Pat the chicken breasts dry. If they are very thick, slice horizontally into thinner cutlets or pound the thickest part lightly so they cook evenly. Mix the oil, salt, black pepper, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and lime juice. Coat the chicken thoroughly and let sit for 15–20 minutes. Thinner, evenly shaped chicken breasts cook more evenly and stay juicier. Very thick whole breasts often dry out at the outside before the centre is properly cooked. That consistent thickness across every piece is what lets the whole batch reach the same doneness together, rather than the thinner edges drying out while a thick centre lags behind.

In a bowl, mix the sour cream, mayonnaise, chipotle peppers in adobo, lime juice, garlic, and salt. Stir until smooth. Add a small amount of water only if needed to make it drizzleable. Taste and adjust. It should be creamy, lightly smoky, gently spicy, and bright with lime. Keep it thick enough to cling to the salad, but loose enough to drizzle. If it is too thin, it will sink and water down the salad. Adding that water only gradually, as genuinely needed, protects the crema from thinning past the ideal consistency — it's far easier to loosen it further than to bring it back once too much liquid has already gone in.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the corn dry or with a tiny touch of oil and cook until lightly blistered and charred in spots, about 4–6 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly. Do not stir constantly. Let the corn sit against the pan long enough to pick up real colour. Giving the corn genuine, sustained contact with the hot pan, rather than moving it around continuously, is what allows real charring to develop rather than being interrupted before it has any real chance to form.

Heat a heavy skillet, grill pan, or cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken for about 4–6 minutes per side, depending on thickness, until lightly charred and cooked through. The internal temperature should reach 74°C. Transfer to a board and rest for 5–8 minutes, then slice or cube into bite-size pieces. Resting is important. Cutting immediately releases too much juice and makes the salad watery. During cooking, the chicken's own juices are pushed toward the centre under real pressure, and that rest period lets them redistribute evenly back through the meat rather than spilling directly into the salad if cut too soon.

Chop the lettuce and place it in a large bowl. Add the black beans, charred corn, and tomatoes. If using the optional light lime toss, drizzle the lettuce with lime juice, olive oil, and a small pinch of salt, then toss gently. Keep the greens lightly dressed only. Most of the flavour and moisture will come from the chipotle crema. Keeping this initial toss deliberately light protects the salad from becoming oversaturated before the generous chipotle crema is even added, since the crema itself is meant to carry most of the dish's actual moisture and flavour.

Spread the lettuce mixture into a wide serving bowl or platter. Top with the warm seasoned chicken, avocado, shredded cheese, and crushed tortilla chips. Drizzle generously with the chipotle crema. Scatter over the chopped cilantro and serve with lime wedges. Adding the tortilla chips only at this final assembly stage, rather than earlier, keeps them genuinely crisp right up until the moment they're eaten, rather than softening from contact with the salad's own moisture.

Serve straight away, while the lettuce is crisp, the chicken is still slightly warm, the avocado is fresh, and the tortilla chips still keep some crunch. Every one of those qualities begins to change the moment the salad sits, which is exactly why serving without any real delay matters as much as the careful preparation that came before it.