Southwestern Chicken and Avocado Tomato Salad is packed with flavor and is the perfect healthy inspired recipe. Chicken thighs with spices will leave you wanting another bite!
Don’t you just love a great dinner that’s flavorful and doesn’t take all night to prepare?! Our household is a constant whirlwind of motion. Homework to complete, chores to do, and an abundance of dishes to wash! Southwestern Chicken and Avocado Tomato Salad is the perfect dish for busy weeknights. Simple to prep, flavorful, and wonderfully moist chicken!
Our grill is right out the back slider door, off the kitchen. This makes it super easy to grill almost all year long. With the cold snap we had, I grilled, but found the grill was having a hard time keeping up with the temperature, because it was so darn cold outside! Days are starting to warm up as spring becomes closer each and every day. So we’ll be cranking up the grill more and more for yummy meals.
This week was a busy one. I wrapped up nine freelance recipes. Can you imagine the dishes from prepping NINE different recipes?! I try to clean as I go, so it contains the mess a bit. Stopped and grabbed two different magazines that featured my recipes. And, the kids took their Decorated Heart Shaped Sugar Cookies to school for Valentine’s Day. Those were so fun to make and even better to eat! I wrapped them up in clear food safe bags, tied with red and white bakers twine and an adorable tag. Nothing better than something that’s homemade, don’t you agree?!
Looking for other dinner ideas? Try my Brown Sugar Mustard Grilled Chicken. Perfect on a crunchy roll or in a wrap!
Don’t forget room for delicious desserts:
Old Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake
Southwestern Chicken with Avocado Tomato Salad
Chicken thighs marinated and grilled for wonderful flavor. Fresh avocado and heirloom tomato salad adds even more depth and flavor.
Ingredients
- 2-3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup whiskey
- 1 lime juiced
- salt and black pepper to taste
Avocado Tomato Salad
- 1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes
- 2 ripe avocados diced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro finely chopped
- 1 green onion finely chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper sliced thinly
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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Place all of the marinate ingredients into a large Ziploc bag and press with your fingers to mix together. Place the chicken pieces into the marinate. Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours and up to 24 hours. The longer you let marinate, the more flavors the chicken will absorb.
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Prepare the salad. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, and green onion. Squeeze the lime juice over and stir gently to combine. Top with thinly sliced jalapeno slices. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
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Grill the chicken on medium to high heat on either an outdoor grill or a cast iron grill pan. If using a cast iron grill pan, spray with plenty of cooking spray as your chicken cooks. Use tongs to flip the chicken. Cook until thoroughly cooked, about 12-15 minutes. Let rest about 5 minutes before slicing the chicken. Serve with the avocado tomato salad.
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This meal reminds me of summer! I can’t wait to dig into this salad with my garden tomatoes! And the chicken seasoning sounds great! I’m always bored with chicken, so I’m constantly trying new flavor combinations! Pinning this for the rotation!
Those sugar cookies looks so adorable! And of course, Avocado + Tomato is LOVE! ♥ Perfect combination for your salad!
This chicken dish looks absolutely delicious and perfect for dinner! I love the avocado tomato salad side which makes it even healthier. YUM!
That chicken looks so moist and delicious. You just can’t beat a chicken chicken salad sometimes.
I can’t wait for tomato season in my garden so I can make more dishes like this. Looks incredibly tasty and healthy too!
I wish I had a grill so I can make this recipe right now! Will just have to make do with the broiler.
I’m kind of zoned in on that tomato and avocado salad. It’s so simple but sounds just perfect. A great foil for the rest of your meal.
What a delicious combo of flavours! Can’t go wrong with Chicken and Avo! Such gorgeous photos too 🙂
If I had time, I would marinate my chicken every time I make it, it gives so much flavor to the dish and makes it soft and moist. 🙂 And avocado for that creaminess, just delicious! 🙂
So sorry to ask you and comment on all of these, but I can’t help and congrats you ! Your foods are amazing or they sound amazing because this is on my list to do but I was wondering if I could sub the thighs for breasts. Thanks again
Hello Alison!! Don’t apologize for asking questions! I’m happy to help!! Feel free to sub out the chicken thighs for breasts. My husband hates chicken thighs, for unknown reasons! LOL. So we use skinless chicken breasts all the time. I would suggest placing chicken breasts in a large Ziploc bag and flattening a bit with a rolling pin or meat tenderizer. Happy cooking!