Next Post
25 Minute Ginger Steak Cucumber Bowls.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
Tajín Chicken Jalapeño Corn Caesar Salad – Grilled tajín honey lime chicken is tossed together with a creamy charred jalapeño parmesan Caesar dressing made with tahini. Romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, grilled corn, avocado, and cubes of cheddar round out this Mexican-inspired Caesar salad. It’s so good! Serve any night of the week all summer long.
You all! I’m so excited and happy to be cooking summer recipes right now. I’m in my grill everything, bake with stone fruit and berries, and add ice cream to everything you can phase of summer. Maybe I’ll even do s’mores!
Every summer, like clockwork, I crave making and enjoying Caesar salad. I had my first Caesar over summer break with my Nonnie, and now it’s a memory I love to think back on throughout the summer months. We would order so many Caesars together!
I’m sharing a spicer salad today and I know Nonnie would fully love this salad. She loved a spicy kick!
The salad itself is amazing. It consists of chicken tossed with tajín seasoning and honey, then grilled and finished with lime. The chicken is then layered in a bowl with greens, charred corn, chunks of avocado, and cubes of cheese.
But it’s the dressing that really makes this Caesar salad. It’s not a traditional mayo-based Caesar, but wow, it makes you whisper yummy while enjoying each bite!
Here are some details
Step 1: make the “Caesar” dressing
This is truly one of my favorite dressings. It’s not a classic Caesar dressing. Traditionally, Caesar dressing contains anchovies and raw egg yolks, but this dressing has none of that. I know, technically, this really isn’t a Caesar salad, but the creaminess is spot on, and the flavor is perfect.
A combination of creamy tahini (sesame seed paste), Dijon mustard, and a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce (did you know that one of the main ingredients in Worcestershire is anchovies?). The tahini adds the creaminess that the raw egg yolk would add, while the Dijon and Worcestershire sauce adds all the savory, salty flavors that the anchovies would add.
And then, charred roasted jalapeños – these MAKE the dressing. Char the peppers on the grill, then steam them, give them a chop, and mix into the creamy dressing. So delicious.
Step 2: the garlic croutons
Toss cubes of ciabatta with a garlic clove and olive oil. Grill the bread and season with salt.
Use a grill pan to grill the cubes or leave the bread large enough so that it does not fall through the grates.
Step 3: the Tajín Honey Lime Chicken?
Toss chicken with Tajín seasoning and honey. The honey adds a nice balance to the spice.
Grill until you have pretty char marks and the chicken is fully cooked. Once you’ve removed the chicken from the grill, add lots of lime zest, juice, and sea salt.
Step 4: put it all together…
Arrange the lettuce in a bowl. Add the tomatoes, grilled corn, cheese, avocado, sliced chicken, and lots of dressing.
Delicious! And I especially love cheddar cheese with summer cherry tomatoes and sweet grilled corn.
This is one of those salads you’ll crave all summer long. The creamy, spicy jalapeño dressing really ups the salad dressing game. This salad would be great for Father’s Day or the 4th of July; you’ll be excited to serve it!
Looking for other summer salads? Here are a few of my go-to’s.
Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Pasta Salad
Greek Watermelon Feta Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
Lastly, if you make this Tajín Honey Lime Chicken Jalapeño Corn Caesar Salad, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Tajín Honey Lime Chicken and Jalapeño Corn Caesar Salad
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 536 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 cups torn ciabatta bread
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons tajín
- 2 teaspoons honey
- lime zest and juice from 1-2 limes
- 6 cups shredded romaine lettuce
- 1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup grilled corn kernels
- 1 avocado, cubed
- 1 cup cubed spicy cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup chopped scallions basil and or cilantro
Jalapeño Caesar
- 1-2 jalapeños
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1-2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan
Instructions
- 1. To make the dressing. Grill or char the jalapeños over an open flame until charred. Place in a bowl, cover, and steam 5 minutes. Chop these guys up. 2. Combine all remaining ingredients except the jalapeños in a blender and blend until smooth. Mix in the jalapeños. Taste and adjust the salt.3. To make the salad. Set your grill, grill pan, or skillet to medium-high heat. 4. Toss the ciabatta and garlic with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Grill the bread until grill marks appear, 5 minutes. Slide bread crumbs onto a plate. Season with salt.5. In a bowl, toss the chicken with 1 tablespoon olive oil, the tajín, honey, and salt. Grill the chicken until cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Top with lime zest and juice. Thinly slice.6. Add the romaine, tomatoes, corn, avocado, cheese, herbs, chicken, croutons, and dressing. Toss to combine. Serve immediately.
This post was originally published on June 11, 2024
I am obsessed with Tajín so I knew I needed to try this. I did have a few minor issues with the rub. I’m not sure if I accidentally used too much honey, but the mix to toss the chicken in became almost like a paste. It eventually loosened up after throughly rubbing it all over the chicken. The next issue was the mix that dripped off the chicken and on the pan burned by the time the chicken was cooked through. I definitely wanted the sauce/glaze to drizzle over it.
Do you think slicing the breast in half would help, so it would cook faster without burning? Or maybe backing it instead?
