Last updated on January 26th, 2024 at 09:32 pm

These Southwest chicken bowls are packed with flavor and made with healthy, simple ingredients. They are great for weeknight meals or meal prep and are very customizable.

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It’s no secret by now that I love ‘bowl’ meals. There is just something about combining a bunch of delicious flavors and ingredients into one cohesive bowl that makes things more varied and exciting.

These Southwest chicken bowls are no exception. Loaded with flavorful tender chicken, crispy sweet potatoes, fajita style peppers and onions, simmered black beans and more, these Southwest chicken bowls are sure to please your palete.

These Southwest chicken bowls are gluten free, dairy free, made with whole food ingredients and are great for meal prep (instructions below). It’s just my fiancé and I, but I love to make 4 servings of this recipe so we have leftovers for lunches the next day.

Feel free to mix up the toppings to your liking and sub in other ingredients you like. The great thing about bowl meals is you can customize them however you like to keep things interesting.

One of my favorite ways to mix up these bowls is to switch out the protein and substitute the avocado for my cilantro avocado crema. Yum!

Ingredients

Chicken: chicken breast are cut into chunks, coated in a southwest seasoning blend and pan fried until golden.
Sweet potato: you can either roast or air fry the sweet potato until golden and crispy.
Peppers and onions: fajita style…cooked over high heat so they get a nice char to them.
Black beans: the simmered black beans are seasoned and slightly mashed
Corn: char the corn in a hot pan for extra flavor.
Lettuce: A good serving of lettuce (romaine, iceberg, or spring mix) acts as the base for this bowl.
Avocado: I love these bowls topped with sliced avocado. The creaminess balances out the Southwest spices.
Spices: southwest seasoning, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper.

What is Southwest seasoning?

Southwest seasoning is a spice blend typically made up of chili powder, cumin, paprika, coriander, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. However, each seasoning blend is going to have different variations in spices and quantities of each.

You can use a store bought Southwest seasoning to keep things easy or make your own at home. I used Lowry’s Sweet and Smoky Southwest seasoning.

Take note of the spice level listed on the container or recipe, and use one that fits your spice preference. The Southwest seasoning is used on the chicken and sweet potatoes, so it adds a lot of flavor to this dish.

Equipment Needed

Large frying pan
Sauce pan
Mixing bowl
Baking sheet or air fryer
Cutting board and knife
Measuring cups and spoons

Prepare the Chicken

In a mixing bowl, combine cubed chicken, one tablespoon of avocado oil, juice from one lime and two tablespoons of Southwest seasoning. Toss so all of the chicken is coated in the seasoning.

Cover chicken and refrigerate for 15 minutes while you prepare other bowl items, or up to 2 hours.

In a large frying pan, heat one tablespoon of avocado oil over medium heat. Add chicken in a single layer and cook for 4-5 minutes on one side.

Flip chicken and cook an additional 3-4 minutes, or until inside of chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Roast the Sweet Potato

In a mixing bowl, combine cubed sweet potato, one tablespoon of avocado oil and 1 1/2 tablespoons of Southwest seasoning. Toss so all of the sweet potato is coated in seasoning.

You can cook the sweet potato in one of two ways:

Bake: place sweet potatoes in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Roast at 425°F for 20-22 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Air Fry: place sweet potatoes in a single layer in an air fryer basket. Air fry at 400°F for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Prepare Black Beans

Heat two teaspoons of avocado oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add minced garlic and onion and sauté 3 minutes, or until both become fragrant.

Add cumin, chili powder and smoked paprika, stir and toast spices for one minute before adding black beans and the liquid.

Simmer black beans over medium low heat, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid evaporates and beans are thick. Lightly mash about half the beans with a fork.

Peppers and Onions

Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add sliced red and green bell peppers and cook for three minutes, or until they begin to char on one side.

Add sliced onion and toss. Continue to cook peppers and onions over a medium-high heat until soft and charred, about five more minutes.

Assemble

Start with lettuce as the base of the bowl. Top with cooked chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, fajita peppers and onions, simmered black beans, corn and avocado.

Garnish bowls with fresh cilantro, lime wedges and whatever toppings you like.

How to Meal Prep

Prepare each component of the Southwest chicken bowls as instructed above. You can either store items:

Separately in the fridge until you are ready to assemble
Store chicken, sweet potatoes, peppers and onions, black beans and corn in one container (all ingredients that would need to be reheated) and lettuce, avocado cilantro and lime wedges in a separate container.

Substitutions

Chicken: You can use different protein such as steak or shrimp. I’ve made these bowls with shrimp with the same amount of Southwest seasoning on it and they turned out great!
Sweet potato: switch it up and try this recipe with butternut squash. Or swap out the starch entirely with rice.
Black beans: you can substitute black beans with your favorite beans, such as pinto or kidney beans, and prepare them according to the same instructions.
Avocado: sub avocado with a big ole dollop of my cilantro avocado crema.

More Recipes You’ll Love

If you make these Southwest Chicken Bowls, be sure to leave a comment below and rate this recipe! If you snap a pic, be sure to tag me on Instagram @thechowdown! I love seeing your creations!

an overhead shot of a completely assembled southwest chicken bowl

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5 from 1 vote