Taco Salad Recipe with Chicken and Ranch - Food Faith Fitness (2024)

Home Main Dish Taco Salad Recipe with Chicken and Ranch Dressing {GF, Super Simple, High protein)

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5 from 5 votes

By Taylor KiserJump to Recipe

This Taco Salad Recipe is quick, easy and healthy! It’s loaded with chicken, avocado, cheese, and covered in lighter ranch dressing!

Taco Salad Recipe with Chicken and Ranch - Food Faith Fitness (1)

I hate leftover ingredients.

Leftover full meals? Those are grand. One less meal for me to cook.

But, a bunch of random ingredients from a bunch of different meals that were previous cooked?

UGH. Worst. Ever.

Mostly because there are only 2 of us in the house, so I try to only buy what I need for the recipes I am planning to test that week, or else things just start rotting.

Which means there are never any “filler ingredients” to make a bunch of random items seem cohesive.

Taco Salad Recipe with Chicken and Ranch - Food Faith Fitness (2)

But, once a week or so, I make myself a “leftover ingredient” dinner.

I do not look forward to this day. And neither does Mr.FFF.

Especially if I made orange beef stir fry andgluten free brownies that week.

Pineapple chicken chocolate zucchini noodlesanyone?

Nattt so good.

HOWEVER, sometime (read: once) my leftovers MADE SENSE you guys.

Taco Salad Recipe with Chicken and Ranch - Food Faith Fitness (3)

Like, I had lettuce. And other veggies. And chicken and some cheese. I even had some leftover of my favorite ranch dressing recipe from Wholesome Yum!

THERE WAS EVEN AN AVOCADO (!!!)

These are the things that I find exciting. Feel free to judge me.

And so became the first (and probably last) leftover ingredient dinner that I could actually share with you, and wouldn’t make you run for the hills in horror.

Or, at least just question my taste bud’z cred’.

Taco Salad Recipe with Chicken and Ranch - Food Faith Fitness (4)

Unfortunately, I have not had the required ingredients to re-eat this taco salad recipe fo’ realz since that fateful day, how-ev-er, the re-eatage has happened many a time in my brain. And, I sort of tried to re-create it with that Mason Jar healthy taco salad recipe.

Sidenote: This dinner also brought the huberoni happiness in his belly, which is a win because 1. As mentioned above he ain’t no friend to the weekly leftover meal and 2. He also ain’t no friend to a meal that is 90% vegetation.

Sidenote, the sequel: I just made the hubanana sound like the most un-friendly human on Earth but, in fact, he is the FRIENDLIEST human on earth. I always say that he can make friends with a stick.

It’s annoying.

I’m kidding. Sort of.

Taco Salad Recipe with Chicken and Ranch - Food Faith Fitness (5)

I’m tempted to tell you that it’s a fiesta in your mouth, but that is so cliché. I can’t say that.

Except I just did. In a total ninja-like sneaky way. SUCCESS.

There’s bacon, cheese, ranch and vegetative deliciousness. Oh, and there is H-E-A-L-T-H

I had me at bacon and cheese.

You too?

Taco Salad Recipe with Chicken and Ranch - Food Faith Fitness (6)

I knew there was a reason why I liked you.

Recipe

Ranch Chicken Taco Salad

5 from 5 votes

Serves: 2

Taco Salad Recipe with Chicken and Ranch - Food Faith Fitness (7)

Prep: 10 minutes minutes

Cook: 20 minutes minutes

Total: 30 minutes minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 Small Chicken breasts
  • 4 Slices Turkey bacon
  • 1/2 Tbsp Olive oil
  • 1 Cup Red Pepper sliced (about 1/2 a large pepper)
  • 1 1/2 Cups Zucchini sliced (about 1 medium zucchini)
  • 1 tsp Garlic minced
  • Salt to taste.
  • 4 Cups Lettuce of choice
  • 1/4 Cup Chopped cilantro
  • 1/3 Cup Reduced-fat grated Cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 A sliced avocado
  • Ranch dressing of choice. I like Fat-free Hidden Valley. *

Instructions

  • To cook the chicken breasts:

  • Spray your grillwith cooking spray and heat it to medium-high. Place the chicken breast on and grill it until it is no longer pink inside. This takes about 4-6 minutes per side (make sure you flip it half way through!)