Will try again with some changes!
Hi Kaley,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! I would add a touch more olive oil to the chicken mix for next time, that should help loosen it up. Yes, if you want to use chicken tenders or smaller breasts next time that should help with the burning. I hope this helps! xT
Hi Tieghan,
First of all, I really love your recipes!
For this recipe, I was wondering, what could be a gluten free replacement voor the worecestershire sauce?
Thank you in advance! 🙂
Hey Alaia,
Thanks so much for your kind message! Coconut aminos would also work nicely for you! I hope you love this recipe! xT
Really delicious! Dressing was too thick, but I added water and it thinned it out perfectly. Everything else was great!
Hey Marissa,
Love to hear this! Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try and your comment! Have the best day:)
Finally a salad I look forward to eating! The dressing is amazing and I want to add it to everything. Oddly enough, I didn’t have the tajin seasoning on hand, so I just mixed up some other fun spicy seasonings and it worked out just fine. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks so much, Amy!! I love to hear that this salad was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it! xT
This is a great salad!!! I added additional roasted jalapeños (and forgot the cheese….but it didn’t really need it). The chicken with the honey & tajin is SO delicious! Will definitely be making this one again. Thanks for another great recipe!
Hey Susan,
Happy Sunday! I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! x
This salad is my new favorite. I’ve made it twice in the last 4 days. It’s healthy, delicious, and just the right amount of spice! Thank you so much. I absolutely love it!
Hi Tracey,
Fantastic! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it turned out nicely for you! xT
I looooovvved this salad. Especially the chicken. Looking forward to making this chicken on repeat for tacos, quesadillas, etc.
Hey Sydney,
Love to hear this! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and your feedback! Happy Tuesday:)
I added 2 tbsp water to the dressing and it solved the issues others are reporting about not being creamy and the dressing separating.
Hey Portia,
Awesome! Thanks so much for sharing this tip:) I appreciate you trying the recipe! xT
Hi, recently found the recipe which include using tajín which I love and I basically only used to rim a cocktail . Very excited to try with the chicken grilled and the salad
Thanks so much, Sandi!! I hope you love this salad:) Happy Friday! xT
Not a rating yet, I have a question. I made the dressing and it didn’t get creamy is there something I’m missing?
My dressing didn’t get creamy. Did I blend it too much? It’s almost like curdles.
Hi Lori,
Thanks for trying this recipe! Was there anything you adjusted in the dressing? Let me know how I can help! xx
Made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit! I made a few swaps as I didn’t have tajin (used mix of spices and lime juice) or ciabatta bread ( replaced with Parmesan cheese crisps) but turned out delicious. The dressing and the corn were the stars of the show in my opinion. This will be a repeat recipe in our house this summer.
Hey Sarah,
Happy Friday!! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, so glad it was a winner:) x
What would cause the dressing to seperate? I’m using EVO and all the ingredients listed, mixed in my food processor. The only ingredient not in mixer is the chopped jalapeños. Any way to salvage it?
I’m not one to give up. Tried it again and this time slowly drizzled in the evo (1/3c recipe) and it thickened and separated and is thick like peanut butter with oil floating on it. Thoughts? EVO is fresh. Tahini is also first time jar was opened.
Hey Nancy,
Thanks for trying this recipe! Are any of your ingredients cold? Otherwise I would give it a nice blend and then just toss over the salad, as long as it tastes good:) xx
They were not cold but adding the water did the trick and I was able to ‘save’ the dressing! Thank you
Made this for dinner tonight. It was excellent, and had quite a kick. I didn’t have Tajin seasoning so looked up a recipe on how to make it. It called for chipotle and since I didn’t have any of that, I used cayenne pepper which may have made it more spicy. So many flavors. Dressing was delicious, much thicker than I expected but coated the salad well. Will definitely make again!
Hey Cheryl,
Happy Wednesday! I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and your comment, so glad it turned out nicely for you! I definitely think the cayenne is spicer than tajin:) x
Recently I noticed that when I save a pdf of your recipes, the name of the dish does not self populate like it used to. Instead, it is titled “Jupiter,” which I think is the platform? Any suggestions (other than typing out the name manually every time?). Still worth doing because your recipes are good, but . . .
I just looked up tajin seasoning and it looks like there are many different options. Which one do you use? Thanks!
Hey Dani,
Here is the link for the one I used:
https://goto.target.com/c/2773249/81938/2092?subid1=58c18d1bf051050f829e3c0b&subid2=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.halfbakedharvest.com%2Fchicken-jalapeno-corn-caesar%2F%23wprm-recipe-container-165923&sharedid=Half+Baked+Harvest&subid3=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.target.com%2Fp%2Ftajin-gluten-free-classic-seasoning-5oz%2F-%2FA-14767442%3Faflt%3Dplt%257Clm%23lnk%3Dsametab&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.target.com%2Fp%2Ftajin-gluten-free-classic-seasoning-5oz%2F-%2FA-14767442%3Faflt%3Dplt%257Clm%23lnk%3Dsametab#lnk=sametab
Please let me know if you have any other questions! I hope you love this recipe! xT