Creamy, smoky and with some subtle heat, this homemade Southwest Dressing is so flavorful and will elevate your salad to the next level. Chipotles in adobo and fresh lime juice blended with spices and honey in a creamy luscious dressing. Makes 1-1/3 cups in seconds.
Please tell me you’ve had McDonald’s southwest chicken salad? Normally I wouldn’t order a salad from a fast-food place (Panera Bread being the exception) because I swear the lettuce tastes weird and all you get is those hard, white lettuce core pieces. But I was plesantly surprised when I ordered this one night when we were headed to Haileigh’s softball game and had to eat on the go.
The salad itself was delicious, but the Newman’s Own Southwest dressing is gold!
I’ve scoured my local grocery stores and even searched online and cannot find a retailer. McDonald’s seems to be the only place that has this dressing. How can this be? But you know me, and I never back down from a challenge, so I tried my best to recreate it.
To Make This Homemade Southwest Dressing You Will Need:
- mayonnaise
- sour cream
- honey
- lime
- chipotles [in adobo]
- adobo sauce
- apple cider vinegar
- adobo seasoning
- ground cumin
- dried cilantro
- paprika
- teaspoon annatto (for color, but optional)
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- cayenne pepper
Add everything in to a blender. That’s 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon honey, juice of 1 lime, 1 to 2 chipotles [in adobo] plus 1 to 2 teaspoons of the adobo sauce, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons each of adobo seasoning, ground cumin and dried cilantro, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon annatto (for color, but optional), salt and pepper to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon) and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
Flip the switch and puree until smooth and creamy. If you need to, thinning with a little bit of water at a time until you reach a desired consistency.
Pour the dressing into a jar or glass bottle with a tight fitting lid and before using, refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours but overnight is best!
For more recipes, check out my post of 50+ homemade salad dressings and vinaigrette options!
Enjoy! And if you give this Southwest Dressing recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
Southwest Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 to 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 to 2 chipotles [in adobo], plus 1 to 2 teaspoons of the adobo sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons adobo seasoning, (see notes)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried cilantro
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon annatto, for color (optional)
- 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more or less to taste
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Add all ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a glass jar or bottle and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours but overnight is best!
- Should keep for a week or so in the fridge.
Notes
Buy the Cookbook: Simply Scratch : 120 Wholesome Homemade Recipes Made Easy Now available on Amazon »
THANK YOU in advance for your support!
THANK YOU!!! I love this salad from McDonald’s and, like you, was not expecting much, but tried it on the go on a friend’s recommendation. I was so pleasantly surprised at the quality of the salad, and the dressing absolutely made it. I tried to find the dressing also, but it appears to be exclusively for McDonald’s. So, happy dance to see your post this morning! Guess what I’m making this afternoon? And, I have your wonderful cookbook so will be looking up the adobo seasoning recipe. Can’t wait to try!
Oh yay!! I’m glad I’m not alone with my love for that dressing, Jaimie!! IMHO this is as close to it as I could possibly get it, but I would love to know if you tweak it at all 🙂 Enjoy!
but also tell me about that salad underneath the dressing, please!
Hi Danielle! I just used baby romaine, leftover chicken from my Mexicali nachos with diced peppers, tomatoes, avocado and cheddar jack cheese. 🙂
This was definitely a hit! I only added one whole chipotle in adobo but did use two teaspoons of sauce and a little extra honey! Also made my own adobo spice from a recipe off the web only because I actually had all the ingredients so did not add extra salt. Otherwise, will add this to my regular repertoire of staple recipes to use again!!!
So glad you enjoyed it, Shelly!
This is delicious, thank you for sharing it with us! I didn’t have sour cream so had to sub yogurt and it tastes great. Easy to manage spice level with adjusting chipotle to your taste.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Kim!
How long can this sauce last refrigerated? Thanks!
Y-U-M!!! I couldn’t imagine the amount of taste that was packed into this dressing, so when I tried it, it almost knocked me out! It’s so delicious. As someone who was obsessed with McDonalds SW salad (and still hurt by its absence), this is just amazing. Thank you for figuring out how to recreate such a tasty dressing. It’s probably the best salad dressing I’ve ever had!