Meet my Grilled Chicken Fajita Salad. It is seriously crave-worthy delicious. It is so easy because the chicken and vegetables are cooked on the grill and then loaded onto the salad, which is tossed with a creamy avocado dressing. I’ve also included have a couple of handy marinating and grilling techniques that are going to knock your socks off!

 Grilled Chicken Fajita Salad in a bowl

I originally shared this recipe on April 18, 2013. It included a giveaway which is now closed. I have updated the images and some of the text today.

Why We Love This Recipe For Grilled Chicken Fajita Salad

I love salad month for one reason alone. I absolutely love salad. I eat huge salads. Like MAJORLY big salads all the time. I like to make a salad in a mixing bowl, then eat the entire thing. Just me… I have a problem, I know. My mom tells me I used to “insist” she pack salad in my lunchbox. Please leave me a comment below letting me know if you are also a big fan of BIG salads!

Anyhoo, I just made this Grilled Chicken Fajita Salad, and it is big. Because you know what I love almost as much as salads? You guessed it–fajitas.

About this easy salad recipe: here is what I did. I used my favorite no-mess chicken marinade technique. It is a great trick. Just peel the garlic and smash it in a re-sealable bag. Then add your chicken breast and pound that flat (check out the photos below in the recipe step instructions).

Pounding the chicken flat inside the bag is super awesome because there is no mess, and the chicken will cook more evenly, so it won’t dry out. Then add in the rest of the marinade ingredients and some Mexican flavored seasonings.

Since I was cooking the chicken on the grill, I cooked the vegetables in a foil packet alongside it. Which means that there aren’t extra dishes to clean. The dressing has Greek yogurt and avocado in it so it is nice and creamy like a cross between creamy dressing and guacamole. First toss some with the greens, then just dollop it on top.

If you love this Grilled Chicken Fajita Salad, then you may want to check out our Ground Chicken Taco Salad Recipe.

Grilled Chicken Fajita Salad toppings in bowls

Key Ingredients For This Recipe

Organic Mexican Spice blend, fresh garlic and lime

Chicken breasts

I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts which I separated the tenders from. This is the leanest part of the chicken (and the largest) which is why I love cooking with it.

Mexican spice blend

I used the Yucatecan Recado Rojo spice blend, but any Fajita seasoning blend will do.

Bells peppers

I used red and orange bell peppers but you can use any color.

Onion

A yellow or white onion is great here, but if you prefer your fajitas with red onion you can use that instead.

Corn

Although I don’t buy many of my veggies frozen I do use frozen corn kernels. However, if you have the time and patience you can always cut fresh kernels from a corn cob.

Avocado

Avocado is used to help create a creamy and guacamole-inspired dressing. Make sure it’s perfectly ripe so that it blends smoothly.

Greek-style yogurt

I used low-fat Greek yogurt but you can use full-fat if that’s what you’d prefer. If you’re lactose intolerant you can substitute with a good dairy-free plain yogurt.

Romaine

Romaine is often my go-to lettuce for salads like this because I love the crunch it adds. You can use iceberg or little gem too if that’s what you have on hand.

Additional Ingredients

  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro, plus leaves for garnish
Grilled Chicken Fajita Saladin a bowl

Step-by-Step Instructions to Make This Chicken Fajita Salad

mashing the garlic in the bag to make the marinade

Step 1: Smash garlic

Place the garlic cloves in a large Ziploc bag, then press air out and seal the bag. Smash the garlic with the smooth side of a meat mallet (or any heavy kitchen utensil you have on hand).

pounding the chicken in the bag

Step 2: Pound chicken breast

Open the bag and add the chicken breasts. Press the air out of bag and reseal. Pound the chicken through the bag until the thickest part of the breast is level with the thinnest, about 1/2-inch thick.

Step 3: Marinate chicken

Open the bag once again and add the tenders, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 2 teaspoons Mexican spice mix, and ¾ teaspoon salt. Press out the air and reseal the bag, agitating it until the chicken is coated in the marinade. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Step 4: Preheat grill

Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.

the fajita veggies on foil before grilling

Step 5: Cook peppers, onion & corn

Mix the peppers, onion and corn in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon oil, ¾ teaspoon salt and the remaining 2 teaspoons Mexican spice blend. Place 2 (12×22-inch) sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil or a double layer of regular foil on a work surface. Divide the veggie mixture between the center of the two foil sheets.

the fajita veggies on foil getting wrapped up

Step 6: Fold packets

Fold each aluminum square over the veggies into a flat packet and crimp the edges to seal.

Step 7: Grill veggie packets & chicken

Place the vegetable packets on the grill grates and cook, rotating and flipping occasionally until the peppers and onions are soft and starting to brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove chicken from marinade and discard the marinade. Grill chicken until no-longer pink in the center, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Let it rest about 5 minutes before slicing.

Step 8: Make avocado dressing

Meanwhile, combine 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoons lime juice, ¾ teaspoon salt, Greek yogurt, honey in a food-processor or miniprep food-processor. Cut avocado in half and remove the pit. Scoop half of the avocado into the food processor or mini prep, then cover and puree, scraping down sides as needed to get ingredients moving, until smooth, 30 to 45 seconds. Add chopped cilantro and pulse to combine.

