Chicken Fajita Quinoa Bowls (VIDEO)

Make Mexican night fun and healthy with these chicken fajita quinoa bowls featuring spiced-up chicken, sautéed peppers and a creamy avocado goat cheese sauce. This post is sponsored by Kroger. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

The Monument Avenue 10K this weekend! I can’t believe how quickly it snuck up on me.

To be honest, my trip to Tulum totally threw a wrench in my training plan so I haven’t done a ton of running in the last few months. We’ll see how I feel on race day, but this year might be a run/walk kind of race instead of running for time. I’m fine with that because this race is always a blast — lots of people dress up in costume, there are a ton of bands playing along the course and loads of spectators cheering everyone on. Walking a bit will give me a chance to soak it all in on race day.

Whenever I run a race I always try to plan out my meals so I know I’ll be properly fueled and that my stomach will feel 100% the day of the race. On the morning of I usually drink water, a cup of coffee and eat something light and easy to digest, like a banana or toast with nut butter. I’ll have this right after getting dressed that way I have time to go to the bathroom before I leave the house and by the time I get to the starting line everything has settled.

The night before I eat a balanced dinner with a mix of protein, carbs and fat. I know some people are all about carb-loading before a race, but that’s only really necessary for exercise that lasts 90 minutes or more, since that’s when the body starts to run low on glycogen. Most runners will finish the 10K race well under 90 minutes so there’s no need for a super carb-heavy meal.

That’s why I’m thinking these chicken fajita quinoa bowls are perfect. You’re getting plenty of carbs from the quinoa and veggies, a good source of protein from the chicken and healthy fat from the avocado goat cheese sauce. Everything you need to feel great on race day in one healthy bowl! Plus, you can’t go wrong with fajitas — they’re seriously one of my favorites!

Also, can we talk about this avocado goat cheese sauce? I got the idea from a Terra’s Kitchen taco recipe that we love and it’s like a tangy sour cream, but with the flavor of goat cheese. I’m obsessed with how creamy it is.

To buy everything for these chicken fajita quinoa bowls I used Clicklist, Kroger’s online ordering system where you order online and pick up your groceries in front of the store, without getting out of your car. I know I’ve talked about the service several times before, but I wanted to mention it again because I still love using it. The ordering process is so easy (all the items I purchase regularly pop up as soon as I log on) and it saves me a ton of time. Plus, I’m a big fan of their Simple Truth line, which offers an awesome selection with of natural and organic products. For this recipe I used quite a few Simple Truth items including the quinoa, chicken and goat cheese!

These bowls are absolutely delicious and an healthy Mexican dinner option — even if you aren’t running a 10K this weekend. And if you are running the 10K, GOOD LUCK! I hope to see you out there as I’ll be running the race with Team Kroger.

Chicken Fajita Quinoa Bowls

• Author: Brittany Mullins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 35 mins
• Yield: 4

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Description

Easy and tasty chicken fajita quinoa bowls featuring spiced-up chicken, sautéed peppers and a creamy avocado goat cheese sauce.

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Ingredients

Quinoa

• 1 cup of red or white quinoa (I used a blend of the two)
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Fajita Veggies

• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Chicken

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 Tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2-1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Avocado Sauce

• 1 avocado
• 2 Tablespoons goat cheese
• 2 Tablespoons lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Toppings

• romaine lettuce
• cilantro
• pico de gallo or salsa
• hot sauce

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Instructions

1. Rinse and drain quinoa. Place water, salt and quinoa into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let pot sit, covered for 2-3 minutes. Remove lid and fluff with a fork.
2. While quinoa is cooking, get started cooking everything else. Heat a large skillet with 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat. Add in garlic, onions, red and yellow bell pepper, salt and chili powder. Sauté until veggies are tender, but still crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer veggies to a plate.
3. Using the same skillet, add chicken, lime juice, oil and seasonings (chili powder, garlic powder, cumin paprika, salt and pepper) and cook over medium-high heat for about 6 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Prepare avocado goat cheese sauce. Add avocado, goat cheese, lime juice and sea salt to a blender and blend until smooth.
5. Once everything is cooked and dressing is prepped, make bowls by adding a base of quinoa, 1/4 of the chicken and 1/4 of the bell peppers. Add chopped romaine, pico de gallo or salsa and freshly chopped cilantro for serving. Drizzle on the avocado goat cheese sauce. To make it look really pretty you can add the sauce to a zip-lock baggie, cut the tip and squeeze the sauce over each bowl in a zigzag pattern. Add a little hot sauce (if using) and dig in!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Kroger. The opinions and text are all mine.