This chicken fajita taco salad has all the flavors of a fajita, but in salad form. It's loaded with flavorful seared chicken, sautéed peppers and onions, a homemade corn and bean salsa, and all of your favorite toppings.
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Why We Love This Salad
It's perfect for meal prep: This chicken fajita taco salad is easy to make ahead of time and store in containers for later in the week.
It's versatile: Not feeling a taco salad? That's fine! Serve the toppings over rice and make a Chipotle-style rice bowl! Want some other veggies? Add them! You can make this fajita taco salad whatever you want it to be.
It's easy: The chicken and veggies cook quickly and easily, then it's just a matter of throwing everything into a bowl. No oven or complex cooking directions required.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Chicken breasts or tenderloins: You'll cut the chicken into small pieces, so either of these white meat cuts work well. Chicken tenderloins tend to be cheaper than chicken breasts.
Bell peppers: Any color of bell peppers work. We don't love cooked green peppers, so we skip those and go for red, yellow, and orange. Mini bell peppers work well too!
Sweet or yellow onion: We love sweet onions, but yellow onions work well in this recipe as well.
Taco seasoning: We use pre-made taco seasoning to season the meat and veggies. You can make your own if you prefer!
Romaine Lettuce: You can substitute iceberg lettuce, butter lettuce, or leaf lettuce.
For the homemade corn and bean salsa: canned corn, black beans, cilantro, tomatoes, red onion, lime juice, oil, salt, pepper, and diced jalapeños
See recipe card for full ingredient list and amounts.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Add onions, peppers, oil, and half of the taco seasoning to a large mixing bowl and mix to combine. Then add the chicken, more oil, lime juice, and remaining taco seasoning to a second mixing bowl and combine. Set aside.
Step 2: Add oil to a large pan over medium heat. Then add the peppers and onions and cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, or until tender. Transfer the peppers and onions to a serving bowl and set aside.
Step 3: Add more oil to the pan that you cooked the vegetables in, then add the chicken. Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently, until cooked through. Remove the chicken from the heat and set aside.
Step 4: Make the corn and bean salsa. Add corn, black beans, cilantro, tomatoes, red onion, jalapeños, lime juice, oil, salt, and pepper to a mixing bowl and mix until well combined.
Step 5: Compile the salads. Add lettuce, chicken, peppers and onions, corn salsa, and your desired toppings (see "Topping Ideas") to bowls and enjoy!
Topping Ideas
- Guacamole or sliced avocado
- Cheese: We love queso fresco, cojita, quesadilla cheese, or monterey jack
- Tortilla strips
- Cilantro lime sauce
- Sour cream or plain greek yogurt
- Jalapeños
- Sliced limes
- Rice: If you're not feeling a salad, serve this taco salad as a rice bowl!
Frequently asked questions
Yes! Store the chicken, veggies, lettuce, and salsa in separate containers in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days, then combine when ready to serve.
Yes! Replace the lettuce with rice, then top with all of your favorite toppings.
Yes! Just omit the chicken and increase the veggies. I often have the leftovers without the meat!
Other Mexican-Inspired Dishes
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📖 Recipe
Chicken Fajita Taco Salad
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This chicken fajita taco salad has all the flavors of a fajita, but in salad form. It's loaded with flavorful seared chicken, sautéed peppers and onions, a homemade corn and bean salsa, and all of your favorite toppings.
Ingredients
Olive oil or avocado oil
3 bell peppers, sliced into strips
½ sweet or yellow onion, sliced into strips
1 ounce taco seasoning, divided
1 pound chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
Juice of 1 lime
2 romaine hearts, chopped
For the corn and bean salsa:
½ cup canned or frozen corn
½ cup canned black beans
¼ cup chopped cilantro
½ cup quartered cherry tomatoes
½ small red onion, diced
¼ cup diced jalapeños
Juice of 2 limes
1 teaspoon avocado oil (or whatever you usually use)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Topping Ideas
Guacamole or sliced avocado
Cheese (we love queso fresco, cojita, quesadilla cheese, or monterey jack)
Tortilla strips
Sour cream or plain greek yogurt
Jalapeños
Instructions
- Add onions, peppers, 1 tablespoon of oil, and half of the taco seasoning to a large mixing bowl and mix to combine. Then add the chicken, another tablespoon of oil, lime juice, and remaining taco seasoning to a second mixing bowl and combine. Set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a large pan over medium heat. Then add the peppers and onions and cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, or until tender. Transfer the peppers and onions to a serving bowl and set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan that you cooked the vegetables in, then add the chicken. Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently, until cooked through. Remove the chicken from the heat and set aside.
- Add the corn and bean salsa ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix until well combined.
- Compile the salads. Add lettuce, chicken, peppers and onions, corn salsa, and your desired toppings (see "Topping Ideas") to bowls and enjoy!
Notes
See "Topping Ideas" for suggested toppings.
Nutritional information is only an estimate and does not include toppings.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 salad
- Calories: 442
- Sugar: 14.2 g
- Sodium: 921 mg
- Fat: 19.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 37 g
- Protein: 33.6 g
- Cholesterol: 82.7 mg
Mike says
Easy weeknight meal!