Chick-Fil-A Spicy Southwest Salad Copycat Recipe 

Learn to make my Chick-Fil-A Spicy Southwest Salad Copycat Recipe! The Chick Fil A Southwest Salad is a colorful and healthy dish full of fresh flavors. Get the scoop on the calories in the Chick Fil A Spicy Southwest Salad, nutrition facts with and without the creamy salsa dressing, and more! This Chick-Fil-A Southwest Salad is perfect for dinner, or meal prep it for healthy weekday lunches.

I can’t get enough of this combination of marinated grilled chicken, mixed greens, ripe grape tomatoes, cheese, black beans, peppers, and roasted corn. My inspiration for this recipe, the Chick Fil A Southwest Chicken Salad, really ticks all the boxes.

I’m going to do a Spicy Southwest Salad Chick Fil A review, but no worries if there’s no Chick-Fil-A in your area. This copycat recipe captures the flavors of one of the best Chick Fil A salads so you can DIY.

I mean, sometimes you might want this salad on a Sunday, when this fast food chain is closed. Or maybe you don’t have time to drive to Chick-Fil-A on weekdays. Whatever the issue is, this spicy southwest salad can still be yours.

Jump to:

• 📋 Chick Fil A Southwest Salad Calories
• ⭐ Chick Fil A Southwest Salad Nutrition
• 🥗 What’s on a Chick-Fil-A Spicy Southwest Salad?
• 💡 Does Chick-Fil-A marinate their chicken in pickle juice?
• 🥬 Is a Chick-Fil-A Spicy Southwest Salad healthy?
• 🥣 Chick Fil A Creamy Salsa Dressing Recipe
• 🔪 How to Make Chick-Fil-A Southwest Salad
• 🌡️ How to Store Southwest Chicken Salad
• 💭 Expert Tips from a Dietitian
• FAQs
• 👩🏻‍🍳 Other Chick-Fil-A Salads
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

📋 Chick Fil A Southwest Salad Calories

What are the Chick Fil A Spicy Southwest Salad calories? Here’s a table showing the Chick Fil A Southwest Salad Calories with Dressing and Chick Fil A Southwest Salad Calories no Dressing. The tortilla strips and chili lime pepitas are included, subtract 150 calories if you leave them off.

Chick Fil A Southwest Salad Type	Chick Fil A Southwest Salad Calories with Dressing	Chick Fil A Southwest Salad Calories no Dressing
With Cold Spicy Grilled Filet	690	400
With Cold Grilled Filet	690	400
With Nuggets	840	550
With Grilled Nuggets	720	430
With Chick-Fil-A Chick n-Strips	890	600
With Chick-Fil-A Filet	840	550
With Spicy Filet	860	570
With Warm Grilled Filet	690	400
With No Chicken	590	300

Calorie information was correct at the time of writing and is subject to change. You can find the calorie info for my copycat version in the recipe card below.

As you may have noticed, the creamy salsa dressing that comes with the southwest salad is 290 calories per packet. You can cut a lot of calories from your meal by skipping the dressing or using a low calorie dressing. Choosing a grilled filet to top your salad can save you 50-200 calories compared to other chicken options.

⭐ Chick Fil A Southwest Salad Nutrition

Here is the nutrition information for Chick-Fil-A Southwest Salad with a grilled filet:

Type of Salad	Calories	Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Cholesterol (mg)	Sodium (mg)	Carbohydrates (g)	Fiber (g)	Sugar (g)	Protein (g)
Dressing and Toppings	690	49	10	100	1570	29	8	8	33
Dressing, No Toppings	540	38	9	100	1465	19	6	8	28
No Dressing, with Toppings	400	18	5	75	940	27	8	7	32
No Dressing, No Toppings	250	7	4	75	835	17	6	7	27

Nutrition information was correct at the time of writing and is subject to change. Nutrition info for my copycat Chick Fil A salad is in the recipe card at the end of the post.

🥗 What’s on a Chick-Fil-A Spicy Southwest Salad?

What’s in the Chick Fil A Southwest Salad? Here are the ingredients:

• Spicy grilled chicken breast
• Mixed salad greens
• Grape tomatoes
• Monterey Jack and shredded cheddar cheese
• Roasted corn
• Black beans
• Poblano chiles
• Red bell peppers
• Tortilla strips
• Chili lime pepitas
• Creamy salsa dressing

Specific quantities of ingredients are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post! Our homemade version has everything in the original with some small modifications to the pepitas and the dressing.

The equipment you need for this salad include a good knife, a stovetop grill pan, and (if meal prepping) large salad containers. Get containers with separate lidded dressing cups to make transport easy. It’s also helpful to have a mini chopper to blend the dressing.

💡 Does Chick-Fil-A marinate their chicken in pickle juice?

According to Chick-Fil-A, their original Grilled Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich was marinated in pickle juice and seasonings. In 2019, they changed their marinade recipe but won’t officially confirm or deny whether it still contains pickle brine.

🥬 Is a Chick-Fil-A Spicy Southwest Salad healthy?

