People often ask us how we find the time to cook dinner at home almost every night. While we do like to create more intricate meals on the weekends, a lot of our weeknight dinners are very simple. These chicken fajita salad bowls are one of our go-to recipes for a quick and healthy dinner. Being Chipotle fans (except their new queso – wth is up with that stuff?!), we like to recreate their bowls at home. This is a very simplified version, but it is easy to do in large quantities and would also work great for meal prepping lunches for the week!
If you’re like us, you often forget to marinate your meats ahead of time. Luckily this chicken fajita marinade is so potent, even a quick 20-30 minute marinade while you are prepping the other ingredients is sufficient to get good flavor. If you have the time and want to marinate the chicken longer, go for it.
I do recommend to simmer your beans instead of serving them out of the can. It adds a ton of flavor and makes the beans stand out in your bowl! We like to add a couple dashes of hot sauce (think habanero sauce like this) to add a little spice to the beans. Let them simmer away while grilling the chicken, but be sure to keep an eye on the liquid. You don’t want the beans to dry out!
In addition the the chicken fajitas and beans, we also like to saute some onions and peppers to add a little more veggies to the mix. Once everything has cooked, simply arrange your bowl with lettuce and tomato on the bottom and top with fajita, beans, peppers, and your favorite salsa!! A few of our favorites are Royitos Hot Sauce and Cita’s Salsa (not sponsored, just really love these). Plus, you can’t forget the avocado. Luckily, it doesn’t cost extra at home 🙂
We would love to see your variations on this bowl! Enjoy!!
Chicken Fajita Salad Bowls
Ingredients
- 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
- 1 Lime
- 1/2 Orange
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder
- 1 Handful cilantro Chopped
- 2 Cloves Garilc Minced
- 1/2 Large onion Sliced
- 1 red bell pepper Sliced into strips
- 1 Green Bell Pepper or Poblano Pepper Sliced into strips
- 1 15.5 ounce can Black Beans Rinsed and Drained
- 1.5 Cups Chicken Broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 head romaine lettuce Washed and roughly chopped
- 10-12 cherry tomatoes Halved
- 1 Avocado Sliced
- 1/4 Cup salsa of your choice
- Kosher Salt to taste
Instructions
- Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, juice of 1/2 a lime (reserve other half to add to beans), juice of 1/2 an orange, garlic, cilantro, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and spices (except bay leaf) into large ziplock bag. Mix together. If your chicken breasts are very thick, I recommend to butterfly them or cut into tenders before adding to marinade. Set aside. (Can marinate in fridge overnight).
- Add one tablespoon of olive oil to large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and peppers and cook for about 10-15 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and set aside.
- Add drained beans into small saucepan. Add chicken broth, bay leaf, and juice from remaining lime half. Bring to a simmer. Allow to reduce for about 10 minutes. Note - you can skip this step and simply add beans from the can, but this adds a lot of flavor!
- Heat up outdoor grill or grill pan over high heat. Add small amount of olive oil to prevent sticking. Remove chicken breasts from the marinade and sear on grill pan, approximately 7 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts.
- Arrange bowls with lettuce and tomato, black beans, grilled chicken, and avocado. Top with your favorite salsa and some fresh cilantro.