Grilled Romaine Salad with Chicken, Corn and Salsa Dressing, an EASY 15-minute main dish salad you’ll want to make all summer long!
Grilled Romaine Salad with Chicken
When the weather is warm, all I want is salad! You can see all my salad recipes here from side salads to main dish salads. This Grilled Romaine Salad with Chicken is delicious and substantial as a main dish.
Lettuces do nicely on the grill, softening slightly at their centers and charring beautifully at their tips. Years ago, I recall the first time I tried a grilled Romaine salad out in Monterey, California when it first became popular. It’s pretty common now days, I see many recipes online and even in some restaurants. For this salad, fresh heads of romaine lettuce are split down the middle and grilled until slightly charred and smoky, along with fresh corn and skinless chicken thighs. Finally, it’s topped with tomatoes, onions, avocado and a simple salsa vinaigrette.
Easy Salsa Vinaigrette
The dressing couldn’t be any easier, made with just 3 ingredients. Take some leftover jarred salsa and whisk in a little olive oil and lime juice!
More Main Dish Salad Recipes
- Grilled Chicken and Avocado Salad
- Salmon Avocado Salad
- Thai Shrimp Salad
- Antipasto Salad Platter
- Houston’s Grilled Chicken Salad
Grilled Romaine, Corn and Chicken Salad with Salsa Dressing
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- 1/2 cup jarred mild salsa
- 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 lime
For the chicken:
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs (4 oz each), trimmed of fat
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
For the grilled salad:
- 2 corn on the cobs husks removed
- 2 romaine hearts
- olive oil spray
- 4 oz avocado 1 small hass sliced
- 2 tablespoons diced red onion
- 1/2 cup halved grape tomatoes
- pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- Combine the salsa, olive oil and lime juice; set aside.
- Season the chicken.
- Light the grill to medium heat. Remove any tired outer leaves from the romaine, then halve each head vertically. Place on a large platter and spray cut sides with olive oil spray. Lightly spray corn with olive oil.
- Place chicken and corn on the grill and cook, until cooked through, about 5 minutes on each side, until the chicken is cooked through and the corn is tender. Remove and place on a cutting board.
- Grill romaine close to the heat source over high, cut side down about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove.
- Slice the chicken into strips, cut the kernels off the corn and serve over Romaine with avocado, tomatoes, onions, salt and dressing on top.
I never would’ve thought to grill lettuce, but it works really well with the corn and other veggies. I topped with cotija cheese.
This was insanely good!! I also did grilled chicken breast and just rubbed it down with Morroccan Spices from a different dish. Delicious, fresh and very filling. Will definitely be making this again.
That looks so good!! Going to make it this weekend! I truly love your recipes!! Thanks, Rhonda
Looks great! Â I plan on making as is today since we are out for the summer. Â I am wondering about the grilled lettuce when I go back to work at the end of summer. Â If I take this for lunch, how long will the grilled lettuce last? Â Should I skip grilling the lettuce?
It should be eaten right away, I would skip the grilling.
I’ve made this a few times – so yummy! I bought medium spicy salsa and added a bit of plain 0% yogurt, instead of olive oil  for creamy dressing.Â
Also added  some grilled Halloumi 1oz = 3 smart points. Served each person 1/2 ounce
I made this last night for myself, but used chicken tenderloins instead of thighs since the store didn’t have any boneless thighs.. and it was delicious! It was the first time I had avocado, and it may be an acquired taste by itself but I found if I ate it with chicken or salsa it wasn’t too bad. I think I may see how it does as a mason jar salad, so I can have it for lunch all week!
Made this today-easy and delicious!Â
Perfect for summer…can’t wait to try…simple, no fancy ingredients, a winner! Â Thanks for including light delicious recipes. Â Living in Palm Springs area by dinner time tonight temps will reach 115…
Yikes!!!
What would the points value be by using boneless, skinless chicken breast? Don’t like thighs.
sure!
looks delish, how will it affect the smart points if I use chicken breast instead of thighs.
My guess is 1 point less?
This takes a lot longer on a charcoal grill…Â