Taco Salad Bowls

A taco salad in a deep-fried tortilla shell can have 900 calories, but this version -- chicken taco salad in a baked tortilla bowl has less than 500.
taco salad

Can you believe a chicken taco salad, in a crispy tortilla bowl, can have up to 900 calories, 45 grams of fat and 1,870 mg of sodium? Didn't I say salad? That's the equivalent of THREE 5-ounce cheeseburgers. Thankfully, it's super-easy to make your own taco salad bowls at home -- without deep frying them in oil-- using a muffin pan. And you can add lots of flavor too – I like to use the sundried tomato and garden herb-flavored tortillas for my tortilla bowls, but you can use any variety of flour tortilla, including multi-grain and low carb.

Chicken Taco Salad in Flavored Tortilla Bowls

4 (10-inch) sundried tomato or garden herb-flavored soft flour tortillas (wrap-size)

4 cups shredded or cubed cooked chicken (such as rotisserie chicken or leftover roasted or grilled chicken)

1/3 cup prepared salsa or picante sauce
1/3 cup light ranch dressing
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup shredded Romaine lettuce

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

Cut the tortillas in half. Fold the ends of the cut tortillas into each other, making a cone shape. Press the cones into the bottom and up the sides of 8 cups of a muffin pan (about 2 inches of the tortillas with stick out). Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, until the tortillas are crisp. Cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the chicken, salsa, ranch and cilantro. Mix well.

Fill the tortilla bowls with the shredded lettuce and then the chicken mixture.

Serves 4
Nutrition Info Per Serving (2 filled cups per serving)
Calories: 479
Total Fat: 12 grams
Saturated Fat: 4 grams
Total Carbohydrate: 40 grams
Sugars: 5 grams
Protein: 49 grams
Sodium: 830 milligrams
Cholesterol: 123 milligrams
Fiber: 3 grams

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