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Bringing you all the color today with this Sheet Pan Chipotle Salmon with Cilantro Lime Special Sauce. Sweet potatoes roasted alongside smoky chipotle salmon and served fajita bowl style with quinoa, onions, bell peppers, and a spicy cilantro-lime “special sauce”. This bowl is quick, easy, extra colorful, flavorful, and so delicious. The perfect easy sheet pan dinner to serve any night of the week. Incorporate this healthy recipe into your weekly meal prep and enjoy for lunches and dinners throughout the week.
It’s Saturday afternoon, but by the time this post is live, I will be in LA for one last meeting, then heading home. It’s been a crazy couple of travel days and I’m dreaming of my own bed and a homemade meal. I LOVE getting to meet you all and this trip has been so much fun, plus a much-needed break from all the cooking. But you all know me, I’m such a homebody and a week away is plenty for me.
And of course, I’m looking forward to getting back to cooking. Everyone always asks if I get sick of being in the kitchen, the answer is yes, but I don’t need long breaks away. Which brings me right back to this salmon recipe. I’m hoping to make it again as soon as I return home to share with you guys on Instagram. The one thing discovered this week while meeting you all? You guys LOVE when I walk you through recipes step by step on Instagram stories.
YESSS. These stories are a lot of work to create, but it excites me so much that you all love them. So expect more!
Here is how to make this sheet pan chipotle salmon.
If you’re serving the salmon bowl with the addition of quinoa or rice, start there. I love quinoa with this recipe, but use whatever grain you prefer. Really anything goes, quinoa, brown rice, farro, whatever you love most!
Now, the sheet pan. Clearly I’ve been loving sheet pan recipes a lot this year. They’re easy and I can really pile on the ingredients. Find a nice sheet pan…I love these pans.
Start with the sweet potatoes, the onions, and peppers. Season them simply with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then toss on a whole jalapeño pepper. This will roast alongside everything else, but will be used in the special sauce. Ok, get everything into the oven to start roasting.
Next, the salmon. I’ve seasoned up the salmon with my favorite combo of spices, chipotle chili powder, smoky paprika, and garlic. Just three spices, but that’s all you really need. Add the salmon to the sheet pan about halfway through cooking.
Since the salmon only needs a few minutes of cooking time, start work on the other ingredients needed for your bowls. I love piling these bowls high with fresh greens, avocado, lightly crushed tortilla chips, and feta cheese (cheddar cheese would be great too).
Now, let’s talk about that sauce…
You can never have enough sauce, you know? Naturally, I had to include something fun with this recipe. Enter the spicy, slightly sweet, roasted jalapeño “special sauce”.
The sauce is simply a mix of plain Greek yogurt, roasted jalapeño, lots of lime, a touch of honey, and fresh cilantro. Blend everything together until smooth. You now have your special sauce…but the healthier kind.
Let’s put it all together.
At this point, everything should be ready.
Layer the greens, the grains, and then add the vegetables and salmon. Finish with your favorite toppings, as I said, I love avocado, tortilla chips, and feta cheese. Finish with a generous drizzle of the spicy, sweet special sauce.
And done. Such a pretty colorful plate/bowl of food, right?
This recipe has got to be one of my most made, but never posted recipes. I make a version of this probably every other week. It’s a feel-good kind of food, yet healthy, easy, and SO delicious!
With spring arriving soon, I figured it was time I share this recipe. It’s a little lighter and perfect for these slightly warmer days, yet still colder nights.
It’s also great if you’re just looking for a way to change up your normal salmon dinner. This is a fun, slightly Mexican inspired, meal. Anyone who enjoys salmon will love it. And for those non-fishy eaters – try swapping in some grilled chicken!
Added bonus? You can easily incorporate this dish into your Sunday or Monday meal prep…directions included with the recipe!