Step 9: Assemble chicken fajita salad

Toss romaine with about 2/3 of the dressing and divide among four plates. Divide onion and pepper mixture over the lettuce. Top with grilled chicken. Dollop any remaning dressing over the salads. Dice the remaining ½ avocado and scatter over the salads. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

Grilled Chicken Fajita Salad in a large bowl next to a cutting board

Tips on How to Grill Chicken

Grilling meat can seem like a daunting task if you don’t have much experience with it. My biggest tip for making grilled chicken is to give it loads of flavor by using a marinade for at least an hour before cooking it. Chicken marinades (like the one I’m sharing in this recipe) often have an acidic component, like lemon or lime juice, plus salt, which help a bit to get the flavors of the marinade (spices and garlic) inside the chicken.

When you put the chicken on the grill, make sure not to overlap or overcrowd the chicken. You also want to flip the chicken only once during the grilling process, if possible. This will help the chicken cook evenly on each side, and will leave those lovely grill marks on the meat. Those grill marks aren’t just for aesthetics! They impart a lovely flavor onto the chicken that’s tough to replicate with spices.

Finally, after the chicken is taken off the grill, you want to let it rest on a plate for a good four or five minutes before slicing it. This will give the juices time to redistribute throughout the meat and will make for a more tender bite.

As long as you keep these few tips in mind when grilling the chicken for this fajita salad, you shouldn’t have any issues!

FAQs and Expert Tips

How to prepare this recipe ahead

I would recommend waiting to grill the chicken and veggies until you’re ready to eat, however you can prepare the veggie packets the night or morning before to save some prep time. You can also marinate the chicken overnight, if desired.

Can I make this dish vegetarian?

Absolutely! Just because you’re choosing to eat meat-free doesn’t mean you should miss out on this recipe. Just swap out the chicken for your favorite plant-based chicken or veggie burger patty.

How to store leftovers

Try to eyeball how much lettuce you’ll realistically eat in one sitting. Since it’s just lettuce you can easily cut more, but chopped lettuce doesn’t always stay that fresh as leftovers (especially if it’s dressed). With that being said, you can store any leftover veggies and/or chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.

Grilled Chicken Fajita Salad

Additional Easy Salad Recipes to Try

Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!

Happy Cooking! ~Katie

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This Grilled Chicken Fajita Salad for Salad Month is Low-Carb and Gluten-Free and will be the star of any Cinco De Mayo celebration! | Healthy Seasonal Recipes | Katie Webster

Grilled Chicken Fajita Salad


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5 from 3 reviews

  • Author: Katie Webster
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x

Description

Meet my Grilled Chicken Fajita Salad for Salad Month—it is low-carb and gluten-free and will be the star of any Cinco De Mayo celebration!


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, tenders separated, about 1 pound
  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
  • 4 teaspoons Mexican Spice Blend or Fajita seasoning mix, divided
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • 2 bell peppers, cored and cut into strips
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
  • 1/4 cup plain low-fat Greek-style yogurt
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 large avocado
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, plus leaves for garnish
  • 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce

Instructions

  1. Place garlic cloves in a large Ziploc bag, press air out and seal the bag. Smash garlic with the smooth side of a meat mallet.
  2. Open bag and add chicken breasts. Press air out of bag and reseal. Pound meat through the bag until the thickest part of the breast is level with the thinnest, about 1/2-inch thick.
  3. Open bag again and add tenders, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 2 teaspoons Mexican spice mix, and ¾ teaspoon salt. Press out air and reseal bag and agitate until the chicken is coated in the marinade. Refrigerate 30 minutes to 2 hours.
  4. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
  5. Mix peppers, onion and corn in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon oil, ¾ teaspoon salt and the remaining 2 teaspoons Mexican spice blend. Place two sheets measuring 12 by 22-inches of heavy-duty aluminum foil or a double layer of regular foil on work surface. Divide pepper and onion mixture into the center of the two foil sheets.
  6. Fold into a flat packet and crimp edges closed.
  7. Place vegetable packet on grill grate and cook, rotating and flipping occasionally until the peppers and onions are soft and starting to brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade. Grill chicken until no-longer pink in the center, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Let rest about 5 minutes before slicing.
  8. Meanwhile combine 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoons lime juice, ¾ teaspoon salt, Greek yogurt, honey in a food-processor or miniprep food-processor. Cut avocado in half and remove pit. Scoop half of the avocado into the food processor or mini prep, cover and puree, scraping down sides as needed to get ingredients moving, until smooth, 30 to 45 seconds. Add chopped cilantro and pulse to combine.
  9. Toss Romaine with about 2/3 of the dressing and divide among four plates. Divide onion and pepper mixture over the lettuce. Top with grilled chicken. Dollop any remaning dressing over the salads. Dice the remaining ½ avocado and scatter over the salads. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

Notes

How to Store:

Try to eyeball how much lettuce you’ll realistically eat in one sitting. Since it’s just lettuce you can easily cut more, but chopped lettuce doesn’t always stay that fresh as leftovers (especially if it’s dressed). With that being said, you can store any leftover veggies and/or chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Category: Salad
  • Method: Grilled
  • Cuisine: Mexican

Nutrition

  • Calories: 338 cal
  • Sugar: 10g
  • Sodium: 446mg
  • Fat: 19g
  • Saturated Fat: 3g
  • Carbohydrates: 18g
  • Fiber: 9g
  • Protein: 28g