Chili-Lime Chicken Fajita Salad with Grilled Peppers and Avocado (Video Included)

Chili-Lime Chicken Fajita Salad with Grilled Peppers and Avocado (Video Included)

A Salad Where the Marinade Becomes the Dressing: A Clever Way to Keep Every Bit of Flavor Intact

This Chili-Lime Chicken Fajita Salad bursts with so many flavors that you won’t know where to begin. Creamy slices of avocado, charred strips of red and yellow bell peppers, and succulent chicken thighs come together in a true fajita-inspired creation. Yes, this kitchen went full fajita mode.

The goal here was to craft something Tex-Mex or with Mexican-inspired tastes. But I’m tired of tacos (I know, what a culinary sin to admit), and I’m over winter dishes. To make a long story short, I craved a salad. And if you’ve followed me for a while, you know I don’t do rabbit food—aka starvation salads. I pile them high with so many ingredients that there’s no chance of going hungry.

The Marinade

This marinade pulls double duty as a dressing. Why? I didn’t want a separate dressing to overpower the perfect flavor the marinade had already infused into the chicken, so I simply made extra, split it in half, and saved the untouched portion for later use as a dressing.

So many recipes call for one flavor profile to season the chicken and a completely different one for the dressing. This method handles both at once, ensuring the same beautiful taste runs through the entire fajita salad! Red chili flakes + freshly squeezed lime juice + cilantro (swap it out if you dislike it, though it’s fantastic here) + garlic + cumin = a medley of flavors that dance together and create a passionate affair in your mouth.

Don’t Worry—the Dressing Never Touches the Chicken Raw. Here’s How:

1. Combine your marinade/dressing ingredients in a 1-cup measuring jug (a regular mug or jug works fine too).
2. Pour out half into a shallow bowl or dish to marinate your chicken thighs.
3. Refrigerate the remaining untouched half in the jug to use as a dressing once your salad is ready. I feel the need to explain this clearly, as some have been confused about the marinade/dressing concept.

Marinate for as long as you have. I’ve tried two hours, overnight, and even just dipping and grilling without any marinating when time was tight. It all works!

Which brings me to my next point: chargrilled chicken. You can use breast for this recipe, but thighs are incredibly juicy and tender, making them a perfect match for this salad. I use either a stovetop grill pan or a barbecue, depending on the season.

No grill or grill pan? A non-stick pan or skillet works just fine (see the video above the recipe card).

Once the chicken is fully cooked, let it rest for a good 5 minutes to lock in the juices before slicing into strips. Use this resting time to sauté your sliced onion and pepper strips. Then toss everything together in a large bowl and drizzle with the reserved untouched dressing.

We always use Romaine lettuce in this fajita salad (known as Cos lettuce in Australia), but you can also use butter lettuce, iceberg lettuce, or even kale!

In under 20 minutes, you’ll have a loaded salad that’s fresh and bursting with flavor. Much like this Honey Mustard Chicken, Avocado + Bacon Salad, or the popular Grilled Chimichurri Chicken Salad, this Grilled Chili Lime Chicken Fajita Salad is a complete meal in itself, packed with taste.

Watch How We Make This Chili-Lime Chicken Fajita Salad Right Here!

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED AUGUST 9, 2015

Grilled Chili Lime Chicken Fajita Salad

Tender, juicy chicken thighs grilled in a chili-lime marinade that doubles as a dressing! Creamy avocado slices, grilled red and yellow peppers, and succulent chicken pieces. ORIGINAL RECIPE BY KARINA, CAFEDELITES ©

Marinade/Dressing

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 100 ml (just over 1/3 cup) freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, (chopped)
• 2 cloves garlic, (crushed)
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon red chili flakes, ((or red pepper flakes — adjust to your preference of spice))
• 1/2 teaspoon ground Cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt

Salad

• 4 chicken thigh fillets, (skin removed (no bone))
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, (deseeded and sliced)
• 1/2 red bell pepper, (deseeded and sliced)
• 1/2 an onion, (sliced)
• 5 cups Romaine, ((or cos) lettuce leaves, washed and dried)
• 2 avocados, (sliced)
• Extra cilantro leaves to garnish
• Sour cream, ((optional) to serve)

1. Whisk all marinade ingredients together until combined. Pour half into a shallow dish to marinate the chicken fillets for two hours if time allows. Refrigerate the reserved untouched marinade to use as a dressing.
2. Heat about one teaspoon of oil in a grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Grill the chicken fillets on each side until golden, crispy, and cooked through. (Grill in batches to prevent excess water from releasing.) Once cooked, set aside and let rest.
3. Wipe the pan with a paper towel, drizzle with another teaspoon of oil, and fry the pepper and onion strips until they reach your desired doneness.
4. Slice the chicken into strips. Assemble the salad with lettuce leaves, avocado slices, peppers, onion strips, and chicken. Drizzle with the remaining marinade/dressing and serve with optional extra cilantro leaves and sour cream.

Need More Salad Ideas? Click on This Link or the Image Below!

This article originally published on Cafe Delites.