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This Chicken Fajita Salad is light, fresh, and flavorful, with juicy marinated chicken, sizzling sauteed veggies, and a simple, creamy dressing. Perfect for lunch or dinner and easy to whip up for a crowd.
Why You’ll Love This Fajita Salad
When I’m looking for an easy dinner that can feed a crowd, this Fajita Salad is always a go-to. It’s easy to make in advance, has fresh flavorful ingredients, and is a total crowd-pleaser.
One of my favorite Mexican dishes is Chicken Fajitas. I love hearing the sizzle of a hot plate of chicken, crisp veggies, and of course those warm, fresh tortillas. To make them a little healthier, I love turning them into a salad.
Chicken breasts, marinated with citrus, chicken broth, and a bunch of seasonings, are grilled until tender and juicy. The veggies are roasted in a super hot pan with fajita seasoning. The dressing is simple; just sour cream, chili powder, and lime juice.
- Flavorful Marinade – The chicken marinade has a ton of flavor, and can be easily customized to suit your tastes. Make it spicy or mild, add fresh garlic or more lime juice.
- Easy to Customize – Adjust the ingredients for any of the components of this dish to fit your needs.
- Hearty and Healthy – With lean chicken breast, fresh vegetables, and an easily customizable dressing, this salad is a healthy addition to your weekly menu.
- Prepare in Advance – You can cook the chicken, mix up the dressing and chop the veggies up to 2 days in advance.
Ingredients
Don’t be intimidated by the length of the ingredients list. You could easily shorten this list by using a prepared fajita seasoning and/or dressing.
- Fajita Seasoning – onion powder, chili powder, dried oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper.
- Marinade – olive oil, lime juice, orange juice.
- Chicken Breasts – Boneless, skinless, and about 2 pounds or 3 medium-sized chicken breasts.
- Dressing – Sour cream, chili powder, cumin, lime juice, salt.
- Romaine Lettuce – Washed, dried, and chopped.
- Bell Peppers – I like to use a variety of colors, but use your favorites.
- Onion – White or red have the best flavor.
- Corn – Optional, but nice to add sweetness to the veggies.
- Limes – For adding to the marinade and for serving.
How To Make Chicken Fajita Salad
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
Marinate Chicken. Combine the marinade ingredients and marinate the chicken for at least an hour in the refrigerator.
Mix Dressing. Whisk together sour cream, lime juice, and seasonings. Refrigerate until ready to use. Giving it at least 30 minutes for the flavors to blend is highly recommended.
Cook Chicken. Grill the chicken on an outdoor grill or stovetop grill pan until cooked through to 165℉. Set aside, tenting with foil to keep warm.
Cook Vegetables. Cook peppers and onions in olive oil until soft, add corn and cook for a couple more minutes.
Assemble Salad. Toss lettuce with dressing and divide into bowls. Top with sliced chicken, veggies, a squeeze of lime juice, and fresh cilantro. Add more dressing if desired.
FAQs
The chicken can be grilled, sautéed, or baked before being sliced and added to the salad.
Yes, you can prepare the components in advance and assemble the salad when ready to serve. For meal prep, cool the chicken and sauteed veggies before storing with the salad, and keep the dressing store separately.
Variations
- Chicken – Chicken thighs or chicken tenders can be used but you will need to adjust the cook time.
- Veggies – Bell peppers and onions are typical fajita ingredients but feel free to add more veggies to the salad. Or, omit the corn if you prefer.
- Dressing – This is a super simple dressing that can be changed to suit your tastes. Sometimes I use the same Salsa Ranch dressing that I use for my Chicken Taco Salad, sometimes I just use an oil and vinegar dressing mixed with a little sour cream.
- Salad – Romaine is perfect for this recipe because it’s nice and crunchy. But you can use any kind of lettuce that you like.
- Toppings and Additions – Add black beans, cheese, tortilla strips, pepitas or avocado, Guacamole, or Pico de Gallo.
Storage
- Leftover dressed salad will not hold up well, so just make what you think you will eat.
- Chicken and veggies can be stored together, in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. Reheat with a little olive oil or butter in a skillet.
- Plain lettuce should be stored in a resealable plastic bag or storage container in the fridge with a paper to soak up any moisture. It will stay fresh for up to a week.
Helpful Tips
- Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes to enhance its flavor and tenderness.
- Use a mix of colorful bell peppers to add visual appeal and a variety of flavors.
- Cook the chicken on a hot grill or preheated skillet for a delicious smoky flavor.
- Slice the vegetables thinly and uniformly for even cooking and a pleasant texture.
- Prepare the dressing in advance to allow the flavors to meld together.
More Salad Recipes
- Easy Taco Salad
- Black Bean and Mango Salad
- Frito Corn Salad
- 35 Delicious Salad Recipes
- Caprese Chicken Salad
Chicken Fajita Salad
Ingredients
Fajita Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Chicken Marinade
- 2 tablespoons fajita seasoning
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 2 limes juiced
Dressing
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 3 teaspoons cumin
- kosher salt to taste
- lime juice to taste
Salad
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts about 2 pounds
- 2 red bell peppers cut into strips
- 2 green bell peppers cut into strips
- 1 medium-sized onion cut into strips
- 1 tablespoon fajita seasoning
- 15 ounces canned corn drained
- 8 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
- 3 limes
Instructions
- Combine fajita seasoning in a small bowl and set aside.
- Pour ¼ cup olive oil, ⅓ cup orange juice, juice of 2 limes, and 2 tablespoons of fajita seasoning into a medium-sized bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add chicken to a resealable plastic bag with the marinade. Gently massage to coat completely, seal, and set in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Whisk together sour cream, 2 tablespoons chili powder, and 3 teaspoons cumin together for the dressing. Add salt and lime juice to taste. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Heat an outdoor grill or a grill pan oven medium-high heat. Cook chicken about 4 minutes per side or until internal temperature registers 165. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil. Let cool at least 5-10 minutes before slicing.
- Meanwhile, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a cast iron skillet. Add onion and bell peppers. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of fajita seasoning and saute over medium-high heat until softened to your liking; about 4-5 minutes. Add corn and saute until corn is heated through. Juice a lime over the veggies, remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, toss lettuce with the dressing. I recommend starting with half of the dressing, then add more to your liking. Or, serve on the side.
- Divide salad into bowls. Slice chicken and divide chicken and vegetables evenly among the salad bowls.
- Serve with lime wedges.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
Thank you!
Ive made this a few times now and every time it is so good. The dressing alone is amazing, I always add extra lime because I love lime.
You are so welcome Layton! Thanks for stopping by.
This salad looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it out!