Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Prep chicken: Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Season both sides generously with Kinder's The Blend. Let sit at room temperature 10–15 minutes while you prep the salad ingredients and preheat the grill.
- Grill chicken: Preheat grill to medium-high (400–450°F). Lightly oil the grates. Grill thighs 6–8 minutes per side until charred edges form and internal temperature reaches 165°F. Transfer to a plate and rest 5 minutes.
- Build the salad base: In a large bowl, combine chopped lettuce, pico de gallo, shredded cheese, jalapeños, and black beans.
- Toss with sauce: Drizzle Kinder's Chipotle Lime Dipping Sauce over the salad. Toss gently until everything is evenly coated. Start with ¾ cup and add more to taste.
- Slice chicken: Slice grilled thighs into thin strips or bite-sized pieces.
- Assemble bowls: Divide tossed salad among bowls. Top each with sliced chicken. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime. Serve with extra Kinder's Chipotle Lime Dipping Sauce on the side.
Nutrition
Notes
- Pat the chicken dry — Moisture on the surface creates steam and kills your char. Paper towels before seasoning means better grill marks and a crispier crust.
- Don't flip too early — Let the chicken release naturally from the grates. If it's sticking, it's not ready. Wait for that clean release and you'll get a better sear.
- Sauce does double duty — Toss the salad base in Kinder's Chipotle Lime Dipping Sauce before adding the chicken. Start with ¾ cup — the lettuce, pico, beans, and cheese all soak it up. Add more on top at serving. One bottle covers the dressing and the drizzle.
- Make it ahead — Grill the chicken and prep all salad components separately. Store everything apart and assemble fresh — dressed lettuce gets soggy within hours. Keep the sauce on the side until serving. This is one of the cleaner weekday meal prep setups you'll run.
- Add crunch at the end — Crushed tortilla chips or tortilla strips go on right before serving. Add them early and they soften into the salad.
- Sliced avocado or a spoonful of fresh guacamole cuts right through the tangy chipotle lime sauce — creamy and fatty against the smoky char. Add it on top or fold it into the salad base before you toss.
- Want a heartier version? Swap the lettuce base for cilantro-lime rice and you've got a full burrito bowl. The sauce works just as well over rice as it does over greens.
- This also travels well for meal prep. Pack the salad components and chicken separately, keep the sauce in a small container on the side, and assemble at lunch. Four servings at 42g protein each. Holds for three days — just keep everything separated until you're ready to eat.
- Store the grilled chicken and all salad components separately in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Keep Kinder's Chipotle Lime Dipping Sauce on the side until you're ready to eat — dressed lettuce wilts fast, and the sauce stays sharp when added fresh.
- To reheat, warm the chicken slices in a skillet over medium heat for 2–3 minutes. Serve them over a freshly tossed salad. The contrast — warm, charred chicken against crisp greens — is one of the better things about this bowl.
- Don't freeze the assembled bowl. The lettuce and pico don't recover. Grilled chicken freezes fine on its own for up to a month — thaw overnight and reheat the same way.