chopped romaine lettuce – feel free to substitute with spring greens, butter lettuce, chopped kale, arugula, whatever greens you have on hand!
- Avocado – ripe and creamy — check out our guide on how to cut an avocado!
- Corn – fresh or canned is fine
- Grape or cherry tomatoes – something small that will hold it’s shape when cut in half (versus a larger heirloom tomato that has more water)
- Pepperjack cheese or cotija – for spice (or a salty bite, if using cotija)
- Crispy shallots – gotta have that crunch!! Grab our recipe for homemade crispy shallots; store-bought is ok too!
- Cilantro – we add cilantro to everything that is Tex-Mex-inspired!
- Chicken, optional, but such a fantastic addition! Great for added protein
Be sure to make a fresh batch of our cilantro lime dressing, recipe found here! Can be made up to 3 days in advance, and you’ll want to use it on everything from salads to grilled chicken and fish, to roasted potatoes!
For a twist on a similar salad, be sure to check out our Mexican Cobb! You can use the same vinaigrette or try our homemade avocado lime ranch dressing, it is so delicious!
How To Make A Santa Fe Salad
- Combine all ingredients. Place roughly chopped lettuce in a large mixing bowl. To this, add 1 ripe avocado, cubed, ½ cup cooked corn, ½ cup halved cherry tomatoes, ½ cup cubed pepperjack cheese, ½ cup crispy shallots, and ¼ cup cilantro. Add chopped chicken, if using.
- Finely chop. Turn the ingredients out onto a cutting board, then roughly chop into bite size pieces with a knife.
- Dress the salad. Return the chopped salad to the mixing bowl, then drizzle as much cilantro lime dressing as you like. Toss the salad with tongs, then transfer to a large bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve immediately with an extra sprinkling of crispy shallots.
It sounds simple enough — and it is! — but man, does this salad pack a ton of flavor! And don’t even get us started on the amazing texture! There’s a lot to love here.
Tips For The Best Santa Fe Salad
- Don’t dress salad until ready to eat! Dressing the salad more than 30 minutes in advance will result in wilted, soggy lettuce, which nobody wants.
- Make homemade crispy shallots! Yes, you can use store-bought fried onions in a pinch, but homemade is so much better!
- Make sure the avocado is ripe! Not only are ripe avocados 100x easier to peel, but the flesh is creamy and soft.
Variations and FAQs
- Don’t love spice? Instead of pepperjack cheese, try using cotija (a cow’s milk), which is similar to feta (a sheep’s milk), but without as much tang.
- Looking to add more protein? Instead of chicken, add drained, rinsed black beans! If okay with meat, try seared steak, seasoned ground beef, or cilantro-lime shrimp!
- Can I make Santa Fe salad ahead of time? Yes! Follow the first 2 steps of instructions, then transfer chopped salad to a tupperware or storage container. We recommend leaving out the crispy shallots until tossing with dressing. Make cilantro lime dressing up to 3 days in advance. When ready, toss the salad with crispy shallots and dressing, then enjoy immediately.
If there is one salad we could eat every single day, it’s this one. Okay, this one and our shredded brussel sprouts caesar! This Santa Fe Salad recipe is so filling, so hearty, and so satisfying! Please let us know if you make it at home by leaving a review and rating below!
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More salad recipes to try!
- Couscous salad with roasted tarragon shrimp
- Grilled peach salad
- Strawberry chicken salad with spinach
- Israeli salad
- Well Seasoned house salad
Chopped Santa Fe Salad with Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 large avocado peeled and cubed
- ½ cup corn from 1 large ear of corn, removed from the cob and cooked — *see note below
- ½ cup grape tomatoes halved
- ½ cup pepperjack cheese cubed
- ½ cup crispy shallots plus more for serving, recipe below
- ¼ cup cilantro
- 1 cup grilled chicken optional
- Cilantro lime dressing or your favorite homemade salad dressing
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients. Place roughly chopped lettuce in a large mixing bowl. To this, add 1 ripe avocado, cubed, ½ cup cooked corn, ½ cup halved cherry tomatoes, ½ cup cubed pepperjack cheese, ½ cup crispy shallots, and ¼ cup cilantro. Add chopped chicken, if using.
- Finely chop. Turn the ingredients out onto a cutting board, then roughly chop into bite size pieces with a knife.
- Dress the salad. Return the chopped salad to the mixing bowl, then drizzle as much cilantro lime dressing as you like. Toss the salad with tongs, then transfer to a large bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve immediately with an extra sprinkling of crispy shallots.
Notes
- Cilantro lime dressing recipe here!
- Crispy shallots recipe here (though of course store0bought is fine)!
- To cook fresh corn: bring a pot of water to a boil, then add 1 tsp Kosher salt. Place corn in boiling water, then cook about 3 minutes on all sides, for a total of 8-10 minutes. Remove, let cool slightly, then use a sharp knife to cut kernels off of the cob.
- Do not add crispy shallots until ready to serve, or you risk them losing their crunch!
- To make ahead: follow the first 2 steps of instructions, then transfer chopped salad to a tupperware or storage container. We recommend leaving out the crispy shallots until tossing with dressing. Make cilantro lime dressing up to 3 days in advance. When ready, toss the salad with crispy shallots and dressing, then enjoy immediately.
- Nutrition facts do not include dressing.
Looking forward to meal prepping a version of this next weekend!
Can’t wait to hear what you think!! xo, Ari