Santa Fe Chicken Bowl

Written by on in Chicken, Soups & Salads, Easy & Quick Meals, Healthy-ish

Looking for a salad and don’t want to compromise flavor? Alex has got you with this killer Santa Fe Chicken Bowl. When I made mine, I did a build your own salad bar for my family. That way everyone could control what went into their dish! This could be a dairy free dish if you skip the sauce, but I wouldn’t. It has a good amount of spice which really adds to the dish as a whole.

This recipe is from The Defined Dish Blog (recipe linked here).
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Ingredients:
FOR THE CHICKEN:

  • 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
  • 2 Tbsp avocado oil
  • 2 Tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • 2 cloves garlic minced

FOR THE SANTA FE SAUCE:

  • ¼ cup homemade mayo
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 cup drained and roughly chopped roasted red bell pepper (from a jar)
  • ¼ cup sliced jalapeño from a jar (drained) *like the sliced jalapeños that you would put on top of nachos
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper *for less spicy, use 1/4 tsp
  • ½ tsp chili powder
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • 1 Tbsp lime juice

FOR THE BOWL:

  • 2 cups chopped romaine
  • 1 15- oz can black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes quartered
  • ¼ red onion thinly sliced
  • ½ cup shredded monterey jack cheese
  • 1 avocado, cubed
  • 1 cup crumbled tortilla chips
  • 2 cups steamed rice
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges for serving

Preparation:
Marinate the Chicken:

  • In a baking dish or large bowl, add the chicken, avocado oil, lime juice, salt, pepper, paprika, oregano, cumin and garlic. Carefully toss until the chicken is well coated and set aside to marinate at room temperature for at least 20 minutes or you can marinate in the fridge overnight. 

Make the Santa Fe Sauce:

  • Using an immersion blender or high-powered blender, add the mayo, sour cream, roasted red pepper, jalapeño, garlic, cayenne, chili powder, onion powder and lime juice then blend to combine. Set aside.

Cook the Chicken:

  • After the chicken has marinated, heat a grill, grill pan or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, place chicken on the grill, cover and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until nice grill marks form. Flip, cover and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through and a nice, golden brown grill marks have formed. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Prepare the Bowl:

  • In a large bowl, add the romaine, black beans, tomato, onion and monterey jack cheese and toss to combine. Add the tortilla chips and the avocado and give it one last gentle toss to combine.
  • Divide the brown rice and romaine mixture amongst 4 serving bowls. Top with the chicken and a drizzle of the Santa Fe Sauce. Serve with additional side of the sauce.