Chicken Fajita Salad Bowl
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Think of this Chicken salad bowl recipe as the opportunity to have fajita night every night. It’s a lower calorie alternative to your classic fajita wrap, whilst being just as flavourful and simple to make.
Table of Contents
Why this recipe works
For this chicken fajita recipe, no packet seasoning is required! The fajita seasoning is made from staple cupboard ingredients, meaning you don’t have to go out shopping for ‘old el peso’ (not knocking this seasoning, very nice).
This meal is ideal when you’re cooking in a rush and want to get in an array of nutrients from a range of veggies. There’s green/yellow/red peppers, lettuce and sweetcorn. Protein provided by the smokey & saucy chicken thighs. Fats provided by the sourcream. The bowl is a medley of so many flavours that come together to make something pretty beautiful.
Try some other fajita recipes after this one; One Pot Chicken & Veg Fajitas, Chicken Fajita Lettuce Boats and Tuna Steak Fajita Bowls. For a vegetarian version try these ; Jackfruit Fajitas
Ingredients
Chicken thighs
When I think of fajitas, I think of juicy, smoky and tender chicken. That’s why I’ve opted for boneless/skinless chicken thighs with this recipe. As we’re skipping the wrap and opting for a lettuce base, we have more calories to play with, so opting for a less lean meat won’t make this a heavily calorific meal.
If you wanted to reduce the calories further, you can could sub the thighs for chicken breast to reduce the fats. Just be conscious to not overcook the chicken breast as it’s naturally a lot drier than chicken thighs!
Mixed Peppers
If you can, go for a mix of green, yellow and red bell peppers. This will give you the widest range of nutrients (#eattherainbow). We all know green peppers aren’t the tastiest, but the fajita seasoning will carry those lil green pepper strips through.
Sweetcorn
You can use frozen, canned or fresh sweetcorn here. Whatever you have works! If you only have frozen corn, cook the corn according to packet instructions and then rinse in the collinder until cool. Cold corn for this recipe works best- we don’t wanna cause any soggy lettuce.
Fajita Seasoning
I went for a blend of chilli powder (for the depth/heat), cumin (for smokiness), cayenne pepper (++heat) and oregano (fresh/herbiness). If you don’t have chilli powder you could sub with smoked paprika and depending on heat preference, either increase/decrease the cayenne.
See the recipe card for full information on all ingredients and quantities.
How to make this recipe
* If you have time, marinade the chicken thighs for up to 6 hours in the fridge.
- Cut the chicken into strips and coat with rapeseed oil and the fajita seasoning, made with chilli powder, cumin, oregano and cayenne pepper. I used tongs to ensure the chicken strips were evenly coated (Image 1).
- Once the pan is hot, distribute the chicken thighs into the pan and leave untouched for 5 minutes. After five minutes, the chicken should have started to brown. Now you can stir in the peppers, ensuring you reduce the heat and continue to cook until the chicken has cooked through, for about 8 -10 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper (Image 2).
3. Set your chicken/peppers aside to cool and assemble the base of your salad by adding the lettuce to a bowl, along with a large spoonful of sweetcorn (Image 3).
4. Once the chicken and peppers have cooled, add the chicken/peppers, sour cream, chopped fresh chillies, a sprinkle of coriander, a dollop of sour cream and a squeeze of lime (Image 4).
Here are some other salad bowl recipes for you to try; Tuna Salad Bowl, Salmon Rice Bowl and Tricolore Salad bowl
Tips and Tricks
Marinate the chicken
To add flavour to the chicken, marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight for maximum flavor.
Use a skillet
Heat a separate skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat and cook the marinated chicken until it is cooked through and slightly charred on the outside, as this will give the chicken a delicious smoky flavor.
Prep Vegetables and Chicken
Ensure the peppers and chicken are cut into even strips. Allow the cooked chicken to rest for a few minutes before slicing it into thin strips. Similarly, slice the sautéed vegetables into thin strips for easy incorporation into the salad bowl.
