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Chicken Fajita Bowl for the win! Tender and spicy chicken breasts, sautéed red and green peppers tossed with quinoa, corn, ripe cherry tomatoes and avocado. Easy, good for you and so delicious!
Add our quick Blender Salsa Fresca for more flavour! Or take a left turn and try a Chicken Burrito Bowl!
If I had to name my one major food weakness, it would be chips and salsa. No matter when and where I am, I could always find room for them.
Sadly, gone are the days when we could get away with eating mounds of chips and salsa and stay in shape! But it’s simply not true to say that now I’m deprived of all the fun food just because I have to be a bit more careful with what I eat.
Meet the Chicken Fajita Bowl…
Chicken fajita bowl
When I first moved to the States I was introduced to a taco salad, and it was love at first sight. Crunchy, spicy and with a whole medley of flavours, it became of the most loved family meals.
As tasty as a taco salad is, it is not at all a lean meal. Blame those chips, cheese, sour cream and fatty beef that create the flavour we crave so much. Delicious, but not far from low in fat!
So in order to replace the unnecessary carbs and fats I decided to go for maximum flavour instead. That is how this Chicken Fajita bowl was born.
It retains all of the flavours we would want to find in a delicious fajita, but you can think of this one as more of a salad. It’s a far leaner meal, and also gluten free as it doesn’t need a tortilla.
If you love a fajita and don’t have the same concerns, give my classic Chicken Fajitas a try!
How to make it
The key to eating healthy and satisfying dishes is in the spices, since they give food the taste you crave! The star ingredient here is chicken. So I cooked sliced chicken breasts with warming and spicy Mexican flavours and a touch of tomato paste.
The usual fajita ingredients like crunchy bell peppers, sweet tomatoes, zesty onions and creamy avocados are not only allowed but strongly encouraged! Of course, no one will judge if you add a few of your own!
I also threw in some gluten-free quinoa in the mix to make it more filling and even more nutritious. Then I topped it off with black beans and charred sweet corn.
All the makings of a traditional fajitas minus the tortillas, this creation became a delicious hybrid of a taco salad and fajitas!
For spices I used a pre-made fajita mix. Combining your own is easy enough, but it’s so easy to just grab something that has been packaged.
If you do want to make your own, it can be a great idea to mix your own spices and leave them in your cupboard. Store them in an This is an affiliate link.airtight container and they will be ready when you need them!
Storage and leftovers
Chicken fajitas leftovers can be stored in an This is an affiliate link.airtight container in the fridge for 2-4 days. When it comes to reheating, there are two options.
The first is in the oven. Pre-heat the oven and spread the chicken and veg out on a sheet pan again. Cover with foil to avoid too much drying. 15 minutes at 180C/356F should do it, but check the chicken is piping hot at the centre before serving.
The second is in the microwave. This method won’t dry the ingredients but could make it a little soft or soggy. Cook for 45 second bursts and check the chicken is hot all the way through.
More Tex-Mex Recipes
- Chicken Chilaquiles with Warm Corn Salsa
- Chile Verde (Green Chili)
- Ground Beef Tacos
- Pulled Lamb Birria Tacos (Slow Cooker Recipe)
- Pulled Pork and Cheese Quesadilla
Chicken Fajita Bowl
Ingredients
For the fajita bowl
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup /30g cilantro, chopped
- 1 cup /180g cooked quinoa
- 14 oz /400g black beans
- 1/2 cup /200g tin of corn
- 2 limes, juice only
- 2-3 tbsp This is an affiliate link.olive oil
- Salt to taste
- 2 avocados, sliced
- 2 tbsp crumbled soft cheese, optional
For the chicken
- 2 tbsp oil, divided
- 1 lbs /450g chicken breasts, cut into strips
- 1.5 oz /35g fajita spice mix, or one sachet
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2-3 tbsp water
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 1 green pepper, sliced
Instructions
- Cook quinoa according to package directions, drain and set aside to cool.
- Prepare all the ingredients for the fajita bowl by chopping and dicing all the vegetables then set aside for later. In a frying pan char canned or frozen sweet corn over medium-high heat for approximately 7 minutes until blackened, set aside.
- To the same pan add sliced green and red peppers and quickly cook in 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat until slightly blackened on the outside, approximately 5 minutes. Take off the heat and keep warm.
- To the same pan add 1 tbsp of oil, sliced chicken breasts and fajita spice, stir fry over medium heat for 5 minutes until the chicken is sealed. Add tomato paste and water, stir to combine and cook for 5-7 more minutes over low heat until the chicken breasts are no longer pink inside but still very juicy.
To assemble the chicken fajita bowl
- In a large bowl combine quinoa, tomatoes, onions, garlic, cilantro, black beans, corn, lime juice, olive oil and salt to taste.
- Divide the mixture among 4 serving bowls and top with spiced chicken, green and red peppers, avocado slices, crumbled soft cheese and more chopped cilantro, spoon the spicy sauce from the pan over chicken and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What a mouthwatering fajita bowl! This is the perfect flavorful meal for a busy weeknight 🙂
Thanks, Laura! I love that you can add any number of things to it for variety every night and get different meals out of it!