Taco Salad Bowl

This Taco Salad Bowl recipe is made with Romaine lettuce, grilled chicken, black beans and Spanish quinoa. These taco bowls are healthy Mexican food made easy!

If you love street tacos, you’ll love this Taco Bowl!  It’s everything you love about Mexican food all packed in one bowl.

Taco Bowl Recipe

You can prep the ingredients for this Taco Salad Bowl ahead of time, then just reheat the meat and quinoa and assemble. 

• Chicken. We use boneless chicken thighs for this recipe, but you could use boneless chicken breasts if you prefer
• Garlic. We use this to season the chicken which gives it an amazing flavor
• Lettuce. We use Romaine lettuce for these taco bowls
• Black beans. You can use canned black beans or these homemade black beans from scratch
• Tomatoes. We use chopped tomatoes (either garden or Roma tomatoes) for this recipe
• Cilantro. What would a Mexican recipe be without cilantro
• Onion. We use green onion, but you can use white or red onion instead
• Avocados. Adds a delicious creaminess to this salad bowl
• Quinoa. We use this Spanish quinoa for this recipe
• Lime. We serve these bowls with lime wedges

Find printable recipe with the measurements below.

How to Make Taco Bowls

This Taco Salad Bowl comes together in about 20 minutes start-to-finish.

1. Cut the meat into strips and rub with the garlic.
2. Heat the oil in a grill (such as a Le Creuset) over medium-high heat.
3. Add the meat to the grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.  Turn the meat and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink and slightly crisp on the outside.
4. Add the lettuce to a large bowl and pour the lime juice over the lettuce.  Lightly toss.  
5. Place a fistful of salad in the bottom of each bowl. 
6. Evenly divide the chicken, quinoa, black beans, cilantro, tomatoes and onions evenly, arrange the ingredients on top of the lettuce.
7. Serve with your favorite salsa and lime wedges.

Recipe Variations

These chicken taco bowls are versatile and fun to make.  Switch the ingredients up any way you like.  

• If you’re not a fan of quinoa, then go with Spanish rice instead of Spanish quinoa
• Go with cooked ground chicken (like I used for these Chicken Tostadas) or turkey instead of grilled chicken.
• Omit the chicken altogether for a vegan taco bowl
• Use homemade black beans instead of canned
• Go with canned or homemade pinto beans instead of black beans
• Add homemade guacamole instead of slices of avocado
• Serve these chicken taco bowls with either restaurant style salsa or salsa verde
• Add grilled corn, black olives, pickled onions and tortilla chips

Looking for More Mexican Food Recipes to Make?

• Healthy Chicken Tostadas
• Baked Chicken Fajita Quesadillas
• Mexican Style Shredded Chicken
• Enchilada Style Baked Chicken
• Mexican Avocado Chicken Burgers
• Taco Skillet

Continue to Content

Print

Yield: 4 servings

Taco Salad Bowl

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Everything you love about Mexican food are found in these Taco Salad Bowls.  They're nutritious and delicious and make a healthy meal any night of the week. 

Ingredients

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• 2 cups low-sodium canned black beans
• 2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cups cilantro, chopped
• 1 cup onion (white or green), chopped
• 2 avocados, sliced
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 4 cups Romaine lettuce (optional)
• the juice of 2 limes
• 2 cups Spanish Quinoa

For the Spanish Quinoa

• 1 cup white quinoa (rinsed well for a good minute in a strainer before cooking)
• 1 whole yellow or brown onion, finely chopped (don't use sweet onion)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 4 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/4 cup low-sodium tomato sauce (roughly about 1/2 of an 8 ounce can)
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (1 14.5 ounce can)
• 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

For the Chicken

1. Cut the meat into strips and rub with the garlic.
2. Heat the oil in a grill (such as a Le Creuset) over medium-high heat.
3. Add the meat to the grill and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.  Turn the meat and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes or until the meat is slightly crisp.

For the Quinoa

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Add the chopped onion.
3. Cook the onion for a minute or two or until it starts to soften.
4. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.
5. Stir in the quinoa and blend well.
6. Add the tomato sauce and stir to incorporate well.
7. Add the chicken broth and the onion and garlic powders.
8. Place a lid on the saucepan and turn the heat down to low.
9. Stir about 3 times or so for the first 5 minutes, then leave it alone and let it simmer.
10. Cook on low heat for about 20 minutes total or until the liquid is mostly absorbed but it still looks slightly moist on top.
11. Remove from heat and let set for about 5 to 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork.

To Assemble the Bowls

1. Add the lettuce in a bowl and pour the lime juice over the lettuce.  Lightly toss.  
2. Place a fistful of salad in the bottom of each bowl. 
3. Divide the chicken, quinoa, black beans, cilantro, tomatoes and onions evenly, arrange the ingredients on top of the lettuce.
4. Serve with your favorite salsa and lime wedges.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1024Total Fat: 53gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 42gCholesterol: 205mgSodium: 569mgCarbohydrates: 86gFiber: 24gSugar: 17gProtein: 62g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations.