McDonald’s Southwest Salad {Copycat Recipe}

This McDonald's Southwest Salad is a delicious copycat, right down to the homemade southwest salad dressing and healthier crispy chicken!

While the original McDonald’s salad is not gluten-free, this recipe can be adapted for that diet. Breadcrumbs and panko both include wheat flour, but there are gluten-free breadcrumbs on the market or you can use grilled chicken instead of breaded. Tortilla strips are usually made of corn, so you can still enjoy them in the gluten-free version of this salad, but leave them out if you're looking to go low carb. You'll also want to leave out the black beans and corn as they are higher in carbs.

Ingredients:

Crispy chicken

1/2 lb chicken tenders

2 eggs

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 cup regular breadcrumbs

Cooking spray & salt to taste (optional)

Salad fillings

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped

Black beans

Corn

Tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup Shredded cheddar cheese

Tortilla strips

Cilantro, chopped

Southwest salad dressing

3/4 cup sour cream

2 tbsp lime juice

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp chili flakes