If you make this sheet pan chipotle salmon bowl with sweet potatoes and cilantro lime special sauce, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Sheet Pan Chipotle Salmon with Cilantro Lime Special Sauce
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 806 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 small sweet potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 1 red or orange bell pepper, sliced
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt and black pepper for seasoning
- 4 salmon fillets (5-6 ounces)
- 2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2-4 cloves garlic, minced or grated, to your taste
- the zest + juice from 1 lime
- 2-3 cups kale, spinach or arugula, roughly torn
- 2-3 cups cooked quinoa or brown rice
- avocado, tortilla chips, feta cheese, for serving
Roasted Jalapeño Special Sauce
- 1 jalapeño, seeded if desired
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt, olive oil mayo, or sour cream
- juice of 1-2 limes, to your taste
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 pinch kosher salt
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the potatoes, onions, bell pepper, and jalapeño pepper with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes, or until tender. 2. Place the salmon on a plate and rub with chipotle chili powder, paprika, garlic, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, rubbing the seasonings and oil evenly into each filet. 3. Remove the potatoes from oven and push them to one side of pan. Put the salmon on the other side. Return pan to oven and roast for 10 to 20 minutes more, until salmon reaches desired doneness and potatoes are soft. Remove from oven and zest the limes over the salmon. 4. To make the special sauce. De-seed the jalapeño, if desired. To a blender, add the yogurt, roasted jalapeño, juice of 2 limes, honey, and cilantro. Blend until smooth. Season with salt.5. To serve, toss the greens with 1 tablespoon oil, a squeeze of lime, and a pinch of salt. Divide the quinoa or brown rice between bowls. Top with salmon, potatoes, onions, peppers, kale, and avocado. Add additional toppings as desired. Serve drizzled with the special sauce.
To Meal Prep
- 1. Prepare as directed above through step 4. 2. Divide the quinoa among 4-6 storage containers and arrange the salmon, sweet potatoes, onions, peppers, and kale on top. Add desired toppings, but leave off the avocado and chips. Store the special sauce, avocado, and chips separately and add just before serving. 3. Alternately, you can store the salmon, quinoa, and veggies in separate containers and assemble when ready. Food will keep in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. 4. Before serving, warm each bowl, if desired, and top with special sauce and avocado.
So flavorful and easy to make! Thank you for your amazing recipes!
Hi Haley! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! I am so glad it turned out so well for you! xTieghan
After we eat your dishes we always evaluate. This is a keeper!!! I even forgot the sauce and it was great! Used Chard and brown rice.
thanks so much
Thank you so much De! I am so glad you loved this! xTieghan
Unique combination of flavours, very satisfying dish!
Thank you so much Jenna! xTieghan
This recipe was amazing! We made it last night and followed the recipe exactly, except we did a poblano in the sauce instead of a jalapeno because we were not feeling anything spicy. It turned out SO well and we will definitely be adding it to our meal rotations. Thank you so much for sharing this, Tieghan!!
Thank you so much for trying this! I am so glad it turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Another amazingly delicious meal!!
Thank you so much Bethany! I am so glad you loved this! xTieghan
Yum! Vegetarian here so I just put the chipotle/paprika/garlic on the sweet potatoes rather than on fish and didn’t look further for any substitutes with the quinoa and yogurt-based sauce already in there for protein sources. Delicious!
Thank you so much Niki! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I made this tonight.
It was really yummy and easy to make.
I made it for my husband and myself…halved the recipe and had leftovers for me for lunch tomorrow.
Thanks Tiegan for another flavorful dish!
Thank you Sandra! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
So delicious!
Thank you Sarah! xTieghan
Thank you for the amazing recipe ! I made it tonight for dinner, just finished eating actually. I had to jump on here and tell you how delicious this is, and so nice that it can come together quick and easy ! It will definitely be a new go too, side note I do not enjoy cilantro so I made the sauce without and it was still very nice and balanced out the chipotle on the salmon so well!
Hi Cassy! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
Made it tonight! It’s easy to put together and full of flavors. The Cilantro Lime Sauce is bright and refreshing, bringing all the ingredients together. Thanks for sharing such a delightful recipe Tieghan!
Thank you so much for trying this LayChin! I am so glad it turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Just made this. All I can say is amazing. Flavorful and
Perfectly spicy. Not too hot. Would make again.
Thank you so much Kerry! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I was just thinking about making Salmon with chipotle and was looking for a good recipe! Love this idea, especially that you can make it on one pan sheet! I will make it tomorrow and will let you know how it went!
I am so glad you like this! I hope it turned out amazing for you Veronika! xTieghan
This salmon looks incredibly flavourful… Love it ♥
Thank you so much! I hope you try it! xTieghan
Looks so good, perfect for spring.
Safe travels xx
Thank you so much! I am so glad you loved this! xTieghan
looks really delicious
Thank you Ruth! xTieghan