Chicken Fajita Salads
With perfectly seasoned chicken, peppers and onions, this Fajita Salad makes the perfect hearty and healthy dinner (or lunch)! Serve it with your favorite fajita fixin's, and dress it up with the spiced citrus dressing to make for the best Chicken Fajita Salad ever. It's also easily made Paleo and Whole30 friendly, too.
Ingredients
- 1 ⁄4 cup orange juice
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs pounded to an even thickness
- 2 bell peppers cored and sliced
- 1 large yellow onion slice
- 4 cups lettuce of choice we recommend a lettuce blend!
- 2 ripe avocado sliced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup cooked or rinsed canned black beans (optional)
- ½ cup picked cilantro leaves optional
Instructions
- Whisk together orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, black pepper and cayenne pepper in a large bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning. Pour half of the dressing into a small container, and set aside for serving with the salad dressing.
- Add chicken to the large bowl of dressing and set aside to marinate, for at least 15 minutes or up to overnight.
- Heat a grill pan or large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add chicken. Cook until chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165ºF, about 5-7 minutes per side. Remove chicken and loosely cover with foil to keep warm.
- Add peppers and onion to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, about 5-7 minutes. Shut off heat, and let cool slightly.
- Slice up chicken.
- Assemble the salads: Divide lettuce, avocado, tomatoes, black beans (if using), cilantro leaves (if using) in a bowl. Divide the chicken and pepper mixture on top, then drizzle over 1-2 tablespoons of the reserved dressing. Serve immediately.
Notes
To make for meal prep: Store salad components in a separate container from the veggies and meat, that way the meat can be heated up on its own. And of course keep dressing separate and add right before serving.
Salad will keep well for 3-5 in the refrigerator, depend on what you top it with. Omit sliced avocado for meal prep salad.
This recipe was originally published in 2014, but updated with a new recipe in 2020.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/4 recipe | Calories: 321kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 600mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 7g