Full of vibrant and fresh Southwest flavors, this Mexican Chicken Pasta Salad is like summer in a bowl! Loaded with corn, black beans, red onion and avocado and tossed in a lime, cilantro and jalapeno sour cream dressing.
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Perfect for picnics and potlucks and great for weekly meal prep, this Mexican Chicken Pasta Salad is simple to make and delicious to eat.
Loaded with fresh vegetables and shredded chicken, this Southwest chicken pasta salad is hearty and filling and ready in a matter of minutes.
The lime and jalapeno sour cream dressing is light and fresh, without being overly spicy, making it a real crowd pleaser for the whole family.
Be sure to try my Pearl Couscous Chicken Salad or browse my other easy chicken recipes.
Ingredients
- Pasta: I used rigatoni pasta for this recipe, but other short pastas like penne, farfalle and macaroni will work well.
- Corn: You can use fresh, frozen or canned corn in this recipe.
- Red Onion: Finely sliced so that it's not overpowering.
- Bell Pepper: Bell pepper adds a nice crunch to the salad. I used green, but any color will work well.
- Black Beans: Canned black beans are a great addition to make this a hearty salad. Drain and rinse before adding.
- Avocado: For a creamy freshness. Make sure your avocado is ripe.
- Shredded Chicken: You can use store bought shredded chicken, rotisserie chicken, or cook up a couple of chicken breasts to use.
For the Sour Cream Dressing
- Sour Cream: Sour cream adds a nice tang as it lighter and fresher than the usual mayonnaise based dressing.
- Oil: To thin the dressing. Olive oil, canola or vegetable all work well.
- Lime Juice: Use fresh limes rather than bottled for the best zing.
- Jalapeno: The dressing is not overly spicy, the jalapeno adds flavor rather than spice. Keep the seeds in the jalapeno for a spicier dressing.
- Garlic: Use a fresh garlic clove for the best taste. It can be substituted with garlic powder.
- Ground Cumin: A little ground cumin adds warmth and flavor.
- Cilantro: For freshness.
Equipment
You will need a blender to make the sour cream dressing.
How to Make Mexican Pasta Salad with Chicken
- Cook the pasta al dente in salted water. Drain and set aside.
- Add all of the ingredients for the dressing into a blender, blend til smooth.
- Place the pasta, veggies, beans and shredded chicken into a large bowl.
- Pour over the dressing and toss everything together.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro, lime wedges and sliced jalapenos.
Recipe Variations
- You can substitute the sour cream inn the dressing for mayo for a more traditional pasta salad. You can also add in some Greek yogurt.
- Add in other veggies like tomatoes and celery.
- Swap the black beans for kidney or pinto beans.
- If you don't like the taste of cilantro, you can swap it for parsley.
Make Ahead and Storage
This Mexican Chicken Salad will keep well in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. The avocado can start to brown after a day or two, but will still be good to eat.
As it sits, the pasta will absorb the dressing. You can loosen it back up with a little sour cream or oil stirred in.
Mexican Chicken Pasta Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 14.5 ounces pasta I used rigatoni, other short pastas will work well (410g)
- 1½ cups corn canned, frozen or fresh (245g)
- ½ red onion finely sliced
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 1 avocado diced
- 1 can black beans (18fl oz / 540ml)
- 2 cups shredded chicken (250g)
For the sour cream dressing
- 1 cup sour cream (240ml)
- 3 tablespoons oil
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 jalapeno
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro (4 tablespoons)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and set to one side to allow to cool.14.5 ounces pasta
- Place the ingredients for the dressing into a blender. Blend til smooth and set to one side.1 cup sour cream, 3 tablespoons oil, juice of 1 lime, 1 jalapeno, 1 garlic clove, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- Finely slice the onion and dice the bell pepper and avocado.½ red onion, 1 bell pepper, 1 avocado
- Place the cooled pasta into a large bowl, add in the corn, onion, pepper, avocado, beans and chicken.1½ cups corn, 1 can black beans, 2 cups shredded chicken
- Pour over the dressing and toss everything together so that the pasta is well coated.
- Serve with a garnish of cilantro and sliced jalapenos.
Notes
- Remove the seeds of the jalapeno for a milder heat. Leave them in if you like things spicy.
- Let the pasta cool before mixing with the sour cream dressing.
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