This grilled chicken fajita bowl is the perfect quick solution for a delicious weeknight dinner or leftover lunch. Serve it over rice, sautéed peppers and onions, fresh salsa and homemade spicy mayo, this delicious treat is sure to please everyone in the family. Marinated in a homemade chipotle marinade, each bite of the chicken is full of amazing spicy Mexican flavors that make you want to go for seconds.
How to make the best chipotle marinade.
To start, in a blender add chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, water, olive oil, freshly squeezed lime juice, a batch of cilantro, chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and salt. Blend it all together until all ingredients are liquified.
For the chicken, I used thighs. They are more flavorful and fattier than breasts which is helpful in preventing the meat from being dry.
Submerge the chicken into the homemade chipotle marinade. Place them in the fridge and marinate for at least 1 hour. For best results, marinate overnight. This allows you to do the prep work the night before and quickly grill the following day.
How to make homemade spicy chipotle mayo.
Before grilling the chicken, make the spicy chipotle mayo that will be used as the sauce to finish off the dish.
In a mixing bowl, add mayo, chili powder, paprika, salt, freshly squeezed lime juice and adobo sauce. Whisk it all together and set aside.
Prep your sides.
Since the chicken will only take a few minutes to grill, prep your veggies in advance so that you end up with a warm and delicious meal.
Start with cooking your rice. 1/2 cup of rice and 1 cup of water. Pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and then simmer with the lid cover until all the water has evaporated.
Next, sauté some bell peppers and onion. Slice the veggies into long strips and throw them into a pan over low heat with some butter. Simmer on low heat while the peppers soften. Set aside for assembly.
Finally, chop up some Romaine or Boston lettuce, slice some avocado strips and get your salsa ready. If you have a great salsa recipe, go for it. For this recipe I went with a delicious mango salsa from my local grocery store.
Time to get the grill going!
Set the grill to high direct heat at 450 degrees and place the marinaded chicken on the grill. Flip every minute for a total of 10 minutes or until the meat reaches 175 degrees internal temp. The reason for the higher temperature is because thighs are a darker fattier cut they require slightly more time to cook and for the texture to be just right.
Let the chicken rest while you prep your grilled chicken fajita bowl.
Start with some rice, add in the chopped lettuce, salsa, sauté peppers and onion, chop up the grilled chicken and drizzle with some homemade spicy chipotle mayo. Enjoy!
Printer friendly recipe below:
Grilled Chicken Fajita Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chicken thighs
- 1/2 stick Unsalted butter
- 2 Bell Peppers
- 1 White onion
- 1 Romaine lettuce
- 1 Avocado
- 1 cup Mango salsa
- 1/2 cup Uncooked white rice
Chipotle Marinade
- 3 Adobe chipotle peppers
- 1/4 cup Olive oil
- 1/4 cup Water
- 2 Limes
- 1 Batch of cilantro
- 1/2 tbsp Chili powder
- 1/2 tbsp Paprika
- 1/2 tbsp Cumin
- 1/2 tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tbsp Cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tbsp Salt
Spicy Chipotle Mayo
- 1/2 cup Mayo
- 1/2 Lime = freshly squeezed juice
- 1 tbap Adobe sauce
- 1 tsp Chili powder
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Salt
Instructions
Chipotle Chicken Marinade Instructions
- In a blender add chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, water, olive oil, freshly squeezed lime juice, a batch of cilantro, chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and salt. Blend it all together until all ingredients are liquified.
- Submerge the chicken into the homemade chipotle marinade. Place them in the fridge and marinate for at least 1 hour. For best results, marinate overnight. This allows you to do the prep work the night before and quickly grill the following day.
Homemade Spicy Chipotle Mayo Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add mayo, chili powder, paprika, salt, freshly squeezed lime juice and adobo sauce. Whisk it all together and set aside.
Chicken Grilling Instructions
- Set the grill to med-high direct heat at 450 degrees and place the marinaded chicken on the grill.
- Flip every minute for a total of 10 minutes or until the meat reaches 175 degrees internal temp.
- Remove off the grill and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing into bite size portions.
Prep Instructions:
- Cook rice: 1/2 cup of rice and 1 cup of water. Pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and then simmer until all the water has evaporated.
- Sauté veggies: Slice the bell peppers and onion into long strips and throw them into a pan over low heat with some butter. Simmer on low heat while the peppers soften. Set aside for assembly.
- Next, chop up some Romaine or Boston lettuce, slice some avocado strips
Check out the Recipes Page for other tasty ideas!
