Healthy Recipes

Hate Chicken Breast? Make This Insanely Juicy Recipe

Stop choking down the dry chicken breast and make these flavor-packed chicken fajita bowls.

Image by Chau Le of C&C Coaching

Chicken breast — it’s one of the ultimate health foods! High protein, almost no fat, and zero carbs. You can’t beat the macros.

But it can get boring. And dry. God, it can be dry. Ever choked down an overcooked grilled chicken breast, doused with condiments to make it edible? Been there.

If you’re a chicken breast hater, or if you’re just plain sick of eating chicken breast, I challenge you to try this recipe. It will convert you into a chicken breast devouring zealot!

How do you ask?

The slow cooker chicken is insanely juicy and bursting with flavor. It’s delicious as a standalone protein-packed snack, or you can build a fiesta-in-your-mouth masterpiece with fresh greens, blackened fajita veggies, cilantro, salsa, sour cream, lime… whatever floats your Barco!

We make these flavor-packed chicken fajita salad bowls at least once a month because they check every box on our healthy eating checklist:

• High protein
• Tastes amazing
• Easy to make
• Perfect for batch cooking and meal prepping
• Made of nutrient-dense whole foods
• Tons of veggies
• Easily customizable for different palates and goals

I use a Crock-Pot slow cooker which has been an absolute workhorse and crazy affordable too.

This recipe is Whole30 and Paleo compliant, providing you don’t add grains or sour cream.

Ready to crush this week’s meal prep? Let’s get after it!

Image by Chau Le of C&C Coaching

Insanely Juicy Chicken Fajita Salad Bowls

Number of servings: 6–8

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 3–6 hours

Macros/calories per serving: 52g protein, 12g fat, 34g carbs. 498 calories. (Does not include sour cream, tortillas, or rice. Data from MyFitnessPal.)

Ingredients

Chicken

• 6–8 boneless skinless chicken breasts (~4 lbs).
• 2 containers (12–16 oz each) of fresh pico de gallo. The pico should be made of freshly chopped tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and jalapenos. It should not look liquidy, like a salsa.
• 1 packet of Simply Organic fajita seasoning mix
• 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

Salad

• 1–2 heads of lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces. Use whatever type of lettuce or greens you like! Red leaf, green leaf, romaine, bib, spring mix, arugula…
• 10–15 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
• 1–2 avocadoes, sliced
• 1 bunch of fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

Fajita Veggies

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 red onions, coarsely chopped
• 15–20 mushrooms, quartered or cut into thick slices
• 2 green bell peppers, cut into strips

Optional Toppings & Sides

• 1 additional container of pico de gallo or salsa
• Lime wedges
• Sour cream
• Tortillas
• Brown rice

Image by Chau Le of C&C Coaching

Instructions

Cook the Chicken

1. Combine the 2 containers of pico de gallo, the fajita seasoning mix, and the black pepper in a large bowl. Mix until it’s well combined and set aside.
2. Lay the chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker.
3. Pour the pico/spice mix on top of the chicken. Mix briefly until well combined.
4. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours. You want the chicken to shred easily with a fork.
5. Once the chicken is cooked, shred it in the slow cooker using 2 forks until there are no large chunks and the chicken is well combined with the juices.
6. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. This chicken also freezes well.

Make the Fajita Veggies

1. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large sauté pan.
2. Add the onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers to the pan and turn the heat up to high. Cooking with high heat gives the veggies a deliciously smoky, caramelized flavor and color.
3. Cook the veggies, frequently stirring to make sure they don’t burn. The veggies are done once they’re nicely browned, and some are a bit blackened.

Build Your Ultimate Salad Bowl

The salad is simply the fresh veggie base on which to serve your chicken, fajita veggies, and toppings, so anything goes here. Get creative and make it your own! Here’s how we make our bowls:

1. Start with a pile of lettuce or greens in your bowl.
2. Add the cherry tomatoes and red bell pepper.
3. Add some warm, shredded chicken.
4. Add some warm fajita veggies.
5. Layer on some avocado slices
6. Add a generous handful of cilantro.
7. Squeeze some fresh lime on top
8. Add other optional toppings like sour cream or salsa.

Image by Chau Le of C&C Coaching

Ways to Personalize this Recipe

• For a richer flavor, use a mix of chicken thighs and breasts.
• To increase the carbs, make tacos with tortillas, or add rice or quinoa to your bowl.
• If you’re pressed for time, skip the cooked fajita veggies.

Enjoy chowing down on your veggie- and protein-packed bowl of chicken fajita goodness!