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Chipotle Wedge Salad Recipe

4.8 from 407 reviews

This Chipotle Wedge Salad is a refreshing and flavorful take on the classic wedge salad, featuring a spicy and creamy chipotle dressing made from buttermilk, mayonnaise, and fresh ingredients like tomatillos and jalapenos. Topped with crunchy tortilla strips, sweet corn, black beans, grape tomatoes, and crumbled queso fresco, this salad offers a perfect combination of textures and bold southwestern flavors.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Dressing

  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tomatillos, husked and roughly chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and roughly chopped
  • 1 green onion, roughly chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 canned chipotle in adobo sauce, split open and seeds scraped out
  • 1/2 lime, juiced
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup packed cilantro leaves

For the Salad

  • 1 head of iceberg lettuce, cut into 6 wedges
  • 1 15 ounce can corn, drained and rinsed
  • 1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 10.5 ounce carton grape tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 4 ounce package tortilla strips
  • 1 cup crumbled queso fresco

Instructions

  1. Make the Dressing: In a blender, combine buttermilk, mayonnaise, tomatillos, jalapeno, green onion, garlic, chipotle chile, lime juice, and kosher salt. Blend until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
  2. Add Cilantro: Add the packed cilantro leaves to the blender and pulse until the cilantro is finely chopped but not completely pureed, leaving some texture in the dressing. Pour the dressing into a squeeze bottle or bowl and set aside for serving.
  3. Prepare the Lettuce Wedges: Cut the head of iceberg lettuce into 6 wedges, keeping the core intact so the wedges hold their shape when plated.
  4. Assemble the Salad: Place each wedge on a plate and top with a scoop of corn, black beans, a handful of grape tomatoes, chopped green onion, chopped fresh cilantro, crunchy tortilla strips, and a generous sprinkling of crumbled queso fresco.
  5. Serve: Drizzle the chipotle dressing on top of each wedge just before serving, or serve the dressing on the side. Enjoy this vibrant and flavorful wedge salad immediately for best texture and taste.

Notes

  • You can adjust the spiciness of the dressing by adding or reducing the amount of chipotle in adobo sauce or the jalapeno pepper.
  • For a creamier dressing, use full-fat mayonnaise and buttermilk.
  • To make this salad vegan, substitute the mayonnaise and queso fresco with vegan alternatives and use a plant-based buttermilk.
  • Tortilla strips add a nice crunch, but you can also use crushed tortilla chips if desired.
  • If fresh tomatillos are unavailable, canned tomatillos can be used but fresh provides the best flavor.

Keywords: Chipotle wedge salad, southwestern salad, creamy chipotle dressing, iceberg wedge salad, easy salad recipe, summer salad