This Chicken Fajita Salad is a delicious and healthy meal for any night of the week. With perfectly seasoned tender chicken on top of a bed of crunchy lettuce, and finished off with a cilantro lime dressing, this salad is bound to satisfy your Mexican food cravings.
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❤️ Why You'll Love It
- This is a great meal to make during the summer months when you want a meal that is light but still filling.
- You only need simple ingredients so you don't have to worry about trying to find specialty ingredients at your local store.
- This is delicious any time of the year, but it's also a creative and easy meal idea for Cinco De Mayo.
Do you love fajitas but want something lighter? Then this salad is for you. It has all the flavors of your favorite fajitas but on top of a bed of crunchy lettuce instead of tortillas.
📝 Ingredients
Note: This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📋 Ingredient Notes
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts - Chicken breast is the main protein source for this recipe. Look for breasts that are pretrimmed, or trim the fat off yourself before you use them.
- Fajita seasoning - You can use your favorite store-bought variety or make up a batch of your favorite homemade fajita seasoning recipe.
- Avocado oil - Not a fan of avocado oil? Any type of neutral oil will work. Olive oil is another great option.
- Bell peppers - For this recipe, I used a red bell pepper and a green bell pepper. However, you can also use yellow or orange bell peppers as well.
- Onion - For fajita recipes like this one, I recommend that you use a white or yellow onion.
- Romaine lettuce - Look for lettuce that is crisp and bright green. This will ensure that you have a fresh and crunchy base for your salad.
- Optional Toppings - A sliced avocado and a lime wedge make great garnishes for this recipe.
- Olive oil - This delicious oil makes a great base for your cilantro lime vinaigrette.
- Red wine vinegar - This adds an acid to help balance out your dressing.
- Fresh cilantro leaves - Look for cilantro leaves that are bright green and have a strong, fragrant smell.
- Fresh lime juice -The fresh tanginess of lime juice pairs perfectly with cilantro in this dressing.
- Zest - Make sure that you only zest the green of the lime and not the bitter white.
- Garlic clove - This flavorful ingredient adds a depth of flavor to your dressing.
- Granulated sugar - Sugar adds a touch of sweetness to help balance out the sour citrus.
- Seasonings - You will need cumin, salt, pepper, and chili powder for your dressing.
🥄 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Add all the dressing ingredients to a small bowl, or a mini food processor, and whisk together until combined.
- Season chicken breast on both sides with fajita seasoning.
- Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of avocado oil, swirl to coat.
- Place chicken breasts and cook for about 5-7 minutes each side.
- Add remaining oil and cook bell peppers and onions on high until charred.
- Slice chicken into thin strips.
- In a large salad bowl, arrange chopped lettuce and top that with sliced chicken, avocado if using, and bell peppers and onion mixture.
- Drizzle salad dressing on top to your liking and toss to combine
- Serve with the remaining dressing on the side.
🥣 Equipment
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- Small bowl or mini food processor
- Large skillet
- Instant read meat thermometer
- Large bowl
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💡Amira's Tips
- Before you assemble your salad, don't forget to wash and dry your lettuce well.
- The color of the bell peppers does not matter, so just use whichever that you have on hand, or the peppers that your family prefers.
- Don't add the dressing to your salad until you are ready to serve it. Otherwise, your lettuce will become soggy.
🧺 Storage
Storage—Store leftovers in the fridge separately. It's never a good idea to store a dressed salad in the fridge because it will become a soggy mess.
Freezing - You can freeze the meat and peppers, however, lettuce and other salad toppings do not freeze well.
💬 FAQs
Fajita salad is a fresh salad that has all the flavors of fajitas on top of a bed of lettuce.
You can reheat the chicken and pepper mixture in the microwave for 1-2 minutes on 50% power. For best results, I recommend reheating them in a skillet over medium heat until warm all the way through.
⌛ Make Ahead
One great thing about the dressing for this salad is that it gets better with time. So, you can make it up to three days in advance and store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
Just give it a good shake before you add it to your salad. You can also make the meat and peppers ahead. I don't recommend assembling your salad ahead of time.
🍽️ Serve With
- This salad is delicious when served as a lunch or dinner on its own. However, you can also pair it with your favorite bread side dish such as this Air Fryer Garlic Bread or Lebanese Pita Bread.
- break up some Homemade Doritos on top or serve them on the side.
👩🍳 Variations
- Not a fan of chicken? Swap out the chicken for steak or shrimp. Both of these options make great fajitas.
- Swap out the chicken breasts for chicken thighs if you prefer the texture and taste of them.
- You can add your favorite toppings such as cheese, pico de Gallo, and additional onions.
📣 Related Recipes
- Love fajitas and want another delicious option that is perfect for lunch or dinner? These Chicken Fajita Wraps are one of my go-to recipes to make when I am craving this classic dish.
- Shrimp Fajitas are another great option when you are craving Mexican food but want something a little different.
- These Mexican Chicken Pinwheels are a simple yet filling meal that you can prep ahead. Plus, they make great appetizers for guests.
- Try this chicken fajita pizza with a Tex-Mex twist to change up your pizza night. Flavorful juicy chicken with sauteed bell peppers and onions all on a pizza crust topped with melted cheese. Delicious in every bite.
- This Chicken Fajita Casserole is a flavorful, easy-to-make dish that combines tender chicken, vibrant bell peppers, and onions in a cheesy, Tex-Mex-inspired bake.
If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating! Thank you.
Chicken fajita salad
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons fajita seasoning
- 2 Tablespoon avocado oil divided or any light tasting oil
- 1 green bell pepper sliced
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 1 small onion sliced
- 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
Optional:
- 1 avocado thinly sliced
- Lime wedges and more chopped cilantro to garnish
Salad dressing:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3-4 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice the juice of one lime
- Zest of one lime
- 1 garlic clove minced
- ¾ - 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder or to taste
- 1 ½ teaspoon Salt to taste
Instructions
Make the dressing:
- Add all the dressing ingredients to a small bowl, or a mini food processor, and whisk together until combined.
Make the chicken:
- Season chicken breast on both sides with fajita seasoning.
- Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon avocado oil, swirl to coat.
- Place chicken breasts and cook about 5-7 minutes each side or until a meat thermometer reads 165F. Remove from heat and set aside to rest.
- Add remaining oil and cook bell peppers and onions on high until charred.
Assemble the salad:
- Slice chicken into thin strips.
- In a large salad bowl, arrange chopped lettuce top that with sliced chicken, avocado if using, and bell peppers and onion mixture.
- Drizzle salad dressing on top to your liking and toss to combine.
- Serve with the remaining dressing on the side.
Nutrition
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