Living in a small town all my life, I’ve always known that small town tend to be havens that harbour the most delicious food imaginable. And my own hometown is certainly no exception. From the local butcher shop’s famous beef jerky to the local bakery’s decadent brown butter brownies to the family restaurant’s infamous pizza, there are all kinds of culinary delights in Lumsden! And when I’m in the mood for Mexican, there’s no better place to get it than the local tavern. An ice-cold Corona and a Grilled Chicken Taco Salad are always a great way to satisfy my craving!
So when Old El Paso Canada gave me the challenge of indulging in a Mexican meal at a restaurant and then recreating the dish at home, I was only too happy to head out for the evening and spoil myself with a little Mexican food and a tasty beverage. I snapped my picture of the meal and got ready to recreate my favourite Mexican indulgence…with a little help from Old El Paso!
I picked up all the essential ingredients, including Old El Paso Soft Flour Tortillas and Old El Paso Thick N’ Chunky Medium Salsa. Then it was time to get cooking! The first task was making the taco bowls. Now I have to admit, the main reason that I love my Grilled Chicken Taco Salad so much is the fact that it comes in a crispy, greasy, deep-fried taco bowl. But it’s definitely not the healthiest choice, so I decided to lighten up my salad by baking a taco bowl instead. I brushed both sides of an Old El Paso tortilla shell with olive oil, popped it into an oven-proof bowl to form the shape and baked it at 375 degrees for about ten minutes until it was crisp and golden. Then it was time to fill it up!
Old El Paso Restaurant-Style Grilled Chicken Taco Salad
Ingredients
- 4 Old El Paso Soft Flour Tortillas
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 4 chicken breasts cubed
- 2 cups chopped lettuce
- 1 to mato diced
- 1 red pepper diced
- 1 red onion diced
- 2 green onions diced
- 4 oz. marble cheddar cheese grated
- Old El Paso Taco Seasoning Mix
- Sour Cream and Old El Paso Thick N' Chunky Salsa to serve
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush both sides of tortillas with 1 tbsp. olive oil and place inside ovenproof bowls to form a bowl shape. Bake for 10 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.
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Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in frying pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink. Add Old El Paso Taco Seasoning Mix to taste and saute until fully cooked and light golden.
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Remove taco bowls from oven and let cool slightly before placing on plate. Fill bowls with lettuce, red onion, tomato, red pepper and green onion. Top vegetables with chicken and cheese.
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Serve with sour cream and Old El Paso Thick N' Chunky salsa.
My Grilled Chicken Taco Salad might not have been quite the same as the greasy, delicious version I enjoy when I eat out, but the fact that I could load it up with extra fresh vegetables and seasoned chicken made it every bit as good. And while the baked taco bowl might not have been quite as tasty as a deep fried one, it was still crispy and delicious…with a lot less fat!
Old El Paso has inspired me to see what other Mexican favourites I can recreate in my own home and I have a feeling new Mexican delicacies are going to be making their way onto my meal plan fairly often. If you have a favourite Mexican restaurant with a dish that makes your mouth water, why not head into the kitchen and see if you can recreate it at home? Chances are your homemade creation will be healthier and just as delicious. And with Old El Paso, creating restaurant-style Mexican delicacies at home is easy and fun!
Disclosure: I am an Old El Paso #YouMexiCAN ambassador and receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this program. Opinions expressed are mine and are not influenced in any way.
Lynda says
I love taco salad of any variety and this recipe sounds delicious. I’m going to try it out this weekend. Thanks for the great photos and tips.
Kathryn says
Thanks so much, Lynda! I am a HUGE taco salad fan too; I really want to try a ground beef variation now! 🙂 Can’t wait to hear how you like it!
Teresa Claire says
I love Mexican food and Old El Paso is the only product that we have ever purchased to create a wonderful Mexican meal. I received a $2 off coupon yesterday in the mail and I couldn’t decide which item to choose…so thank you for this recipe and the too real photos! I am thinking…Mexican for Friday night dinner 🙂
Kathryn says
Mmm, that sounds like a delicious dinner, Teresa! 🙂 I highly recommend trying the taco bowls; they were so easy and just make a meal extra special. Who doesn’t love a bowl you can eat? Lol
Mel says
That looks just wonderful! My family loves Mexican dishes.
