Chipotle Chickpea Corn Salad

Published on July 15, 2022

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Quick Summary

Chipotle Chickpea Corn Salad- simple salad made with chickpeas, sweet corn, avocado, cilantro, cotija cheese, and a creamy, smoky chipotle dressing. Serve as a side salad or enjoy with tortilla chips! This salad is a summertime favorite!

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It's no secret that I love a GOOD salad. I am constantly creating new salad recipes because I never want to be bored with what is on my plate.

I especially love chickpea salads. You can't go wrong with my chickpea avocado feta salad, easy chickpea salad, fall chickpea salad, and cauliflower chickpea salad.

I have to say that this Chipotle Chickpea Corn Salad is at the top of my list right now. The flavors are outstanding and the salad is SO easy to make. It is definitely a MUST for summer, when corn is in season.

The salad only takes 15 minutes to make, which makes it great for summertime because who wants to spend a lot of time in the kitchen when you could be outside.

I use fresh corn, right of the cob. You don't need to cook it, raw corn is juicy, sweet, and so delicious. Of course, you can use cooked corn. Sometimes, I will char or grill the corn and it's super tasty too.

The salad is fresh and has all of my favorite ingredients in one bowl. Hearty chickpeas, juicy sweet corn, creamy avocado, fresh cilantro, salty cotija cheese, and zesty lime juice.

And for the best party? The smoky, creamy chipotle dressing. It adds SO much flavor. You are going to LOVE this salad. I promise.

Table of Contents

Salad Ingredients
How to Make Chipotle Chickpea Corn Salad
Serving Suggestions
How to Store
More Salad Recipes
Chipotle Chickpea Corn Salad Recipe

Salad Ingredients

Corn– fresh sweet corn is the best! Remove the husks and use a sharp knife to cut the kernels off of the cob. I like raw corn, but you can cook it if you want. Charred or grilled corn is good too. If you don't have fresh corn, you can use frozen corn.
Chickpeas– I use canned chickpeas to keep the salad super simple. Rinse and drain before using.
Green onions– use a sharp knife to slice the green onions. Red onion will also work.
Avocado– make sure the avocado is ripe!
Cilantro– so fresh!
Cotija cheese– Cotija is an aged Mexican cheese made from cow's milk. It is firm in texture, milky, and salty. You can find cotija cheese at most grocery stores. If you can't find it, queso fresco or even feta cheese will work.
Greek yogurt– use plain Greek yogurt. Sour cream will also work.
Lime juice– use fresh lime juice for the best flavor.
Chipotle pepper– from a can of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce. Dice up the pepper. Pepper sizes vary. You can start with a small pepper and if you want more heat, you can always add more.
Adobo sauce– from the can of chipotle peppers. Start with 1 teaspoon and taste. You can always add more if you want a spicier kick.

How to Make Chipotle Chickpea Corn Salad

In a large bowl, combine the corn, chickpeas, green onion, avocado, cilantro, and cotija cheese.
In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, lime juice, chipotle pepper, adobe sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Taste the sauce and if it's not spicy enough, you can add a little more adobo sauce.
Pour the sauce over the salad and stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. You can squeeze a little extra lime juice on top, if desired.

Serving Suggestions

I love serving this salad with corn tortilla chips. It makes a great dip! You can also serve it in a tortilla wrap, lettuce wrap, or pile it on a bed of greens.

It also makes a great side salad to almost any meal. Here are a few suggestions.

Enchiladas– beef, chicken, bean, or veggie!
Tacos– steak, veggie, shrimp, chicken, turkey, or black bean!
Fajitas– veggie, chicken, shrimp, or steak!
Our Favorite Quesadillas
Steak Kabobs
Burgers
BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

How to Store

Store the chickpea corn salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It is best the day it is made, but I love the leftovers too. It will keep for up to 3 days.

Salads