Easy 30 minute weeknight dinner? Check. Let’s try something different tonight: Seasoned chicken tenders meet a cool & confident salsa, in this recipe for Skillet Chicken Tenders with Artichoke Avocado Salsa.
Chicken tenderloin is always a great choice for a quick weeknight dinner, since these thin strips just cook up so fast. Today’s Skillet Chicken Tenders with Artichoke Avocado Salsa recipe takes full advantage of this, pairing a quick refreshing salsa with some pan-cooked seasoned chicken.
This one is about as easy as you can get: Just a few minutes to chop up and throw together the salsa ingredients, and just a few minutes to season and cook up the chicken.
Why artichoke salsa in particular? Well, earlier this week I impulse bought a can of artichoke hearts from ALDI, and it’s been staring at me ever since. This seemed like a good chance to try something different — and, I had this quick weeknight dinner on the table in just 30 minutes!
Skillet Chicken Tenders with Artichoke Avocado Salsa
Ingredients
– for the salsa
1 can plain quartered artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 large avocado, chopped
2 medium Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 Tbsp diced onion
2 tsp minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp oregano
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
– for the chicken
1.5 Tbsp olive oil
2.25 lbs chicken tenderloin, trimmed
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Sea salt, to taste
Directions
First, make your artichoke avocado salsa:
Drain and chop the artichokes. Cut up the avocado, tomatoes, garlic, and onion.
Add the chopped artichoke hearts, avocado, tomatoes, onion, and garlic to a large bowl. Toss with olive oil and seasonings to coat, then refrigerate the salsa while you cook the chicken.
Now, make your chicken tenders:
Trim the chicken tenderloins. Start heating 1.5 Tbsp of olive oil in a 12″ cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, while you mix together the chili powder, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and sea salt.
Season the trimmed chicken tenderloins on both sides. (Make this easier: Use half of the seasoning mixture to season one side, then place the chicken seasoned-side down in the pan so that you can season the other.)
Cook the chicken tenders in the cast iron skillet over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes a side, or until nicely browned and cooked through.
Top your chicken with the artichoke avocado salsa. Serve immediately.
Note: My tenders were fairly thick, so they took almost 4 minutes a side to cook through. If yours are thinner, 3 minutes per side might do — cut into one to make sure no pink remains in the middle before serving. Easily flip the small chicken pieces by using tongs.
Refreshing salsa meets juicy chicken
Try something different the next time you pick up a pack of chicken tenders: Just season, pan-cook, and enjoy them with this super quick, super fresh salsa!
Skillet chicken tenders are naturally gluten free, and cooking them up quickly in a cast iron skillet sears in the flavor while keeping them juicy and tender. The cool salsa provides a pleasant contrast to the mildly spicy chicken, while the complementary flavors will keep you coming back for more.
Skillet Chicken Tenders with Artichoke Avocado Salsa, printable recipe
Skillet Chicken Tenders with Artichoke Avocado Salsa
Equipment
Ingredients
for the salsa
- 1 can plain quartered artichoke hearts drained and chopped
- 1 large avocado chopped
- 2 medium Roma tomatoes chopped
- 2 Tbsp diced onion
- 2 tsp minced garlic about 4 cloves
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp oregano
- Sea salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
for the chicken
- 1.5 Tbsp olive oil
- 2.25 lbs chicken tenderloin trimmed
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- Sea salt to taste
Instructions
First, make your artichoke avocado salsa:
- Drain and chop the artichokes. Cut up the avocado, tomatoes, garlic, and onion.
- Add the chopped artichoke hearts, avocado, tomatoes, onion, and garlic to a large bowl. Toss with olive oil and seasonings to coat, then refrigerate the salsa while you cook the chicken.
Then, make your chicken tenders:
- Trim the chicken tenderloins. Start heating 1.5 Tbsp of olive oil in a 12″ cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, while you mix together the chili powder, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and sea salt.
- Season the trimmed chicken tenderloins on both sides. (Make this easier: Use half of the seasoning mixture to season one side, then place the chicken seasoned-side down in the pan so that you can season the other.)
- Cook the chicken tenders in the cast iron skillet over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes a side, or until nicely browned and cooked through.
- Top your chicken with the artichoke avocado salsa. Serve immediately,
Notes
Recipes in the real world
Be sure not to miss the free ALDI meal plans, which show you how to use these easy family recipes to meal plan affordably and realistically for your family. Or, find more recipe ideas with the Recipe Search!
Be sure not to miss the free ALDI meal plans, which show you how to use these easy family recipes to meal plan affordably and realistically for your family. Or, find more recipe ideas with the Recipe Search!