Garnishes
Enhance the flavours and textures of the salad bowl by adding various toppings and garnishes such as sliced avocado, grated cheese, sour cream, sliced jalapeños and that squeeze of lime!
FAQs
I used a combination of chilli powder, cumin, oregano and cayenne pepper in this fajita seasoning recipe. You could also add smoked paprika which would taste great. Be careful with the cayenne pepper as this is very hot!
Yes, there’s lots of fibre in this meal due to the variety of veggies and the chicken thighs provide a lot of protein and fats. There’s no need for the additional carbs with the wrap to get you full with this recipe!
Fajitas are traditionally from Mexico, where the sizzling pieces of marinated and seasoned meat are cooked on a skillet and served together with peppers and onions. The fajitas are served with flour or corn tortillas.
If you love fajitas, you will also enjoy these recipes: Dorito Taco Salad Recipe, Halloumi Tacos and Vegetable Tacos With Chipotle Sour Cream
How to meal prep this recipe
If like me, you’re meal prepping this recipe to have as lunch throughout the week, here is the best way to prep it. Follow the steps of marinating/cooking and cooling the chicken/peppers. Store this in a tupperware in the fridge. On the morning of prepping your lunch, slice and rinse a portion of the iceberg lettuce and place in your lunch container. Add the chicken/peppers, sweetcorn and place a dollop of sour cream on top, along with the coriander, chillies and a wedge of lime.
When it’s time to eat, squeeze the lime over your fajita salad bowl and stir to combine everything. Delicious! If you end up skipping a meal prep day because you go out for lunch etc, freeze a portion of the chicken to eat the following week with some fresh lettuce.
Explore More Recipes
If you tried this Chicken Fajita Salad Bowl recipe, it would be mean so much to me if you could leave a review & a star rating to let me know how you found it! I love hearing about your experiences – it motivates me to keep creating more and more recipes for you guys 💛 Let’s get cooking! – Mimi x
Chicken Fajita Salad Bowl
Ingredients
- 600 g boneless skinless chicken thighs, sliced into strips (£3.85)
- 3 mixed peppers, sliced into strips (£0.85)
- 1 large tin of sweetcorn (£0.32)
- Fresh coriander, torn (£0.50)
- Fresh chillies, finely chopped (£0.47)
- 1 iceberg lettuce, washed and chopped (£0.43)
- 2 limes (£0.17x2)=(£0.34)
- 5 dollops/ tbsp sour cream (£1.10/2)=(£0.55)
Cupboard Essentials
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 2 tsp chilli powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- Salt & Pepper
Method
- *If you have time, marinade the chicken thighs for up to 6 hours in the fridge.
- Add the chicken strips into a large bowl and coat with the rapeseed oil, chilli powder, cumin, oregano and cayenne pepper. Use tongs to ensure everything is evenly coated and cover with cling film until it’s time to fry.
- To a large non-stick frying pan, increase the heat to high to pre-heat the pan. Once the pan is hot, add the chicken thighs into the pan and distribute the chicken so that the most of the chicken has contact with the pan. Leave untouched for 5 minutes.
- After five minutes, the chicken should have taken on some colour/browning. Reduce the heat to medium and stir the peppers into the pan, continue to cook until the chicken has cooked through, for about 8-10 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Set your chicken/peppers aside to cool. If you don’t mind it hot, then skip this step.
- Meanwhile, assemble the base of your salad by adding the lettuce to a bowl, along with a generous spoonful of sweetcorn. Add the cooled chicken/peppers and top with a dollop of sour cream, chopped fresh chillies, a sprinkle of coriander and a squeeze of lime.
Notes
- Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes or overnight for maximum flavor.
- Cook the marinated chicken in a skillet or grill pan until it is cooked through and slightly charred for a smoky flavor.
- Cut the peppers and cooked chicken into even strips, and slice the sautéed vegetables into thin strips for easy incorporation into the salad bowl.
- Enhance the salad bowl with toppings and garnishes like sliced avocado, grated cheese, sour cream, sliced jalapeños, and a squeeze of lime.
Nutrition
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