A new twist on a Mexican salad… grilled chicken marinated in a cilantro lime vinaigrette, tossed with grilled onions and peppers, lettuce, mangoes, avocados, corn, black beans, and grape tomatoes.
Cilantro Lime Chicken Bowl
When I think of a Mexican Salad, it takes me back to college days with my husband. It was our favorite “break from studying” to slip over to the college eatery for a Taco Salad. It was a specialty back then (yes, I am showing my age!). Taco salads with hard shell bowls were not that common and we especially loved this salad because it was cheap and filled us up! It was less than $2 for us to share a salad. Sometimes we splurged and bought two!! Our best idea ever for this salad was to combine salsa, sour cream and Ranch dressing on top… I know, this also shows my age. Ranch dressing was not the super common, on every shelf and every refrigerator, thing it is now. It used to be called “house dressing” and it was a favorite for our salad.
Mexican Salads have come a long way. Café Rio and Costa Vida hang their hats on Mexican salads. Chipotle serves a delicious salad. We even know how to make our own hard shell taco salad bowl at home. The salads are common, so I am inviting you to mix it up and make a change! This Cilantro Lime Chicken Bowl does just that. The vinaigrette is so flavorful and it is used three times to create an amazing flavor: in the marinade for the chicken, in the grilled vegetables, and as a vinaigrette dressing. Add fresh ingredients, such as limes, corn, mangoes, avocadoes, and grape tomatoes. Your Cilantro Lime Chicken Bowl will be unforgettable!!
Ingredients for the Cilantro Lime Chicken Bowl:
The Marinade/Vinaigrette Dressing:
- olive oil
- cider vinegar
- honey
- fresh squeezed lime juice
- lime zest
- minced garlic
- fresh cilantro
- cumin
- onion powder
- smoked paprika
- salt and pepper
The Chicken Bowl:
- chicken breasts
- sweet bell peppers
- red onion
- Romaine lettuce
- mangoes
- sweet corn
- seasoned black beans
- grape tomatoes
- green onions
- fresh cilantro
- avocadoes
- queso fresco or cotija or feta
- lime wedges
How to Make the Cilantro Lime Chicken Bowl:
- Combine all ingredients for marinade/vinaigrette. Use ½ for marinade and ½ for a vinaigrette dressing.
- You have a choice here: marinate chicken as whole chicken breasts or as bite-sized chicken pieces. If you want to grill your chicken, marinate as whole chicken breasts. If you are stir-frying, and want more flavor in the chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces. The marinade is able to get into smaller chicken pieces easier.
Marinade chicken for 6 hours. Then, grill or stir-fry chicken until cooked completely. - Grill or stir-fry onions and peppers for 2 minutes with 1 Tablespoon vinaigrette dressing.
- Chop and assemble remaining salad ingredients.
- Assemble salad just before serving, or set up as a salad bar. Serve with remaining vinaigrette dressing.
Enjoy this healthy, fresh Cilantro Lime Chicken Bowl for a summer meal!’
–Kim
Cilantro Lime Chicken Bowl
Ingredients
Marinade/Vinaigrette Dressing:
- ½ cup olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons cider vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
- Zest from 1 lime
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Pinch black pepper
The Chicken Bowl:
- 1 pound chicken breasts
- 2 sweet bell peppers chopped
- 1 red onion sliced
- 2 heads Romaine lettuce
- 1 cup mangoes
- 2 cups sweet corn
- 1 can (15 oz) seasoned black beans
- 1 container grape tomatoes
- ½ bunch green onions
- ½ bunch fresh cilantro
- 2 avocados
- queso fresco or cotija or feta
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients for marinade/vinaigrette. Use ½ for marinade and ½ for a vinaigrette dressing.
- Marinate chicken for 6 hours. Then, grill or stir-fry chicken until cooked completely. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Grill or stir-fry onions and peppers for 2 minutes with 1 Tablespoon vinaigrette dressing.
- Chop and assemble remaining salad ingredients.
- Assemble salad just before serving, or set up as a salad bar. Serve with remaining vinaigrette dressing.
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