  • While the chicken grills, spray alarge pan with cooking spray and heat on medium-high heat. Cook the turkey bacon until it is nice and crispy, just about 1-2 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and transfer to a paper towel to absorb any excess grease. Tear into small pieces.

  • Heat the oil up in the bacon pan, still on medium-high heat, and toss in the red pepper, zucchini, garlic and season with a little bit of salt. Sautee the vegetables until they are a soft and slightly browned, which takes roughly 3-4 minutes.

  • Toss the cooked veggies into a bowl and add the bacon pieces, lettuce, cilantro, grated cheddar cheese, avocado slices and as much Ranch dressing as you want. Mix well until all the lettuce is coated with the dressing.

  • Transfer the mixed salad to two plates and top with a grilled chicken breast.

  • DEVOUR

Nutrition Disclaimer

Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.

Author: FoodFaithFitness

Course:Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine:American, Mexican

Share your creationsTag @foodfaithfit and hashtag it #foodfaithfitness so I can see what you made!

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Taco Salad Recipe with Chicken and Ranch - Food Faith Fitness (2024)

FAQs

Is a taco salad healthier than a taco? ›

Adding guacamole, sour cream or taco sauce will quickly increase the carb and calorie count to the point where your taco salad is hardly any healthier than a regular taco.

How many calories in a bowl of chicken taco salad? ›

A taco salad in a deep-fried tortilla shell can have 900 calories, but this version -- chicken taco salad in a baked tortilla bowl has less than 500. Can you believe a chicken taco salad, in a crispy tortilla bowl, can have up to 900 calories, 45 grams of fat and 1,870 mg of sodium?

What are the benefits of eating taco salad? ›

Enjoying a taco salad can provide various health benefits. This includes increased vegetable intake, protein for muscle growth and repair, low-calorie and high fiber to help feel full, and various flavors that can help prevent boredom with your diet.

Why are taco salad so high in calories? ›

Worst: Taco Salad

That's because they start with a deep-fried tortilla shell. That “bowl” alone can have nearly 400 calories and 22 grams of fat. Then it's filled with oversized portions of ground beef, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole. This salad can weigh in at 800 calories or more!

Can you lose weight on a taco diet? ›

Brooke Alpert, a registered dietician and the author of The Sugar Detox, says that eating only tacos every day could actually help you lose weight—but not in a healthy way. "Any diet—whether it's watermelon, McDonald's, or tacos—can help you lose weight by restricting what you are eating both in options and calories.

How many calories in a Mexican restaurant taco salad? ›

Taco salad, deconstructed.

Opt for pico de gallo or salsa instead of salad dressing, and your "taco salad" can be a very reasonable 300 to 600 calories.

Is it OK to eat tacos everyday? ›

All the different textures and flavors make tacos a popular food. But, tacos are best consumed in moderation. Especially if you are eating tacos that have a combination of cheese and meat, which could be high in saturated fat. Your body obtains all the necessary vitamins, minerals, and nutrients from a diverse diet.

What's the difference between tacos and taco salad? ›

They're pretty much the same as regular tacos; the only difference is the order in which you build the ingredients, as well as a little drizzle of a yummy spicy dressing on top. And I really emphasize the lettuce and tomatoes to the point that I convince myself I'm eating a salad…

How healthy are taco salads? ›

Although you may think of taco salad as a healthy option, it's often loaded with calories and fat. But if you leave out the tortilla chips or taco shell, use fat-free cheese, and swap in plain yogurt for the traditional sour cream, taco salad can become a healthy, filling, low-carb, and flavorful meal.

Is taco salad high carbs? ›

Taco salad, with beef, fried tortilla, cheese, lettuce, tomato, beans, avocado, olives (1 cup) contains 18.7g total carbs, 16g net carbs, 14.2g fat, 7.9g protein, and 232 calories.

Is a taco salad from taco Bell healthy? ›

A few notes of caution: Though the company states that it reduced the sodium content of most menu items by an average of 15%, many of the items, such as the breakfast Crunchwraps and taco salads, top 1,000 milligrams of sodium and deliver more than half of your daily sodium limit.

What is the healthiest type of taco? ›

Best: Tacos

Order the grilled chicken, lean steak, or grilled fish on a baked corn tortilla. Those have 70% more fiber and less than half the fat of their white flour counterparts. Skip the chorizo, fried fish, and carnitas (fried pork or beef), which are higher in unhealthy saturated fat.

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