Here’s a summer dish that’s sure to wake up your taste buds. Flavorful chicken, fresh mango salsa, quinoa, and greens come together to make these easy taco bowls. I love topping the taco bowls with crushed plantain chips, but you do you boo. There are a lot of options for making this dish fit your dietary needs, so check out the method and recipe below for all the details.
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Let the cooking begin!
The steps:
- You’ll start by tossing the chicken breast with your marinade/dressing mixture, but reserving some for the drizzling at the end.
- Next, you’ll grill the chicken, either on the stove or on an outdoor grill. I like to grill mine on a pan on the stove top until the internal temperature reaches 165F (74C).
- While the chicken is cooking, make the quinoa. My favorite method is to use an InstantPot, but you can also use the stovetop.
- Make the mango and avocado salsa by dicing everything small, and mixing in the lime and salt.
- Once the chicken is cooked through, let it rest for about 5 minutes, and then cut it into bite sized pieces.
- Serve up this dish by adding mixed greens, quinoa, chicken, mango avocado salsa, plantain chips (or tortilla chips), and the reserved dressing to a bowl. Enjoy!
Substitutions:
- Extra virgin olive oil can be subbed out for a neutral oil, such as avocado oil.
- Rice or cauliflower rice can be used in place of quinoa. Cauliflower rice will make this dish Paleo and Whole30.
- Plantain chips are Paleo and Whole30, but can be subbed out for other grain free tortilla chips, or normal corn tortilla chips.
Recommended kitchen items:
- 8qt Instant Pot. I probably don’t need to convince you that Instant Pots are awesome. This one is big, which is great for a lot of recipes.
- Lemon squeezer. This large capacity citrus juicer is great because it’s easy to squeeze and it fits large lemons and any size limes.
- Stainless steel measuring utensils. The spoons are my favorite, because they fit in spice jars. I also love using stainless steel, instead of plastic.
- Stainless steel mixing bowls. This set is awesome, because it has a non-slip bottom and lids for each bowl.
I hope you love this recipe, and would love to hear about how making it went for you! Share with me in the comments below, on Pinterest, or @whitsfoodfit on Instagram.
Chicken Mango Taco Bowls
(GF, DF, Soy free, Egg Free, Nut free, Paleo option, Whole30 option)
Ingredients
Marinade/Dressing
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2½ limes juiced
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp cumin
- ⅛ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ⅛ tsp cracked pepper
- 1 jalapeno finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp cilantro finely chopped
- 1½ lbs chicken breast
Mango Avocado Salsa
- 1½ cups diced mango (about 1 large or 2 small mangoes)
- ⅔ cup diced avocado (about 1 small-medium avocado)
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- 1 lime juiced
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- ⅛ tsp sea salt
InstantPot Quinoa
- 1½ cups uncooked quinoa rinsed
- 3 cups water (can use chicken or vegetable broth)
- ¼ tsp sea salt (omit if using salted broth)
For Serving
- mixed salad greens enough for each person
- crushed plantain chips (or tortilla chips) enough for each person
Instructions
- Mix your marinade/dressing by adding and mixing all of the ingredients, except for chicken breast, in a bowl. Separate and reserve about ⅓-½ of the mixture to use as a dressing at the end.
- Toss the chicken in the marinade mixture and make sure it's thoroughly coated.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat, and add the chicken breast to the pan. Turn it over every couple of minutes, and let it cook until the internal temperature reaches at least 165F (74C). Let it rest for 5 minutes after it's cooked.
- While the chicken is cooking, make your quinoa. Add your quinoa, water, and salt to the InstantPot. Give it a quick stir, close the lid, close the vent, and cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. After the timer goes off, let it sit for about 10 minutes, and then release the pressure vent.
- To make the mango avocado salsa, dice the mango, avocado, red onion, and cilantro. Mix them all together and toss with the juice from 1 lime and the sea salt. Set aside for serving when ready.
- Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and assemble your bowls. Start with quinoa, then add a handful of mixed salad greens, and then top that with chicken, mango avocado salsa, crushed plantain chips, and a drizzle of the reserved dressing.
