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Top down view of a white dish with a rice, bean, and chicken salad topped with chopped cilantro.

Southwest Rice and Bean Salad with Sweet and Spicy Dressing

Yield: 10 -10 Servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 to 5 cups cooked rice, slightly warm or at room temperature (white, brown, wild rice or a combination)
  • 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 12-ounce can corn, drained (see note)
  • 2 cups cooked chopped or shredded chicken
  • 4 green onions, chopped

Dressing:

  • ⅔ cup canola, vegetable or olive oil (see note)
  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice
  • 4 pickled jalepeno pepper rounds (from a jar) - use more for a bit more heat, if desired
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions 

  • For the salad, add all of the salad ingredients together in a large bowl and toss lightly.
  • For the dressing, add all the dressing ingredients to a blender and process until well-combined.
  • Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and toss to combine. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed (important!).
  • Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled. The salad can be assembled and refrigerated for 1 to 2 hours before serving.

Notes

Rice: This salad would also be delicious with cooked quinoa or a quinoa/rice blend in place of the rice.
Corn: In place of the canned corn, you can use fresh corn kernels (no need to cook, just cut off the cob and add to the salad) or frozen corn kernels that have been thawed. 
Oil: Over the years, I've cut back the oil to 1/2 cup and the dressing (and salad) still turns out stellar.
Salt: The amount of salt this salad needs is largely dependent on the salt content of the canned ingredients, as well as how much salt was used to cook the rice. So make sure to taste the salad after assembling and add additional salt (and pepper), if needed.
Add-ins and Variations:
  • Add chopped cilantro, diced tomatoes or avocados to the salad.
  • Use finely chopped red onions or chives in place of the green onions.
  • Serve the salad warm wrapped in warm tortillas with cheese (or make into quesadillas and crisp up in a skillet or on a griddle).
  • Use a can of green chiles in place of the jalapeños.