Wanda Tracey says
I love Old El Paso.and in a taco there`s a grilled ckicken salad.I t just doesn`t get any better.This could possibly become my favorite salad. I will definitelt try yours because I have been makin something like this delicious recipe.Thanks so much for sharing.
Doris Calvert says
Oh I love taco salad but always make it with hamburger but I would much rather have chicken and never even thought of doing that! Thank you I know it will be one of our favorites!
@newfiechick says
This looks absolutely delicious!!!
Rhonda Runtz says
I will definitely be trying this recipe. Mmmmmm
Chandra Christine O'Connor says
my kids love taco salads
Christine Harrison says
Oh, that look absolutely delicious! I’m going to have to make this! Thank you 🙂
Judy C (Cowan) says
I love Taco Salad but usually make it with ground beef. Thanks for this variation, I am definitely going to make it. Love using the flour tortillas for the bowl.
cheryl mansfield says
this looks so good , definitely need to try
Debbie says
Thank you! added it to the next dish to make list for my family
Nena Sinclair says
You did a fantastic job! This taco salad looks amazing! I Pinned it to my Recipes board, I’ve got to make it myself very soon, my kids will love it as well! Thanks for the recipe!
Annie says
These pictures and the description made me hungry! I’m going to make this for sure.
Tia Tilley says
Holy cow. This looks good! I will have to try it. Thanks for the tip! 🙂
Angela Mitchell says
This would be a big hit with my husband and daughter I think. I really like Old El Paso products!
Elizabeth Matthiesen says
now I know how to make those bowls – thanks so much. I love wraps, tortillas and all those things but I’m afraid I don’t like Salsa, in fact I don’t like any spicy foods.
Hailey says
my family has tostadas all the time! There is a great restaurant and mexican store that both make homemade salsa and tortilla shells and tortilla chips! they are to DIE for!
Vesper says
Now that we live in a town without any restaurants (having moved from Britain and always living in small towns with lots of restaurants) we make all our old restaurant favourites ourselves including tacos – much healthy
Debbie S. says
We love Taco Salad, although never made it with chicken before! Looks delicious! Thanks for sharing!
ikkinlala says
That looks pretty good. I wonder if I could make the tortilla bowls with my homemade tortillas – I’ll have to give that a try.
Holly says
I love Mexican food. I don’t care what it is. Just pass it on over! This looks delicious. Sadly, I’m the only one in my house that eats it 🙁 They’ll have to suffer though, because this recipe is bookmarked and being made this weekend! 🙂
Alison Braidwood says
That looks seriously delicious ,and not too complicated to put together. It’s on my To Try list now.
Andrea says
Yum…makes my mouth water!
Erika E says
I like the way you made the bowl with the tortilla. I’ll have to try that. Looks good!
jessica s says
oh this is drool worthy! yummy
Anna W says
We all love everything taco style in this house! I have never tried making a salad like this in an edible bowl! What a great idea and it is also something that is different to catch the kiddies eyes. I am going to have to bookmark this page, thank you for sharing your recipe =)
Victoria Ess says
I love the bowl!! I will definitely try that next time we have taco night!
Ashleigh Swerdfeger says
Yum! That sounds amazing> I love taco bowls. It is a perfect dinner.
Tara Jensen says
well there’s my dinner for tomorrow!
MrDisco says
Just add #Bacon and it’s perfect!
Deb Dorrington says
I love taco salad and your recipe sounds really good. I think I’ll make this on the weekend when the kids are having a sleepover.
mongupp says
This is definitely a kid-friendly recipe!
Christy Martin says
I never thought of making/forming my own tortilla bowls! Next time around I will try this, we tend to have fajitas or tacos at least once every 2 weeks (sometimes more). This would be a great way to switch it up.
Mellisa Louise says
This looks delicious! I’m so gonna try this taco salad recipe.