"Healthy” always depends on what your needs are. The Chick-Fil-A Spicy Southwest Salad, without modifications, is rather high in calories and sodium. That said, it offers a variety of veggies and adequate lean protein. You can make it much lower in calories and sodium by choosing a different dressing.

🥣 Chick Fil A Creamy Salsa Dressing Recipe

I gave my own spicy spin to the original Chick-Fil-A southwest salad dressing. Here’s what you need to make it:

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Sour cream
• Fresh lime juice
• Cumin
• Ancho chili powder (use regular chili powder if you want to cut back on the heat)
• Garlic powder
• Chipotle in adobo sauce (from a can)

🔪 How to Make Chick-Fil-A Southwest Salad

Get specifics in the recipe card at the bottom of the post! Here’s a summary:

Marinate Chicken

1. Mix dill pickle juice, minced garlic, olive oil, paprika, chili powder, and pepper in a bowl.

2. Cut chicken breasts into 4-4 ounce (113 gram), ½-inch thick pieces (1.27 cm). Pour the marinade over the chicken breasts.

3. Let the chicken marinate in the fridge for about 12 hours. Flip the chicken occasionally so all sides have contact with the marinade.

Make Southwest Salad Dressing

1. Put the oil, sour cream, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and chipotle in adobo in a mini chopper. Blend until smooth.

2. Put the dressing in the fridge until serving time. You can thin it with a bit of oil or milk if it thickens too much.

Make Spicy Southwest Salad

1. Spray a stovetop grill pan with cooking spray. Lift the chicken out of the marinade and grill for 8-10 minutes per side over medium heat.

2. Check the chicken with a meat thermometer to ensure it reached a safe temp of 165F (74C). Add more grilling time if needed.

3. Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before slicing into thin strips.

4. Halve the grape tomatoes lengthwise. Chop the poblano and red pepper into ½-inch dice (1.27 cm).

5. Divide the salad greens between four salad containers or bowls.

6. Top with the tomatoes, black beans, corn, poblano pepper, bell pepper, cheese, and chicken.

7. Drizzle with salad dressing and garnish with tortilla strips and pepitas right before serving.

🌡️ How to Store Southwest Chicken Salad

You can keep leftover spicy southwest salad in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Keep the salad dressing and tortilla strips separate until right before serving.

💭 Expert Tips from a Dietitian

This is a level 2 recipe (transition or weight maintenance). This spicy southwest salad is under 500 calories without the dressing. With the dressing, this salad is 583 calories per serving.

The Chick-Fil-A Spicy Southwest Salad is healthy compared to most American fast-food options. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t bump up the nutrient density even more when we make it at home.

Our version of this salad is a little lower in calories than Chick-Fil-A's version with dressing and toppings. Additionally, I’ve added a larger volume of veggies to help keep you full. Another benefit of the homemade southwest salad is that it is free of ultra-processed foods.

If you have higher energy needs, feel free to add some additional toppings, such as some more crushed tortilla chips or nuts. Another idea would be to add a serving of bread or crackers on the side.

To make a southwest salad under 500 calories with the dressing, skip the tortilla strips and pepitas. You should also swap out the cheese for a low-fat version. One more thing you could do to make it lower calorie is use plain nonfat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream in the dressing.

FAQs

How to make keto southwest salad?

The carbs in my Chick Fil A Southwest Salad copycat (with dressing) is 27.8 grams. To make it keto diet friendly, you should make your Chick Fil A Southwest Salad no beans no corn. You can add additional chicken if you’d like more filling protein.

What is the Spicy Southwest Salad Chick Fil A price?

At the time of writing, the cost of the Spicy Southwest Salad at Chick-Fil-A is $9.69 in my area. Prices are subject to change, and may vary by Chick-Fil-A location.

Is the Chick Fil A Southwest Salad gluten free?

According to Chick-Fil-A, they do not have a dedicated space to prepare GF foods, so they cannot guarantee that cross-contact didn’t occur. The Chick Fil A Spicy Southwest Salad with a grilled filet doesn’t have gluten-containing ingredients. However, it could have had contact with gluten during preparation.

What is the healthiest meal at Chick Fil A?

“Healthiest” for you always depends on what your needs are. An option that may be good for those looking to lose weight are the salads with a grilled filet and honey mustard dressing or the light balsamic vinaigrette. I’d also recommend the fruit cup, side salads, applesauce, grilled nuggets, and milk.

Is it healthy to eat Chick Fil A every day?

Most individuals could fit food from Chick-Fil-A daily into an overall healthy diet, but it really depends on what you’re ordering. The grilled nuggets and salads (with certain dressings) are OK as dietary mainstays for most people. A daily meal of a fried chicken sandwich, waffle fries, and large soda will probably crowd out more nutritious options.

👩🏻‍🍳 Other Chick-Fil-A Salads

Here are a few more Chick-Fil-A copycat salads to try:

• Chick Fil A Kale Crunch Salad
• Chick-Fil-A Salads Menu

📖 Recipe

Join our community! Subscribe for all of the latest and greatest recipes, and follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube!