I’m on something of a salad kick lately, probably as a result of my well-intentioned (but likely misguided) New Year’s resolution to “be healthier”. It’s appropriately vague so I don’t feel too terrible about standing in line at Chipotle for the second day in a row, but achievable enough to have me picking lettuce over that devilish rice they serve. In order to save my boyfriend from a third trip to the restaurant in as many days (it’s walking distance from our apartment and I have almost no will-power when it comes to good food) I decided to make my own version of their chicken salads for dinner last night. This is by no means a copycat recipe–although I’ll definitely be trying that sometime soon–but it satisfied my craving nicely both yesterday and with leftovers for lunch this afternoon.

It’s also a great low-carb meal, clocking in at just 7 carbs per serving if you use Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise (or any other 0 carb mayo) for the dressing, and even less if you substitute a low-carb sour cream.

This recipe makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

6 – 8 chicken tenderloins
2 ripe avocados
1 medium ripe tomato, diced
2 tsp garlic powder
4 tsp salt (divided)
4 tbsp sour cream
2 tbsp lime juice
2 bell peppers (red, orange, or yellow)
1/3 cup mayonnaise
3 tsp fajita seasoning (see my recipe here!) (divided)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp light oil
4 tbsp salsa
¾ cup shredded colby jack cheese
6 cups chopped lettuce

Directions:

Chop lettuce, set aside. Slice (or dice) peppers, set aside. Grate cheese, set aside.
Skin and slice ripe avocado; dice tomato. Add avocado, garlic powder, diced tomato, sour cream, lime juice, and 2 tsp salt to a food processor and blend until smooth (or add to a large mixing bowl and stir with a fork). Set aside. You’ve got guacamole!
Mix mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, and 1.5 tsp fajita seasoning in a bowl. Mix until blended together and set aside. You’ve got salad dressing!
Slice chicken into 1 inch cubes.
Add light oil to large pan and heat on medium-high heat. Add chicken and remaining 1.5 tsp fajita seasoning. Toss to coat.
Cook until chicken is slightly browned and remove from heat. Set aside.
If desired, add peppers to the same pan (without cleaning the remaining oil/seasoning mixture left over) and cook lightly. Diced peppers work best for this method. You can definitely leave them raw, though, and the dish tastes just as great!
Combine lettuce, peppers, cheese, and chicken. Serve and garnish with guacamole, salsa, and salad dressing.

You can also make a great vegetarian version of this salad by leaving out the chicken and frying mushrooms or pressed tofu in it’s place! It’s definitely a versatile recipe that can be tweaked to fit multiple dietary restrictions!

This recipe keeps great overnight as long as the garnishes are kept in a separate container. Mixing them together before storage makes the salad soggy (although still edible), so for the best leftover results be sure to have a few tupperware containers handy!

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