Introducing my gorgeous chicken fajita salad with avocado lime dressing.
I don’t know about you but for me, at the moment, it is definitely salad weather. The thought of a hot meal is not appealing at all. But I’m not complaining! If I were to choose just one type of food to eat for the rest of my life it would be salad. That’s because you can pack salad full of pretty much any flavour and add pretty much anything to it. The possibilities are endless. This salad has all the flavours of your favourite chicken fajita and is perfect for the long hot summer days we are getting right now.
And at the moment this salad is one of my favourites. The chicken is juicy and delicious and the peppers are cooked perfectly – still with bite but with some char on the outside.
But I have to tell you that it’s the dressing that does it for me. This is absolutely my favourite dressing ever. Garlicky, with a hint of spice and amazingly creamy, I can eat it with pretty much anything. The other night we dipped the baked sweet potato chunks in it that I make in my baked chicken bowl recipe – an experience that will definitely be repeated before long.
And the best thing is that this dressing is actually good for you. Packed with healthy fats, antioxidants and a whole host of vitamins and minerals it must be one of the most nutritious salad dressings around!
So if you’re after a lighter version of your regular chicken fajita, why not give this a go!
Looking for some other chicken based meals? Check out my Caribbean Chicken with Pineapple Salsa or Paprika Cream Chicken.
Chicken Fajita Salad with Avocado Lime Dressing
Paleo and Low FODMAP. A lighter version of your regular chicken fajita, this chicken fajita salad with avocado lime dressing is sure to become a summer favourite in your home.
Ingredients
For the marinade/dressing
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic crushed*
- 50 ml lime juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar**
- ½ teaspoon cumin**
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne**
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 avocado
- 1 large handful spinach leaves
For the salad
- 6 chicken thighs skinless and boneless cut into strips.
- 3 peppers
- 1 large lettuce romaine or cos work very well but use other varieties if you find these too bitter
Optional garnishes
- ½ red onion finely sliced*
- 1 lime quartered
- 1 handful coriander
- 1 avocado sliced*
Instructions
For the marinade
- Place all the marinade/dressing ingredients into a blender and whizz until well combined. Pour ⅓ of the marinade over the chicken and place in the fridge to marinate for up to two hours.
For the dressing
- Add the avocado, spinach and a dash of water to the remaining marinade. Whizz, adding more water as necessary until the dressing is smooth, creamy and just pourable. Pour into a bowl and refrigerate.
To assemble
- Cut the lettuce into chunks and place on a large serving plate.
- Heat a non-stick pan over a high heat.
- When the pan is hot, add the chicken and its marinade and cook, turning often, until the chicken is very nearly cooked through (12-15 minutes). Add the pepper to the pan. Toss, and cook for a further 3-5 minutes until the chicken is thoroughly cooked and the pepper is beginning to char.
- Place the peppers and chicken on top of the salad leaves.
- Top with any optional garnishes you wish.
- Drizzle over some of the dressing, and serve with the remaining dressing on the side.
Recipe Notes
*For a low FODMAP diet replace 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the garlic clove with 1 tablespoon of garlic infused oil and omit the red onion and avocado from the garnishes (a low FODMAP diet allows you to eat ¼ of an avocado per sitting). **For a paleo diet replace the sugar with agave and omit the cumin and cayenne – it’s still amazing, believe me.
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Love the sound of this dressing, infact the whole salad it looks delicious